Vayechi 50:10 · unit 5

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 Yerushalmi Moed Katan / parallel.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תַּנְיָא: מִנַּיִן לַאֲבֵלוּת שִׁבְעָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיַּעַשׂ לְאָבִיו אֵבֶל שִׁבְעַת יָמִים״.

English: It was taught: From where do we know that mourning lasts seven days according to the Torah? As it is said “and he made a mourning for his father seven days.”

On the daf / in context: The explicit seven days observed for Yaakov is cited as a biblical source for the duration of avelus.

Type of Learning

Halachic derivation of the seven-day mourning period.

What Is Learned

The seven days of mourning have a source in the Torah from the mourning that Yosef observed for Yaakov.