Talmud zu Bereschit 47:41

Rebbi dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years and applied to himself (Gen. 47:28): “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,” Jehudah lived in Sepphoris seventeen years. Of these he suffered from toothache for thirteen years. {Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all these thirteen years no woman lying-in died in the Land of Israel and no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel.} Why did he have a toothache? Once he saw a calf to be slaughtered when it bellowed and said to him, Rebbi, save me! He said to it, for that you were created. At the end, how was he healed? He saw them killing a burrow of rats. He said to them, let them live, it is written (Ps. 145:9) “His mercy extends to all His creatures.”

Rebbi dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years and applied to himself (Gen. 47:28): “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,” Jehudah lived in Sepphoris seventeen years. Of these he suffered from toothache for thirteen years. {Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all these thirteen years no woman lying-in died in the Land of Israel and no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel.} Why did he have a toothache⁹¹Parallel in Babli Baba Meẓi‘a 85a. There, the calf ran to hide itself in Rebbi’s garment but did not talk to Rebbi. In the parallel Gen.rabba 33(3), the calf is said to have been bellowing “as if to say, save me!”? Once he saw a calf to be slaughtered when it bellowed and said to him, Rebbi, save me! He said to it, for that you were created. At the end, how was he healed? He saw them killing a burrow of rats. He said to them, let them live, it is written (Ps. 145:9) “His mercy extends to all His creatures.”

It is written (Gen. 47:30): “You shall carry me from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” What would Jacob lose at any place he would prophesy? Rebbi Eleazar gave an inner reason, Rebbi Joshua ben Levi gave an inner reason, Rebbi Ḥanina gave an inner reason. What is the inner reason? Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, (Ps. 116:9) “I will walk before the Eternal in the Land of Life.” But the lands of life are only Tyre and its surroundings and Caesarea (maritima) and its surroundings; there is cheap (food), there is plenty. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish in the name of Bar Qappara, the Land whose dead will live again in the days of the Messiah. What is the reason? (Is. 42:9) “He gives soul to the people on it.” That would mean that our teachers in Babylonia would lose out! Rebbi Simai said, the Holy One, praised be He, walks before them and they roll like wine barrels. When they arrive in the Land of Israel their souls are with them. What is the reason? (Ez. 36:24) “I shall bring you to your soil,” (37:14) “give My spirit into you, and you will live.”

¹⁰⁷There are many parallel treatments of the topic of this paragraph. Uncharacteristically, the different sources of the Yerushalmi tradition all have their own formulation; they borrow the idea but not the language: Gen.rabba 96(7), Tanḥuma Wayeḥi 3, Tanḥuma Buber Wayeḥi 6, Pesiqta rabbati 1, fol. 2b. Only Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35b) has the same language as here. Babylonian sources Ketubot 111a, Yoma 71a. It is written (Gen. 47:30): “You shall carry me from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” What would Jacob lose at any place he would be? Rebbi Eleazar gave an inner reason, Rebbi Ḥanina gave an inner reason, Rebbi Joshua ben Levi gave an inner reason¹⁰⁸Note that the chronological order is inverted. In most other sources, the argument of R. Simeon ben Laqish is attributed to R. Eleazar.. What is the inner reason? Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, (Ps. 116:9) “I will walk before the Eternal in the Land of Life.” But the lands of life are only Tyre and its surroundings and Caesarea (maritima) and its surroundings¹⁰⁹These are not part of the Land of Israel, at least not in the geography of the Second Commonwealth. Hence, the verse cannot apply to this world but must apply to the Future World which in the Yerushalmi is identified with the Days of the Messiah.; there is cheap (food), there is satiety. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish in the name of Bar Qappara, the Land whose dead will live again in the days of the Messiah. What is the reason? (Is. 42:9) “He gives soul to the people on it.” That would mean that our teachers in the diaspora would lose out! Rebbi Simai said, the Holy One, praised be He, makes the earth erode before them and they roll like wine barrels¹¹⁰In Gen. rabba: “He makes cavities in which they move”.. When they arrive at the Land of Israel their souls return to them. What is the reason? (Ez. 37:12) “I shall deposit you on the territory of Israel¹¹¹In the verse: “I shall bring you to the territory of Israel.” The return of the body precedes the return of life by two verses.,” (v. 14) “give My spirit into you, and you will live.”

HALAKHAH: “With hazeret”, lettuce²⁴⁷Arabic خسّ.. “With ˋulšin”, τρώξιμον²⁴⁸Greek τρώξιμος, -ον, “edible”; τά τρώξιμα “vegetables eaten raw”, in rabbinic sources traditionally used for endives.. “And with tamka”, γιγγίδιον²⁴⁹A plant of the family of carrots. “With harhabina”. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, ²⁵⁰This is the reading of the Rome ms. Of the Yerushalmi Zeraˋim for the explanation of Kilaim 1:2 חזרת גלין which Maimonides in his Mishnah Commentary explains as “wild growing lettuce” (Kilaim Chapter 1, Notes 37,51,52.)יסי חלי. “And with maror”. A bitter vegetable turning grey and containing sap. They objected, is not lettuce sweet? Is it not called “lettuce” only if it be sweet? Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Hoshaya: (Itself it depends only on change) [Itself it is only called “change”]²⁵¹A play on words from the Hebrew root חזר “to return” which in Rabbinic Hebrew is used in the combination חזר בו “he changed his mind”. The text of G [in brackets] is preferable.
The same homily but without the play on words is in the Babli 39a.. (As) hazeret is sweet at the beginning and bitter at the end, so did the Egyptians behave towards our forefathers in Egypt. At the start, in the best part of the land settle your father and your brothers²⁵²Gen. 47:6., and after that they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and bricks²⁵³Ex. 1:6..

The hundred and forty-seven psalms⁵⁵The number of Psalms in the Heb. Bible is 150; but, according to Rabbinic opinion, I and II, IX and X, CXXXIV and CXXXV are each reckoned as one Psalm. included in the Book of Psalms correspond to the number of years of Jacob.⁵⁶Cf. Gen. 47, 28. This is intended to teach you that all the praises which Israel offer to the Holy One, blessed be He, correspond to the number of years of our father Jacob. What is the reason?⁵⁷GRA inserts the question. [Scripture states,] Yet Thou art holy, O Thou that art enthroned upon the praises of Israel.⁵⁸Ps. 22, 4. Israel is synonymous with Jacob.

The money taken from Egypt was returned to its proper place, as it says (Exodus 12:36), “They stripped the Egyptians.” And it also says (Genesis 47:14), “Joseph gathered in all the money.” [And it also says (I Kings 14:25–26), “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the House of the Eternal.”] The heavenly writing was also returned to its place, as it says (Proverbs 23:5), “It flies from your eyes and is there no more, [it grows wings and flies like an eagle, heavenward].”