Commento su Genesi 47:31

וישתחו ישראל AND ISRAEL PROSTRATED HIMSELF — The proverb says: Though the lion is king “when the fox has his time, bow to him” (Megillah 16b).

SWEAR UNTO ME. AND HE SWORE UNTO HIM. Jacob did not suspect that his righteous and beloved son would disobey his father’s command and renege on the matter which he had promised him by saying, I will do according to thy words.¹²Verse 30 here. But Jacob did so in order to strengthen the matter in the eyes of Pharaoh, as perhaps he might not give Joseph permission to leave him, and he would instead say to him, “Send your brothers and your servants, and they will bring him up there.” It may be that Pharaoh would want the prophet¹³Jacob. — Rashi quotes Hilchoth Gedoloth in Megillah 14 a that Jacob was one of the forty-eight prophets that arose in Israel. to be buried in his country as an honor and privilege to them. It was for this reason that he made him swear for it would not then be proper for him to force Joseph to violate his oath, and Joseph too would feel more obligated to fulfill his father’s wish on account of the oath. Such indeed was the case, as Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, as he made you swear.¹⁴50:6.

"And Israel bowed low": To Joseph, from the place where he was at [the top of] the bed.

השבעה לי!. This was only a device to enable Joseph to overcome objections by the Egyptians if they would not permit transfer of Yaakov’s remains to another country.

ויאמר השבעה לי, He said: "swear it to me, etc." Jacob felt that he needed to request an oath for the second time, that Joseph's promise was insufficient. He may have meant simply that he wanted Joseph to humour him and to phrase his promise in the form of an oath, or he may have said so without revealing his true motivation at all but making it clear that he had some reason he did not want to reveal. The reason, of course, was to give Joseph ammunition in case someone would try to prevent him from doing what he had promised. Events proved Jacob correct when Pharaoh wanted to prevent Jacob's body being moved out of the country as we have learned from Sotah 34.

!ויאמר: השבעה לי, normally, unless mentioned to the contrary, an oath is always rendered by using the name of G’d.

וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה, “Israel prostrated himself at the head of the bed.” According to Rashi the Presence of G’d usually positioned itself near the head of the bed of the sick person. This is difficult according to the view we quoted earlier, that at this point Yaakov was not yet sick, so that we would have to say that at this point Yaakov was sitting on his bed and he prostrated himself as a mark of gratitude to Joseph for having agreed to honour his wish. His gratitude was expressed to G’d Who had given him a son who, in spite of his elevated position, honoured his father’s every wish. It is also possible that he literally prostrated himself before Joseph, thus fulfilling the last detail in Joseph’s dream about the sheaves.

השבעה לי, “swear to me!” seeing that Joseph had already agreed to honour his father’s wish in this regard, Yaakov most certainly did not suspect him of reneging on his promise. The purpose of the oath was so that in the event urgent matters of state would claim Joseph’s attention after his father’s death, or in the event that Pharaoh would raise an objection to Yaakov’s remains being taken out of Egypt, Joseph would have something to reinforce his desire to fulfill his father’s last wish. We know that Yaakov was very astute in the matter as in fact Joseph did have to tell Pharaoh that he had had to promise his father on oath that he would not allow him to be buried in Egypt (50,4). According to Nachmanides Pharaoh then instructed Joseph to go to the land of Canaan in order to bury his father there.

When it is the time of the fox, bow to him. I found it written that for one month in the year the fox is king of the animals. About that month it was said, “When it is the time of the fox.” (Kitzur Mizrachi)

וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה. Wie sich Elieser vor Gott hinwarf, als er seine Sendung erreicht hatte, so hier Jakob. Er hatte damit das Letzte erreicht, was er auf Erden zu versorgen hatte. Das Kopfende des Bettes war ihm im Rücken. Naturgemäß saß er mit dem Angesicht zum Fußende gerichtet und Josef vor ihm. Ein Beugen auf das Kopfende hin ist somit ein Zurückbeugen. Es war ein hingebender Dank an Den, der ihn durch seine ganze Vergangenheit hindurch zu diesem Ziele geleitet Gott hatte ihn hierher seinem Sohne zugeführt.

על ראש המטה, Yaakov gave thanks to Hashem Who had made Joseph’s heart decide to bury his father with his forefathers. This is how Joseph’s dream about the sun bowing down to him, was fulfilled, i.e. he had bowed to the Presence of G-d, not to his son. [The “sun” in the dream, had been Yaakov. Ed.]

על ראש המטה UPON THE BED’S HEAD — He turned towards the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 3). They (the Rabbis) inferred from this that the Shechinah is above the pillow of a sick person (Shabbat 12b). Another interpretation of על ראש המטה He bowed himself in thanks FOR HIM WHO WAS THE CHIEF (ראש) OF HIS CHILDREN — in thanks because his children were heart-whole with God, and none of them was wicked, for even Joseph who was a king and moreover had been a captive amongst heathen peoples yet maintained his righteousness (Sifré ואתחנן 31).

וישתחו ישראל, to give thanks to His Creator for enabling him to exact this promise from his son.. We find that Eliezer, after hearing that Rivkah’s family agreed that he take Rivkah as a wife for Yitzchok, reacted in the very same fashion in 24,52 וישתחו ארצה לה', “he prostrated himself on the earth to G’d.”

וישתחו, he prostrated himself thanking G’d that his son had promised him this favour.

He turned toward the Divine Presence... You might ask: Did not Rashi just say, “When it is the time of the fox, bow to him,” implying that he bowed to Yoseif? The answer is: If he bowed only for Yoseif, why was it specifically, “At the head of the bed”? And if he bowed only for the Shechinah, Scripture should have written, “Yisrael prostrated himself to Hashem,” or, “...to Elokim.” Perforce, he bowed on account of both of them, the Divine Presence and Yoseif.

Jacob may have intended to emphasise only the word לי, "to me," meaning that Joseph should not make any mental reservations when he made this promise to his father.

על ראש המטה. The bed on which he had been sitting or lying. He gave thanks to the Lord for having a son who was alive and well after he had for so long given him up as lost, and that this son was even willing to bury him all the way in the land of Canaan so that he could lie with his fathers. The reason why the Torah bothered to tell us, the readers, that Yaakov thanked the Lord “at the head of the bed,” is to tell us that he turned to the “head,” in honour of G’d Who is presumed to watch over the sick at that point. Our sages (quoted by Rashi) use this incident to teach us that the presence of G’d is located at the top of one’s bed. [for those of us worthy of the presence of the Shechinah. Ed.]

It is from here that they derived that the Shechinah is above the headrest of a sick person... Although Yaakov was not sick [then], he had weakened and was as if sick. Otherwise, why did he request [regarding] his burial place?

For his bed was perfect and none of the offspring was wicked... We cannot say that [the bowing was] only to the Shechinah, because then it should say, “To the head of the bed.” Perforce, he bowed also to Yoseif. But it is a forced explanation of the verse to say that he bowed to Yoseif, yet turned toward the Divine Presence. Therefore Rashi brings “another interpretation... for his bed was perfect...” But this cannot be the only explanation, because if so, why does it say, “At the head of”? [It should just say, “At the bed].” Therefore, Rashi brings the first explanations [as well]. (Maharshal)