(1) .(פג ALL THE WORDS OF JOSEPH — As evidence that it was Joseph who was sending this message he had informed them of the religious subject he had been studying with his father at the time when he left him, viz., the section of the Heifer (עגלה) that had its neck broken (Deuteronomy 21:6).
It is to this that Scripture refers in the words “And he saw (i.e comprehended the meaning of) the עגלות (here to be taken in sense of Heifer) which Joseph had sent — and it does not state “which Pharaoh had sent” (as one would expect if עגלות meant wagons) (Genesis Rabbah 94:3).
(2) ותחי רוח יעקב THE SPIRIT OF JACOB [THEIR FATHER] REVIVED — The Shechinah that had departed from him, rested again upon him (cf. Onkelos).
Why is the significance had they not escorted the deceased? Why would that have been significant?
(1) If, in the land that the LORD your God is assigning you to possess, someone slain is found lying in the open, the identity of the slayer not being known,
(2) your elders and magistrates shall go out and measure the distances from the corpse to the nearby towns.
(3) The elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall then take a heifer which has never been worked, which has never pulled in a yoke;
(4) and the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down to an everflowing wadi, which is not tilled or sown. There, in the wadi, they shall break the heifer’s neck.
(5) The priests, sons of Levi, shall come forward; for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to pronounce blessing in the name of the LORD, and every lawsuit and case of assault is subject to their ruling.
(6) Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi.
(7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.
(8) Absolve, O LORD, Your people Israel whom You redeemed, and do not let guilt for the blood of the innocent remain among Your people Israel.” And they will be absolved of bloodguilt.
(9) Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD.
Below, are a number of other examples where we see the significance of escorting guests in Torah
Joseph was sending his father the message that, he, Jacob, did his part (just like the elders above did their part). He accompanied his son and was not responsible for his sale.
From wher did Yaakov learn about accompanying travellers? From Avraham
He gave them as a sign — the subject that he was studying...
You might ask: How did Yaakov decide to teach him the subject of עגלה ערופה when they parted?
The answer is: When Yoseif left, Yaakov escorted him until the depths of Chevron, as Rashi explained on the verse (37:14), “And he sent Yoseif from the depths of Chevron.” Yoseif said to him, “You should go back.”
Yaakov answered, “I am not permitted to go back.
A person must escort his fellow [on the way], as it is written in the section of עגלה ערופה (Devarim 21:7): ‘Our hands have not spilled this blood,’ [which means:] ‘We did not dismiss him without escort,’” as Rashi explains there. Consequently, he taught him the subject of עגלה ערופה.
When the verse says וירא את העגלות, the word וירא means “understood.”
When they told him about the subject of עגלה ערופה, he then understood that [what they had said] was true.
וירא את העגלות אשר שלח יוסף וגו'.
ויעקב למד דין הלויה מן אברהם, שנאמר (בראשית יח טז) ואברהם הולך עמם לשלחם, פירש״י ללותם, וז״ש וישלחהו מעמק חברון, ששלוח זה היינו לויה, ולמד דין הלויה מעמק אותו צדיק הקבור בחברון, כי אברהם התחיל בלויה ויטע אשל. נוטריקון אכילה שתיה לויה
(לג) וַיִּטַּ֥ע אֶ֖שֶׁל בִּבְאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיִּ֨קְרָא־שָׁ֔ם בְּשֵׁ֥ם ה' אֵ֥ל עוֹלָֽם׃
(33) [Abraham] planted an ESHEL (tamarisk) at Beer-sheba, and invoked there the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
“[he planted an eshel which is] a lodge” – for guests to stay and sleep.
The term eshel is an acronym for the Hebrew words: eating, drinking, and escorting guests on their way for he [Abraham] would feed them, offer them drink and then escort them on their travels.
When a person escorts his friend, he draws the Divine Presence (Shechina) down, which cleaves to his friend and protects him. Because of this, one must be careful to escort a guest …”
(א) מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל דִּבְרֵיהֶם לְבַקֵּר חוֹלִים. וּלְנַחֵם אֲבֵלִים. וּלְהוֹצִיא הַמֵּת. וּלְהַכְנִיס הַכַּלָּה. וּלְלַוּוֹת הָאוֹרְחִים. וּלְהִתְעַסֵּק בְּכָל צָרְכֵי הַקְּבוּרָה. לָשֵׂאת עַל הַכָּתֵף. וְלֵילֵךְ לְפָנָיו וְלִסְפֹּד וְלַחְפֹּר וְלִקְבֹּר. וְכֵן לְשַׂמֵּחַ הַכַּלָּה וְהֶחָתָן. וּלְסַעֲדָם בְּכָל צָרְכֵיהֶם. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים שֶׁבְּגוּפוֹ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שִׁעוּר. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכָּל מִצְוֹת אֵלּוּ מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם הֲרֵי הֵן בִּכְלַל (ויקרא יט יח) "וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ". כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹצֶה שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָם לְךָ אֲחֵרִים. עֲשֵׂה אַתָּה אוֹתָן לְאָחִיךְ בְּתוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת:
(ב) שְׂכַר הַלְּוָיָה מְרֻבֶּה מִן הַכּל. וְהוּא הַחֹק שֶׁחֲקָקוֹ אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ וְדֶרֶךְ הַחֶסֶד שֶׁנָּהַג בָּהּ. מַאֲכִיל עוֹבְרֵי דְּרָכִים וּמַשְׁקֶה אוֹתָן וּמְלַוֶּה אוֹתָן. וּגְדוֹלָה הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים מֵהַקְבָּלַת פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יח ב) "וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים". וְלִוּוּיָם יוֹתֵר מֵהַכְנָסָתָן. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים כָּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְלַוֶּה כְּאִלּוּ שׁוֹפֵךְ דָּמִים:
(1) It is a rabbinic positive precept to visit the sick, comfort the mourners, escort the dead, dower the bride, accompany the [departing] guests — — as well as to cheer the bride and the groom, and to assist them in whatever they need. Even though all these precepts are of rabbinic origin, they are implied in the biblical verse: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18); that is, whatever you would have others do to you, do to your brothers in Torah and precepts.
(2) The reward for escorting a stranger is greater than any reward. It is a practice introduced by our father Abraham, a way of kindness which was habitual with him. He served food and drink to wayfarers and escorted them.
Hospitality to wayfarers is greater than welcoming the Divine Presence, as it is written: "He saw three men … he ran to meet them" (Genesis 18:2). Escorting them is even greater than receiving them. The sages have declared: "Anyone who does not escort his guests is almost guilty of bloodshed" (Sotah 46b).
Why is escorting a guest so important?
We will see, there is a practical element but also, a human dignity element.
אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי מאיר כל שאינו מלוה ומתלוה כאילו שופך דמים.
The Gemara continues to discuss the importance of accompaniment. Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Meir: Whoever does not accompany another or will not allow himself to be accompanied is like a spiller of blood and is held responsible for any deaths that occur as a result of his inaction.
Especially if the guest is not familiar with the way, and the roads branch out in several directions, it is a great mitzvah to accompany him or at least clearly explain where to go so that he will not get lost.
The Jewish People as a whole are referred to as ‘Knesset Yisrael,’ the word ‘knesset’ meaning a gathering. This alludes to the idea that although the Jewish People’s corporeal existence is divided into numerous bodies, our neshamot are ‘gathered’ together, unified and inseparable (all being hewn from the same Divine source).
When leaving a city, one enters a danger zone, as the Sages teach: “all of the roads are fraught with danger” (Yerushalmi Brachot 4:4.)
In such situations, we are given the mitzvah of escorting guests to bestows grace upon the traveller.
By accompanying him on his way, the city dwellers allude to the unification of the Jewish nation. In a sense they are telling their guest, even though you are leaving us, we are still connected. Thus their act accords the guest his status as part of the collective whole, which guarantees his protection for the remainder of the trip.
When someone sets out on the way and others see him off, they in effect give honor to the Divine Image in which he was created. If people fail to do so, it is as if they had shed his blood [as is stated in Sotah 46b], for when one is robbed of the honor due to his Divine Image this is true bloodshed.
Now we understand the message that Yosef sent to Yaakov. Yosef has been away for 22 years. There was not another Jew within hundreds of miles. He was in a society that was decadent and depraved. He became the viceroy and everyone jumped at his command. What happened to Yosef? Did he leave the ways of Judaism? Did he become perverted? No. He remained Yosef the Righteous.
He sends a message to his father Yaakov asking “How did I do that? How was I able to remain committed to Jewish values despite my surroundings and environment?” He answered his own question. “I did it because you believed in me. You showed me respect and dignity by accompanying me on the road that day. I felt self worth as a result of your levaya. Any time that I was tempted to sin, I asked myself ‘How could I – Yosef – do such a thing after my father had so much respect for me and faith in me?”
This is the great Chessed that Avraham Avinu taught us. Sure, food and drink are important, but levaya – giving a person a feeling of self worth – that is more important than anything!
One should escort his guest to the gate, or at least four amos [approximately 2 meters]
“It is only through escorting guests that one thoroughly completes the mitzvah of hospitality to guests.”.
For laws of escorting guests, see https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/289767/jewish/Escorting-the-Traveler.htm