In this week's parsha, in פרק מז, פסוק כט Yaakov asks Yosef to make sure that he will not bury his father in מצרים. The pasuk says:
״וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת וַיִּקְרָא | לִבְנוֹ לְיוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִי וְעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם״
When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, now place your hand beneath my thigh, and you shall deal with me with loving kindness and truth; do not bury me now in Egypt.
Rashi asks why does יעקב care where he is buried? After all, isn't it really his physical body that will buried in Egypt since the important part of his body, his שכינה, will go up to ה׳? Rashi provides three reasons one of which is that he didn't want the מצריים to deify him.
Q: What are other reasons for why Yaakov cared so much about not being buried in מצרים? Why is burial so important in Judaism?
The Rashi on מז:כט states סופה להיות עפרה כנים which means “the soil( in Egypt) is destined to become lice” and the lice would crawl all over Yaakov and that is why Yaakov did not want to be buried in Egypt. Personally, I think Yaakov did not want to buried in Egypt because maybe he knew somehow that the Egyptians hated the jews (and would enslave the jews ) and therefore Yaakov did not want to be buried in a place that held so much hatred for his people
ReplyDeleteSource from Rashi: chabad. Org
Tova Rubin
ReplyDeleteRav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch wrote that the reason Yaakov wanted to be buried in Eretz Yisrael and not Mitzrayim is so that his offspring will always have an incentive to go back to Eretz Yisrael. Additionally, he wants them to remember that Israel is their home and they should not settle anywhere else, like Mitzrayim.
I think that a reason he wouldn't want to be buried in Mitzrayim is that he knew they'd be in galus from his ruach Hakodesh so for them to know that they had a tie to the land with his body being there could be a source of comfort for them.
https://www.ou.org/torah/parsha/rabbi-y-dov-krakowski-on-parsha/parshas-vayechi/
ReplyDeleteIn last week's parsha, when Yaakov was preparing to go down to Mitzrayim, Hashem told him not to be afraid because He Hashem would bring him back up. When Hashem command’s us in the torah to do something, then it's our obligation to do the next step in order to fulfill his command. It's hard to know what Hashem wants but when someone does know (Yaakov) then they must do everything possible to make it happen. Yaakov knows what Hashem wants after his death (for him to return to Israel). So Yaakov wasn't making his own request but simply trying to fulfill Hashem's. Additionally he asked Yosef because he has power in the land of Mitzrayim and can make sure it actually happens.
This shows us really how far we should go to try and fulfill the requests of Hashem. Yaakov made plans to try and complete Hashem's will even after he died and could no longer do it.
This was done by Miriam Hoffmann
DeleteYaakov did not want to be buried in Egypt so that he can maintain his family tradition to be buried in ארץ כנען. He wanted to be in the land where his fathers are buried. He wanted his resting place to be next to his family, his loved ones, and he wanted that tradition to continue on. Yaakov also specified “in the field of Ephron the Hittite” so that there will be no confusion as to where he will be buried. Even though he is physically not alive, he liked the idea of keeping the tradition to be buried next to family. That is why Yaakov says “Bury me with my fathers…”.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://rabbijillhammer.com/2013/12/11/parashat-vayechi/
Maimonides in the Mishnah Torah, quotes Isaiah, and says: “Our Sages have said that the sins of anyone who dwells in Eretz Yisroel are forgiven, as it says, “And the inhabitant shall not say, ‘I am sick’, the people who dwell therein shall be forgiven for their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24). Even if one were to walk but four cubits in the Land, he merits The World To Come.”
ReplyDeleteLet’s think about where Yaakov is when he asks his sons to bury him in Israel. Yaakov has just reunited with his son, who he assumed dead, but was actually sold by his other sons. Perhaps Yaakov is feeling a little guilty for the way he has raised his children. He might believe he is responsible for all of Yosef’s years of hardship. It would make sense that Yaakov would want to be buried in Israel, the place where all of his sins will be forgiven.
- Sylvie
When Yosef was Parohs second in command, all the Egyptians envied him because he was a Jew who was above them. They were super jealous and anything that Yosef did that even merely resembled his favor to Israel would/could have set them off against him. Yaakov insisted on Yosef swearing to bury him in Egypt because if he hadn’t swore, Yosef would have buried him in Canaan showing how he likes Israel more than Egypt, setting the other workers of Paroh off. Yaakov merely did this on account for his son not being ambushed. Since he swore, when the other Egyptian workers ask him why he is burying his father in Israel and not Egypt, all he has to say is “my father made me swear to bury him in Israel.”
ReplyDeleteSource:https://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/vayechi/998Aviezer.doc
Nealy saks
ReplyDeleteSforno- Yaakov did not want to be associated with an Egyptian custom. The custom of the Egyptians was to be placed in a coffin and not in the ground. Yaakov was afraid that the since the Egyptians view him as a prominent figure, they will think that this is a permanent act and will not let Yosef relocate him to Israel. Therefore, he asks Yosef to not place him in a coffin but to directly transfer his body to Maarat HaMachpela. So when Yaakov says “אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם”, he is not referring to the actual land of Mitzrayim but to the custom of the Egyptians. This teaches us how far Yaakov went to be buried in Israel and shows us the importance of following through with a plan even if it is difficult.
In Judaism we value a human body dead as much as when it is alive. We have to burry it in a normal grave so it can return to the ground. Kaballa teaches that if a proper burial doesn’t happen, then the soul is “stuck” and can’t find rest until a proper burial happens. Yaakov maybe is scared that if he is burried in Egypt, an unholy land, than his soul won’t find a proper resting place.
ReplyDeleteMeira Baum
ReplyDeleteThe Malbim (Torah and Peyrush Malbim) says that when Avraham bought the land he wanted there to be generations there to show it was Jewish land and it was not just him buying it for him and his son. so by Yaakov being buried there it is showing it is for generations. in this case the burial is so important becuase it is not just for the dead its a way of establishing the sight as jewish property which we still benefit from today.
Ariella Rosencrantz
ReplyDelete"Rabbi Eliyahu Munk explains why it was so important that Yaakov not be buried, even temporarily, in Egypt. Yaakov wanted to establish the fact that the Land of Israel should be the focal point of the Jewish People. Merely asking Yosef would not have had the same impact as to the importance of the message for all future generations. Thus, he asked Yosef to take an oath."
https://ohr.edu/ask/ask223.htm
I think this makes sense. Yaakov wants to "mark' Eretz Yisroel as a very important and holy place. I also think Yaakov being buried there makes the land more important and historically shows that it belongs to the Jewish people.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe says that the reason why Yaakov insisted on being buried in Israel rather than in Mitzrayim, was because Yaakov did not feel like Egypt was his real home and neither should we. Though it might be comfortable to live in a materialstic world outside of Eretz Yisroel, we will never feel completely at home when we are in Galut and outside of Israel because there is a strong disconnect. For this reason, we always pray to Hashem 3 times a day asking him to "carry us out of Egypt." Yaakov teaches us that even the most ideal life outside of Israel is not enough and I think that this a beautiful idea that supports my belief in why it is so important to make aliyah and connect with Eretz Yisroel.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chabad.org/parshah/in-depth/default_cdo/aid/35881/jewish/Vayechi-In-Depth.htm
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1082009/jewish/Burial-Plots.htm
ReplyDeleteAccording to a Rashi in Ketubot, Yaakov wanted to be buried in Israel so that he could be in the land during the time of resurrection. People not buried in Israel will need to travel through subterranean tunnels, first.
I believe this shows us just how important it should be to us to be buried in Israel. This shows just how much faith we should all have that that Mashiach will come one day, and we need to be ready. -Naomi Kutin
Yael Kaplan-
ReplyDeleteThe Gemara Yerushalmi Sotta says that Hashem already promised Yaakov that he will be buried in Israel. Hashem also promises that Yosef will be the one to be there when Yaakov dies. So why did Yakkov make Yosef swear that he will make sure Yakkov will be buried in Israel? Was Hashems promise not enough? Maybe the question is really the answer. Maybe Yakkov asked Yosef to make sure he would be buried in Israel because of the promise, not in spite of it.
https://www.ou.org/torah/parsha/rabbi-y-dov-krakowski-on-parsha/parshas-vayechi/