Tune in Torah: Vayechi

(11th century France)

(5) אל נא תקברני במצרים BURY ME NOT, I PRAY THEE, IN EGYPT — Because its soil will ultimately become lice which would swarm beneath my body. Further, those who die outside the Land of Israel will not live again at the Resurrection except after the pain caused by the body rolling through underground-passages until it reaches the Holy Land) And another reason is that the Egyptians should not make me (my corpse or my tomb) the object of idolatrous worship (Genesis Rabbah 76:3).

(16th century Italy)

(1) אל נא תקברני במצרים, even temporarily, in a coffin, as was done with Joseph (50,26). Yaakov reasoned that if he allowed himself to be interred even temporarily, Joseph would never be allowed to take his remains to the land of Canaan at a later date. They would argue that the honour done to him and burial in the soil of Egypt was adequate as it had been for the most outstanding kings. [we must understand the preoccupation the Egyptians had with the cult of death and what they presumed to be their afterlife. The whole culture of that people revolved around burial, hence the pyramids. Ed.]

(12th-13th century, France & Germany)

“please do not bury me in Egypt.” One of Rashi’s grandsons, Rash’bam, claims that Yaakov wanted to prevent the Egyptians of being spared the ten plagues seeing that he had been buried in that soil. This would be due to his having been named Yisrael, which conferred a much higher spiritual status on him. (Compare Jeremiah 50,17 where he has been referred to as שה פזורה, “a scattered sheep,” as opposed to the Egyptians who are referred to by several of our prophets as donkeys, i.e. their flesh being described as similar to the flesh of donkeys. (Ezekiel 23,20) The Torah writes that the firstborn male donkey has to be redeemed by a שה, i.e. a sheep or lamb (Exodus 13,13) the implication being that only descendants of Yaakov can possibly serve as redemption for Egyptians. If that animal is not redeemed, it must be killed by its owner. (B’reshit Rabbah 96,5)

(18th century Kabbalist)

אל נא תקברני במצרים, "please do not bury me in Egypt." Jacob and Joseph were so much part of the same category of souls and that this is why Jacob was afraid that when the time came for him to die, Joseph would not want to be separated from him until he himself would die. Although the Talmud Taanit 4 claims that Jacob did not die and remained alive, Jacob wanted to be sure that Joseph did not misunderstand this and that he realised that his father would "die." When that occurred he would be separated from Joseph and would want to join his fathers. This is why he had to issue all these instructions.

Our Rabbis said two matters in the name of Rabbi Ḥelbo: Why did the patriarchs have fondness for burial in the Land of Israel? Because the dead of the Land of Israel come to life first in the messianic era, and enjoy the messianic years.

Rabbi Ḥanina said: One who dies outside of the Land of Israel and is buried there, has undergone two deaths, as so it is written: “And you, Pashḥur, and all the dwellers in your house, will go into captivity, and to Babylon you will come, and there you will die, and there you will be buried” (Jeremiah 20:6). That is, he has undergone two deaths. That is why Jacob says to Joseph: “Please do not bury me in Egypt.”

Rabbi Simon said: If so, the righteous who are buried outside of the Land of Israel suffer a loss. What, then, does the Holy One blessed be He do? He makes tunnels in the ground for them and makes them like channels, and they roll along until they reach the Land of Israel. The Holy One blessed be He then places in them a spirit of life and they arise. From where is this derived? It is written: “Behold, I am opening your graves, and I will take you up from your graves, My people, and I will bring you to the soil of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:12), and then: “I will place My spirit into you and you will live” (Ezekiel 37:14). Reish Lakish said: It is an explicit verse, that once they reach the Land of Israel, the Holy One blessed be He will place a soul in them, as it is stated: “Who places a soul in the people upon it” (Isaiah 42:5).

There was an incident involving Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and Rabbi Eliezer, who were walking near the gates outside Tiberias. They saw the coffin of a dead person who came from outside of the Land of Israel to be buried in the Land of Israel. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said to Rabbi Eliezer: ‘What has this one, whose soul departed outside of the Land of Israel and came to be buried in the Land of Israel, accomplished? I read in his regard: “My inheritance you rendered an abomination” (Jeremiah 2:7) during your lifetime, “and you came, and you defiled My land” (Jeremiah 2:7) after your death.’ [Rabbi Eliezer] said to him: ‘Once he is buried in the Land of Israel, the Holy One blessed be He grants him atonement, as it is written: “His earth will atone for his people”’ (Deuteronomy 32:43).

(13th century France)

לא פללתי, an expression describing prayer as a request from G-d. We find this word in this sense also in Psalms 106:30, where it quotes Pinchas as having prayed. Yaakov says that he had not even prayed to see Joseph again, as it would have been inappropriate seeing that he thought he had seen evidence that Joseph had been the victim of a wild beast. (Genesis 37:33) An alternate explanation: whenever this word occurs it refers to making a judgment, i.e. arriving at a definitive conclusion. Yaakov would have been saying that he had never even entertained real hope to see Joseph again.

(17th century Amsterdam, commentary on Rashi)

I did not dare have any thought... Rashi is answering the question: Yaakov thought that “Yoseif has been torn to pieces” (37:33). If so, why would he think he would see him? Thus Rashi explains, “I did not dare have any thought.” In other words, it never occurred to me to think differently, that perhaps you were not torn up and I will see you alive.

And he placed Efrayim before Menashe - The text wanted to teach us more regarding the wording of Yaakov our father. We already knew from him that in spiritual issues Efrayim is before Menashe and this is why he was before in the [order of encampment of] banners in the desert and in the dedication of the altar. Yet on wordly issues Menashe is before [Efrayim]. And therefore he comes before in the countings in Parashat Pinchas when they enter the land as I explained above. But we still didn't know who say first in name. It could have been the order that the Torah prefers, like Zevulun before Isachar, and so Menashe would come before Efrayim. And this is why the text comes to teach that Yaakv put the mentioning of Efrayim before Menashe, and this is to teach us that it is appropriate to put Torah before greatness in leading the world. And this is under the general principle of honor to the Torah and the level of the souls of Israel, in particular. And this is not similar to Zevulun and Isachar, since Zevulun was the one making possible that Isachar studied Torah. And this is not the case with Efrayim and Menashe, and this is the rule for all generations.

They said: Leave Joseph to be buried by the others. It is more of an honor for Joseph to be buried by the many than by the few, and therefore it is better that the Jewish people be involved in the burial. And furthermore, they said: Leave Joseph for others. It is more of an honor for Joseph to be buried by one of the great men like Moses than by lesser ones like us.