Commentary on Parashat Va-y’chi

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By Bettijane Eisenpreis

Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

~ Genesis 50: 26

The story of Joseph is a dramatic one. It was the basis of Thomas Mann’s acclaimed four-part novel, Joseph and His Brothers and of the much-revived musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And it’s easy to see why it has remained so popular.

Starting out as the pampered favorite son of Jacob, Joseph begins by infuriating his brothers, is thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery in Egypt. He endures many challenges, including a false accusation of rape which leads to imprisonment. In the end he wins his way into Pharaoh’s favor and becomes second in command of all Egypt. Along the way he acquires an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife. By the time his brothers meet him again, they do not recognize him. Of course, he has aged, but he has also adopted the customs and appearance of the Egyptians around him. Joseph tests his brothers but eventually reveals himself and is reunited with his father.

Once Joseph and his father rediscover each other, Joseph reverts to being more of a Hebrew. He seeks his father’s blessing for his two sons and they, Manasseh and Ephraim, become leaders of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. But it is they, not Joseph, whose names are immortalized in this way. And, although Joseph says he forgives his brothers, he does settle them in Goshen, their own separate area of Egypt, away from Pharaoh’s court.

At the end of his life, Joseph asks to be embalmed after his death and eventually taken back to the land of his fathers for burial. This request is interesting. To this day, embalming is prohibited by traditional Judaism. However, Judaism as we know it is not the religion of the Bible. Still, embalming and remaining unburied for 400 years is an interesting choice.

Joseph’s desire to be taken home is stronger than any objection he may have to being embalmed. He may act like an Egyptian, but he is a Hebrew at heart. It proves that blood is thicker than water, even the water of the Nile.
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