And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they wailed with a very great and sore wailing; and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
English: Does a thorn-bush have a threshing-floor? R’ Abbahu said: This teaches that they surrounded the coffin of Yaakov with crowns like a threshing-floor that is surrounded by a hedge of thorns, for the sons of Esav, the sons of Yishmael and the sons of Keturah came and hung their crowns on the coffin of Yaakov.
On the daf / in context: The unusual place-name is explained as a description of the honour paid to Yaakov by the surrounding nations who suspended their crowns upon his bier.
Type of Learning
Derash of the place-name that yields a narrative of honour.
What Is Learned
The descendants of Esav, Yishmael and Keturah hung their crowns on Yaakov’s coffin, surrounding it like a threshing-floor enclosed by thorns.