Vayechi 47:30 · unit 1

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 47:30

The Complete Passuk

וְשָֽׁכַבְתִּי֙ עִם־אֲבֹתַ֔י וּנְשָׂאתַ֙נִי֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וּקְבַרְתַּ֖נִי בִּקְבֻרָתָ֑ם וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אָנֹכִ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה כִדְבָרֶֽךָ׃

But when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Mitzrayim, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said: I will do as thou hast said.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Kesubos 111a.

TT lemma: ונשאתני ממצרים.

Sefaria — Kesubos 111a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר קַרְנָא, דְּבָרִים בְּגוֹ. יוֹדֵעַ הָיָה יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ שֶׁצַּדִּיק גָּמוּר הָיָה, וְאִם מֵתִים שֶׁבְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ חַיִּים — לָמָּה הִטְרִיחַ אֶת בָּנָיו? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא קִבֵּל עָלָיו צַעַר מְחִילּוֹת.

English: Karna said: There are matters contained within this. Yaakov Avinu knew that he was a complete tzaddik, and if the dead of chutz la’aretz live (are resurrected), why did he trouble his sons? Because he did not accept upon himself the pain of the tunnels (meḥillos).

On the daf / in context: Kesubos 111a discusses the advantage of burial in Eretz Yisrael. Even a complete tzaddik buried outside the Land undergoes the suffering of the underground tunnels that convey the bones to Eretz Yisrael for techiyas ha-meisim. Yaakov therefore insisted on burial in the family plot so as to avoid that pain.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — the request “carry me out of Mitzrayim” is read as refusal of the suffering that accompanies burial in chutz la’aretz.

What Is Learned

Burial in Eretz Yisrael spares the righteous the pain of the meḥillos; Yaakov, though a complete tzaddik, still preferred to avoid that suffering and therefore charged Yosef with removing him from Mitzrayim.