15
votes
Accepted
Where were Yaakov's sons buried?
Yerushalmi Sota 8b Chapter 1 Halacha 10 says that all the 12 Shevatim were taken to Eretz Yisrael by their Shevet.
תלמוד ירושלמי סוטה דף ח' ע"ב, פרק א' הלכה י' – ככתוב בראשית מו אנכי ארד עמך מצרים ...
- 140k
10
votes
How was Reuven considered Yaakov's first drop of semen?
One possibility is that the verses in Chapter 29 are not in precise chronological order, and verse 31 actually took place before verse 28. That is to say that God saw that Leah was hated and opened ...
- 49.8k
7
votes
Burial sites of the Shevatim
The Sefer Hayashar (anonymous) on Sefer Yehoshua brings down where the Shevatim were buried:
שנים עשר בני יעקב אשר העלו בני ישראל ממצרים : ויקברו את ראובן ואת גד בעבר הירדן ברומיא אשר נתן להם משה ...
- 42.5k
7
votes
What was Yaakov's funeral procession doing in Transjordan?
Another two approaches by mainstream Peshat Mefarshim:
Shadal here (and Clint Eastwood in the comments above) suggests that for Moshe and Benei Yisrael, Ever Hayarden is Eretz Yisroel, because they ...
- 21.2k
7
votes
Brothers don't kill brothers?
First, it always pays to see Rashi's sources, and to see if the question is answered there, even if the shorter version Rashi presents does not provide us with an easy answer. In this case, the source ...
- 21k
6
votes
What was Yaakov's funeral procession doing in Transjordan?
All the answers that I've come across suggest that Ever HaYarden does not mean Transjordan in the context of this verse.
Chizkuni suggests that that the Canaanites who are observing the mourning at ...
- 45.2k
6
votes
Accepted
How do we reconcile the 2 burial places of Rachel?
In Tosefta Sotah 11:7 the verses from Genesis and Samuel are discussed. It is concluded that the prophet Samuel meant that the group of prophets that Saul will meet are right now near the tomb of ...
- 26.8k
5
votes
Why was Yoseph the first of Ya'aqov's sons to die?
This is addressed in Brachos 55a. The reason given is that he conducted himself ברבנות. Seemingly an excessive degree of acting in command.
דא״ר חמא בר חנינא מפני מה מת יוסף קודם לאחיו מפני שהנהיג ...
- 34k
4
votes
"May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh" -- in what way?
Efraim and Menashe were the first pair of Jewish brothers in the Torah who lived in peace with each other. We therefore bless our children that they too should live in peace.
R Shraga Simmons at Aish ...
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4
votes
"May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh" -- in what way?
Rabbi Zweig gave an amazing answer. You can read the whole thing here (in a week this link will become invalid and I will try to replace it with a permanent link).
Here is the main part of his answer:
...
- 5,465
4
votes
Why didn't Yosef's brothers bury him where he asked?
As I explain in Vayigash - Why didn't the family go back?, Par'o only allowed Yosef to bury Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael because of the oath Yaakov had made him swear. Even then, he forced the brothers ...
- 43.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Yosef's brothers bury him where he asked?
The OP quotes a verse that has Yoseph saying: "When G-d comes to you..."
Yosef planned on being buried in Egypt. He simply wanted to leave when everyone else did. By that time, his brothers had ...
- 11k
4
votes
Why don't we hear about Ya'aqov's other sons mourning his death?
The Stone edition of the Chumash relates,
Although the other brothers were surely as aggrieved as Joseph, only he is mentioned because his presence in Jacob's final moments was a fulfillment of God's ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Heter for Embalming Yaakov
Although yeshiva.co writes that it is a lack of Kavod Hameis to perform (nowadays), many Rishonim and Acharonim on Chumash say or imply that this was done because of Kavod Hameis back then...
To ...
- 21.2k
4
votes
Why did Yakov ask for a favor from Yosef instead of commanding him?
R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, in his commentary on this verse, reads the first נא as "after all." He suggests that Yosef had always wanted to use his power as viceroy to do favors for his father, but ...
- 48.4k
4
votes
Where were Yaakov's sons buried?
As stated by @Gershon Gold, the locations are disputed. The following is the version from Sefer Seder Ha'dorot:
ויקברו את ארונות מטות אבותיהם בנחלת בניהם, את ראובן וגד בעבר הירדן ברומא, ושמעון ולוי ...
- 26.8k
3
votes
Did Yaakov bless his daughter Dina?
This site says yes, through her marriage to Shimon.
Dina did get blessed from Ya'akov. Dina married Shimon (see Rashi Vayechi
46-10) therefore the bracha that was given to Shimon (see Rashi 49-28)...
- 38.5k
3
votes
Accepted
What type of doctor is referred to in Breishit 50:2?
In those days, those who were in charge of all medical processes would have handled everything from healing sick people through preparing the person for the after life. Remember, they did not have the ...
- 43.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Did Jacob's sons do aveilut before Jacob was buried?
There are a people who suggest that Yosef and his brothers were accompanied by a large group of Egyptions. These Egyptians were the "official delegation" who were accompanying Yosef. Reading the ...
- 43.4k
3
votes
How was Reuven considered Yaakov's first drop of semen?
Rashi says (ibid):
"וראשית אוני: היא טפה ראשונה שלו, שלא ראה קרי מימיו:"
That is his first drop of semen, for he had never experienced a nocturnal emission. — [from Yeb. 76a]
Rashi's ...
- 27.3k
3
votes
Is one allowed to swear to do something that depends on someone else's approval?
In this particular case, we see that Yosef did not want to swear as his father asked, because he wanted to say that he would do all that he could himself. While normally he should only have sworn to ...
- 43.4k
3
votes
Combining the blessing of Benjamin with the death of Jacob
Though this is a very striking example, there are a number of places in the Torah where the breaks, psucha and stumah, divide the middle parts of a list and not the beginning and/or the end. I don't ...
- 3,811
3
votes
Why are the words in this pasuk changed around?
In answer to your direct question, Rabbeinu Bachya in Parshas Vayechi on that Passuk says as follows:
ודע כי בעלי השמות מוציאים מן הכתוב הזה השם שמועיל בדרך כנגד השונאים, וכן שמשון ההורג בשונאיו ואשר ...
- 13.3k
2
votes
Why does Yosef use intermediaries to ask Paro for permission to bury Yaakov, when until now he addressed Paro directly?
Many commentaries address this question. A few explain that Yosef couldn't make a request for himself, either because he was embarrassed or because it was against the protocol, or that the request ...
- 49.8k
2
votes
Accepted
Must every sidrah begin at the start of a parsha? (Rashi on Breishit 47:28)
Berachot 12a
גמירי כל פרשה דפסקה משה רבינו פסקינן דלא פסקה משה רבינו לא פסקינן
We have a tradition that every section which our master, Moses, has
divided off we may divide off, but that ...
- 49.8k
2
votes
Why was Yoseph the first of Ya'aqov's sons to die?
I believe the the answer is two-fold. A) he wasn't since he was in Mitzrayim he couldn't fulfill the mitzvah of kibod av, which grants arichas yomim (long life). B) The Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer says ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
The Meshech Chochma on Bereishis 49:26 and Rashi on Bereishis 43:34
Looking up the Meshech Chochma's source gives the answer to this question.
Gemara Shabbos 129a says:
ואמר רב מלאי משום רבי יצחק מגדלאה: מיום שפירש יוסף מאחיו לא טעם טעם יין, דכתיב ולקדקד נזיר אחיו....
- 21.2k
2
votes
Why was Yoseph the first of Ya'aqov's sons to die?
I'm not exatly sure if I am understanding this correctly, but I get the sense that the Ohr Hachayim on 1:6 seems to make an argument about the progression towards slavery (he wonders why Yoseif's ...
- 38.5k
2
votes
Accepted
In Bresheit 48:2-3 refers to Yosef's father as both Yaacov and Yisrael, why are two names used?
Another reason for the dual name is when he is being oppressed, in exile or in other similar circumstances. When he has ruach hakodesh or is on a higher level, he is referred to as Yisroel. In this ...
- 43.4k
2
votes
Why is 'shiloh' read as if it were transcribed 'shelloh' by Onkelos in Genesis 49:10 when the Masoretes transcribed it differently?
I think the answer is relatively simple. Onkelos had a text in front of him that was similar to the Samaritan Pentateuch which reads, שׁלה. The Septuagint translator and Syriac Peshitta translations ...
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