Bereshit 50:7-11 – A state funeral for Yaakov

Bereshit 50:7-9 record that Yaakov’s family, except for his (young?) grandchildren, accompanied by Egyptian dignitaries and soldiers, carried Yaakov’s body from Egypt to Israel. Before this entourage reached the land of Israel, they stopped at a place called Goren he-Atad, where a public funeral was held, 50:10. This funeral made such an impression that it was noticed by the Canaanites, and the name of the place was called Avel Mitzrayim, 50:11.

This large public funeral is unique in the book of Bereshit. For example, when Avraham or Yitzhak died, the Torah just states that their sons buried them, and there is no mention of any public funeral, 25:9, 36:29. Furthermore, while it could very well be that the reason why the Egyptian dignitaries participated in Yaakov’s funeral was because of Yosef (Luzzatto on 50:3), it is striking that by Yosef’s burial in Egypt, which is recorded just 16 verses after Yaakov’s funeral, though it occurred 54 years later, there is no mention of honors at all. Why did the Torah record Yaakov’s public funeral?

Maybe, the funeral was a fulfillment of one aspect of the first blessing that Yaakov received from Yitzhak. Yitzhak had blessed Yaakov, “Let peoples serve you, and nations bow to you,” 27:29 (JPS translation in Sarna 1989, p. 193). This blessing was to Yaakov personally, “to you,” yet was it ever fulfilled? While Yaakov had extensive fights within the family, with his brother and father-in-law, he had very little contacts with other nations. He had a conversation with Pharaoh when he came to Egypt, 47:7-10. Yet, the conversation does not indicate any homage paid to him by Pharaoh, as Yaakov blessed Pharaoh, and could not be the fulfillment of Yitzhak’s blessing. Again, Yaakov’s lack of apparent interaction with the nations of the word contrasts with Avraham, and even with Yitzhak who made a treaty with the Philistines, 26:26-32.

Yaakov’s funeral is the most significant interaction between Yaakov and other nations that is recorded in the Torah. This funeral shows that Egypt honored Yaakov, and even the Canaanites were impressed that they renamed the place to Avel Mitzrayim. (Bekhor Shor, on 50:10, suggests that representatives from Esav, Yishmael, the children of Keturah, and Aram also joined in the funeral.) Thus, in the funeral, nations honored Yaakov, and the funeral could be the fulfillment of Yitzhak’s blessing. Finally, maybe the fact that the fulfillment of the blessing was “sub-optimal” in that it occurred when Yaakov was dead and not when he was alive was because Yaakov had tricked Yitzhak to receive the blessing.

Bibliography:

Sarna, Nahum (1923-2005), 1989, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.