So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the officials of Pharaoh, the senior members of his court, and all of Egypt’s dignitaries.
Source Citation
Torah Temimah cites Sotah 13a.
Chazal
Core Text
ויעל יוסף וגו׳. מאי שנא מעיקרא דכתיב ״ויעל יוסף לקבור את אביו ויעלו אתו כל עבדי פרעה״ ... ומאי שנא לבסוף כתיב ״וישב יוסף מצרימה הוא ואחיו וכל העולים אתו״? א״ר יוחנן: בתחלה, עד שלא ראו בכבודם של ישראל, לא נהגו בהם כבוד; ולבסוף, שראו בכבודם, נהגו בהם כבוד.
English: “And Joseph went up, etc.” Why does the Torah first place Pharaoh’s servants before Joseph’s brothers, but later place Joseph’s brothers before the Egyptians? Rabbi Yochanan said: At first, before they saw the honor shown to Israel, they did not treat them with honor; afterward, when they saw their honor, they treated them with honor.
On the daf / in context: Sotah 13a explains the changed order of Yosef’s family and the Egyptian officials in the burial procession as reflecting the Egyptians’ increased respect for Yaakov’s family after seeing the honor accorded to Israel.
Type of Learning
Close reading of the changed order of the Egyptians and Yosef’s brothers before and after the burial.
What Is Learned
The changed order in the narrative is explained as a change in the Egyptians’ respect for the children of Jacob after witnessing the honor accorded to him.