Is This the Way to End A Book?

Our forefather, Jacob, passed away and was buried in Israel, as he had requested. Time passed, the Jews settled into Egypt, and then Yosef passed away. He did not get to be buried in Israel like his father. He was “placed in a coffin in Egypt.” This is the final verse in the Parsha Vayechi and the final verse in the book of Bereshit.  Not a very happy ending.  This is perplexing, especially in light of the teaching of our Sages that we should always end on a positive note.  The Parshiyot are divided so that we always end on a positive note, and if this is ever not the case, there has to be a good reason.  For example, when we read the Parsha of Ha’azinu. Some of the breaks are at a negative point, and there is a large discussion as to why that is.  Another example is when we read the Parsha of the “tochacha” – the curses that are foretold in the Torah, we don’t break in the middle.  We read all the way through with no break until the final, positive verse.  It is therefore perplexing that this Parsha, and the entire first book of the Torah, ends on such a down note.  Yosef died and was placed in a coffin in Egypt.  This negativity is even more emphasized by the great lengths that his father Yaakov had gone to to ensure that he would not be buried in Egypt. 

 

So let’s take a step back and try to understand why Yosef did not in fact request that he be buried in Israel like his father.  On a simple level, Rashi says that he did not expect that his brothers would be able to pull it off.  He himself, the Viceroy of Egypt, had to work hard to get Paraoh to allow him to leave to bury Yaakov.  But like everything in Torah, there are many layers of explanation.  On a mystical level, Yosef intentionally did not request to be removed from Egypt because being there was part of his mission. 

 

The Jews had been pre-destined to be slaves in Egypt.  This had been foretold to Avraham by Hashem in the famous “Covenant between the pieces.” Yosef’s sale as a slave to Egypt was orchestrated by Hashem in order to pave the way for the rest of the family to come and survive there.  Egypt was the antithesis of Israel – (though then it was named Canaan).  In Israel the family was able to live a sheltered life as shepherds, isolated from the corruption of the rest of the country.  Even though it was not yet officially the Land of Israel, it was the Holy Land chosen by Hashem for His revelation.  Egypt, on the other hand, was a place where the Jews became assimilated into the culture and were owned as slaves by the Egyptians.  A situation that would have been very difficult to survive as a distinct people with a different moral and ethical code.  Yosef’s rule over the land set the stage spiritually for them to be able to withstand all the temptations and remain on some level identified as the People of Israel.  Had they not been able to retain their identity, they would have just been swallowed up in the Egyptian nation. 

 

The next Parsha and book of the Torah, Shemot, begins with the story of the enslavement and redemption of the Jews.  This Parsha and book concludes with the explanation of how that was possible.  Yosef’s presence, even after his death, was a great inspiration to all the Jews throughout their terrible ordeal in Egypt.  A tsaddik continues to live spiritually after his physical death, so the spiritual presence was very much there.  In addition, his presence was a constant reminder of the promise they had made to him and the prophecy that he had said just before he passed away:  Hashem will remember you and take you out of here, take my bones with you. 

 

So this is really not a negative ending at all.  The golden times of Yosef and his brothers are ending and dark clouds of exile are forming.  As the transition happens, the Torah tells us the good tidings.  Yosef remained buried in Egypt in order to encourage and inspire the next generations to remain faithful to their ideals and to retain their identity as Jews.

 

We are also in exile today, looking forward to the time that Moshiach will come and bring us all back to the Land of Israel.  Until then, it is comforting to be able to visit the resting places of our great leaders and pray there to Hashem to end the Galut and hasten the coming of the redemption.