Vayechi 50:10 · unit 4

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 50:10

The Complete Passuk

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ עַד־גֹּ֣רֶן הָאָטָ֗ד אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיִּ֨סְפְּדוּ־שָׁ֔ם מִסְפֵּ֛ד גָּד֥וֹל וְכָבֵ֖ד מְאֹ֑ד וַיַּ֧עַשׂ לְאָבִ֛יו אֵ֖בֶל שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

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.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Moed Katan / related.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מִתְאַבֶּלֶת עָלָיו כָּל שִׁבְעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״, וּכְתִיב ״וַיַּעַשׂ לְאָבִיו אֵבֶל שִׁבְעַת יָמִים״.

English: Rav Chisda said: A person’s soul mourns for him all seven days, as it is said “and his soul mourneth for him,” and it is written “and he made a mourning for his father seven days.”

On the daf / in context: The seven-day period of mourning is linked both to the verse in Iyov and to the explicit seven days observed for Yaakov.

Type of Learning

Halachic derivation of the length of mourning.

What Is Learned

The soul continues to mourn for the deceased throughout the seven days; the practice of seven days of mourning is grounded in the verse concerning Yaakov.