Moses and Joseph's Coffin

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Fulfilling Joseph's Oath

TANAKH

Moses ensured the fulfillment of Joseph's oath, highlighting the importance of keeping promises even after many years. The book of Exodus recounts how Moses took Joseph's bones with him when the Israelites left Egypt, fulfilling Joseph's request to be buried in the land of his forefathers.

And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

Exodus 13:19

Moses and the Miraculous Retrieval of Joseph's Coffin

KABBALAH

The miraculous retrieval of Joseph's coffin by Moses is filled with mystical elements and traditions that highlight themes of faithfulness and redemption. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, recounts how Moses used the holy name and other miraculous means to fulfill Joseph's request to be buried in Israel.

Blessed be Moses, who, when the children of Israel were busy borrowing jewels from the Egyptians, saw to the fulfilment of the pledge given to Joseph! Some say that Joseph’s coffin had been in the river Nile and Moses removed it from there by the power of the Holy Name; and that he also said: “Joseph, arise! The time of the redemption of Israel has arrived!” Some say that his body was buried among the kings of Egypt, and had to be removed from there. Others, again, hold that his body was put into the Nile in order that the Egyptians should not worship him as a god, and that Serah…

Zohar, Beshalach 3:42

The Miracles of Joseph's Merit

COMMENTARY

The miraculous splitting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River is attributed to the righteousness of Joseph, who resisted sexual temptation. This commentary on the Pesach Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, connects these miracles to Joseph's merit and explores the play on words involving 'flee' and 'miracle.'

The sea saw and it fled; the Jordan would turn back: What did the Red Sea see that caused it to split before the Israelites? It saw the casket of Joseph. Anyone who is able to resist sexual temptation is worthy of having a miracle performed on his behalf. Since Joseph resisted the temptation of the wife of Potiphar, the sea split. This is true for the living but it is even truer for the dead, for the righteous are “even more beloved in death than they are in life!” If the great sea split before the sarcophagus of Joseph how much more so would the Jordan River (which is smaller than the…

Kos Eliyahu on Pesach Haggadah, Magid, First Half of Hallel 4:3

Joseph's Bones and the Final Redemption

JEWISH THOUGHT

The connection between Joseph's bones and the final redemption involving Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David offers a profound insight into the ultimate redemption process. Kol HaTor, an esoteric work that describes the process of the redemption according the Vilna Gaon, explores the esoteric role of Mashiach ben Yosef in the redemption process.

(Ex. 13:19) the bones of Yosef -- This contains the secret of the independence of Mashiach ben Yosef. From here we learn that all the qualities and special attributes come not only from the channel of abundance in the sefira Yesod, but also from his own nature. His nature is connected with the final complete Redemption of Mashiach ben David that will come together with Moshe Rabbeinu, the final redeemer. This is what is meant by: “and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him.”

Kol HaTor 2:110

The Two Arks in the Wilderness

TALMUD

The juxtaposition of Joseph's casket with the Ark of the Divine Presence raises profound questions about the relationship between life, death, and the divine. The Talmudic tractate Sotah recounts the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, highlighting the curious sight of two arks traveling together: one containing Joseph's casket and the other the Ark of the Covenant.

And all those years that the Jewish people were in the wilderness, these two arks, one a casket of a dead man, Joseph, and one the Ark of the Divine Presence, i.e., the Ark of the Covenant, were traveling together, and passersby would say: What is the nature of these two arks? They said to them: One is of a dead person and one is of the Divine Presence. The passersby would ask: And in what way is it the manner of a dead person to travel with the Divine Presence? They said in response:

Sotah 13a:17

Joseph's Merit and the Sea

REFERENCE

The merit of Joseph the righteous is suggested as the reason for the sea's retreat. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai (Chida) draws a fascinating linguistic connection between 'Yam Suf' (Red Sea) and 'MiYosef' (from Joseph).

5) The Crossing of the Red Sea was in the merit of the righteous Joseph. It is as our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 114:4), "The sea saw and fled (Psalms 114:3) — it saw Joseph's casket." And it is possible to hint [to this], since the words, Red Sea [Yam Suf], are the letters of, from Joseph [meYosef, and that is easy to understand. And see Bereishit Rabbah 84, and see the sweet things at the beginning of the enlightening book, Parashat Derakhim, as per [the author's] way, [to provide] wisdom in every direction.

Midbar Kedemot, Letter Kof 5

Moses and the Mitzvah

MUSAR

Moses prioritized fulfilling a mitzvah over collecting material wealth, setting an example for all of Israel. In the Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz recounts how Moses chose to retrieve Joseph's bones while the rest of Israel gathered silver and gold.

ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף. Shemot Rabbah 20,19 comments here that someone with a wise heart chooses to perform מצות. The reference is to Moses who, while all of Israel was busy collecting silver and gold, busied himself with locating the remains of Joseph to keep the promise made to him on his death-bed that his bones would be taken for permanent burial in ארץ ישראל. We must all learn the lesson to fulfil a מצוה when it is at hand, and to desist from the pursuit of riches during the time it takes to perform the מצוה in question.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Beshalach, Derekh Chayim 2

Divine Rewards Unveiled

MISHNAH

The concept of measure-for-measure reward illustrates how individuals are rewarded in kind for their good deeds, as seen in the examples of Miriam, Joseph, and Moses. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, discusses the principle of 'measure for measure' (middah k'neged middah), which is foundational in Jewish ethical teachings.

The mishna continues: And the same is so with regard to the reward of good deeds; a person is rewarded measure for measure. Miriam waited for the baby Moses for one hour at the shore of the Nile, as it is stated: “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4). Therefore the Jewish people delayed their travels in the desert for seven days to wait for her when she was smitten with leprosy, as it is stated: “And Miriam was confined outside of the camp seven days…

Mishnah Sotah 1:9

Purity and Entry to the Temple Mount

HALAKHAH

Moses carried Joseph’s bones into the camp of the Levites, suggesting that certain impurities did not bar entry to sacred areas. In his famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, Maimonides discusses the laws of ritual purity and entry to the Temple Mount, using the biblical precedent of Moses and Joseph’s bones.

A person who is impure because of contact with a human corpse - and even a corpse itself - is permitted to enter the Temple Mount. [This is derived from Exodus 13:19]: "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him." "With him" [implies] into the camp of the Levites.

Mishneh Torah, Admission into the Sanctuary 3:4

Joseph's Prophecy and the Exodus

TARGUM

Joseph's prophecy and condition for the Israelites to wait for two Deliverers before leaving Egypt underscores the importance of faith and continuity in Jewish heritage. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, elaborates on Joseph's command regarding the future Exodus and the carrying of his bones to the Promised Land.

And Joseph adjured the sons of Israel to say to their sons Behold, you will be brought into servitude in Mizraim; but you shall not presume to go up out of Mizraim until the time that two Deliverers shall come, and say to you, Remembering, remember ye the Lord. And at the time when ye go up ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 50:25

Divine Reward for Meritorious Acts

COMMENTARY

The merit and reward associated with Joseph's burial by Moses illustrate the theme of divine reward for meritorious acts. The Tze'enah Ure'enah, a late 16th-century Yiddish commentary, provides accessible explanations and moral lessons based on the weekly Torah readings and haftarot.

“Joseph made the sons of Israel swear” [50:25]. Joseph made Israel swear that they would bury him in the land of Israel when he would die. Joseph had the merit that Moses Our Teacher took his bones and carried them with a great entourage to the land of Israel, with all of Israel. Each tribe of Israel carried the bones of its founder. That is, the children of Reuben took the bones of Reuben and the children of Simeon carried the bones of Simeon and so too all the others…

Tze'enah Ure'enah, Vayechi 117

Fulfilling Joseph's Last Wish

COMMENTARY

Joseph's dying wish to be buried in Canaan was a promise that spanned generations, highlighting the importance of fulfilling ancestral promises in Jewish tradition. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging exploration of the historical process from Joseph's death to his eventual burial in Shekhem.

This verse describes the conclusion of another historical process, which may have actually occurred before the death of Joshua: The bones of Joseph that the children of Israel took up out of Egypt, they buried in Shekhem. At the end of the book of Genesis, the Torah recounts the death of Joseph and the oath he made his brothers take to eventually bring his body to be buried in the land of Canaan. In order to fulfill this oath, Moses took Joseph’s bones with him upon the exodus from Egypt, and they were carried by the Israelites throughout their wanderings in the wilderness…

Steinsaltz on Joshua 24:32

Joseph's Final Wish

SECOND TEMPLE

Joseph's virtuous life and his request to have his bones carried to Canaan highlight the deep connection between the Hebrews and their ancestral land. In his first-century historical work, Josephus recounts the promise made by the Hebrews to fulfill Joseph's request upon their departure from Egypt.

2. Joseph also died when he had lived a hundred and ten years; having been a man of admirable virtue, and conducting all his affairs by the rules of reason; and used his authority with moderation, which was the cause of his so great felicity among the Egyptians, even when he came from another country, and that in such ill circumstances also, as we have already described. At length his brethren died, after they had lived happily in Egypt. Now the posterity and sons of these men, after some time, carried their bodies, and buried them at Hebron: but as to the bones of Joseph…

The Antiquities of the Jews 2:8:2

Divine Reward for Human Actions

MIDRASH

Acts of kindness and duty, such as Miriam waiting for Moses and Joseph burying his father, are met with divine favor and honor. The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, an ancient midrash from the land of Israel on the book of Exodus, illustrates the principle of measure-for-measure (middah k'neged middah) in Jewish tradition.

To teach us that as one metes it out to others, so is it meted out to him. Miriam waited a short time for Moses, viz. (Ibid. 2:4) "And his sister stood from afar to know what would be done with him" — and the L–rd held back for her in the desert the ark, the Shechinah, the Cohanim, and the Levites and all of Israel for seven days with the seven clouds of glory, viz. (Numbers 12:15) "And the people did not travel until Miriam was gathered back." ... Joseph merited to bury his father, and there was none among his brothers greater than he, viz…

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 1:12

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