Komentarz do Rodzaju 50:26

ויישם, as if the Torah had written: ויושם, “he was placed.” We have encountered similar constructions such as in Genesis 9,24 וייקץ נח, where it does not mean “Noach awoke,” but Noach was awoken.” Or, Ezekiel 47,8 the expression המוצאים, where this word is derived from the root יצא and may mean “they were expelled.” (the waters).

ויחנטו אותו ויישם בארון, in the very same casket in which the embalming had taken place. They placed his remains therein and he was never interred in the earth. This is why his casket remained well known throughout the generations. Until “Moses took the bones of Joseph, etc.” (Exodus 13,19)

ויישם בארון, “he was placed in a coffin.” Ibn Ezra draws attention to the vowel kametz under the letter ב which suggests that this coffin was a known entity, drawing the conclusion that Joseph, personally, had prepared his coffin prior to his death.

וימת יוסף בן מאה ועשר שנים “Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten.” According to the Talmud (Sotah 9), Joseph, who had buried his father, received his reward in that someone greater than either he or his father, namely Moses, took care of his earthly remains. Exodus 13,19 relates that Moses took the remains of Joseph. This was not as simple as it seems, and our sages (Tanchuma Beshalach 2) describe how Moses lowered a plate or piece of parchment on which he had written “arise ox” into the river Nile. He called out: “Joseph, Joseph, your brethren are about to be redeemed and your absence is delaying the Presence of G’d from moving with us. If you want to be redeemed and to join our journey, arise! If you fail to arise now, we will be free from the oath you have made us swear to take you along.” All of this had become necessary because the Egyptians had placed Joseph’s body in a metal coffin and had hidden it by lowering it into the river Nile to prevent the Israelites from having access to it. This is the deeper meaning of the final words of the Book of Genesis ויישם בארון במצרים, “he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.”
Moses also received a reward for having performed these rites on Joseph by Someone greater than he when G’d Himself buried him (Deut. 34,6). This teaches us that anyone who engages in the performance of מצות can look forward to great reward. Such a reward may accrue to him many years after he performed the good deed in question. If he did not receive his reward for the מצוה while alive on earth, he may be sure that his deed has been recorded by G’d and he will receive the appropriate reward in the hereafter. These considerations are another reason for encouraging people to perform מצות with eagerness instead of dragging their feet while doing so. However, one must be careful not to perform these מצות in order to become known as a pious individual or in order to reap the benefit in terms of honor received by one’s peers. The performance of מצות should only be designed to confer honor on G’d and His Holy Name. The psalmist (Psalms 131,3) expressed it best when he said: ”O Israel wait for the Lord now and forever.” We also have a verse in Psalms 31,25: “be strong and of good courage, all you who wait for the Lord.” A third verse conveying a similar message is found in Jeremiah 17,7: “Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord alone.” Finally, Isaiah 26,4 conveys the same message when he wrote: “Trust in the Lord forever and ever, for in The Lord G’d you have an everlasting Rock.”

ויישם ist eine dunkle Form. Oben bei Laban (Kap.24, 33) ist es קרי und כתיב und glaubten wir darin Labans schwankendes Benehmen gegen Elieser gezeichnet zu sehen. Vielleicht deutet es hier auf die im Jakobshause ungewöhnliche Weise hin, die Josef aber aus den vorangehenden Gründen selbst angeordnet hatte, eine Leiche unbegraben im Sarge zu bewahren. Er ließ sich in einen Sarg im Lande Mizrajim legen, wörtlich: er legte (sich) in einen Sarg. Das בארון במצרים dürfte im Gegensatz zu Jakobs Bestattung zu fassen sein. Sein Vater ließ sich sofort nach dem Tode nach Kanaan bringen. Er beschränkte sich darauf, sich in einem Sarge für die einstige Hinaufbringung bewahren zu lassen.

ויישם בארון, “he was placed in a coffin;” as opposed to being interred; the reason that he was not interred was so that his descendants when the time came could take his remains with them to the Holy Land as they had sworn to him that they or their children would do.

בארון, in the earth. [I presume that the author means “as opposed to a pyramid, etc.” seeing that ultimately his remains would be removed.” Ed.]

ארון ist ein schöner Ausdruck für: Sarg. Es kommt nur noch bei den Gesetzestafeln und (Kön. 11. 12, 10) als Zedakabüchse vor. Beides sind Behälter, in welchen nicht etwas vergraben, sondern für jemanden in Empfang genommen und bewahrt liegen soll, die Heiligungsspenden für das Heiligtum, das Gesetz für Israel. Die Wurzel ארה heißt ja abpflücken, etwas für sich oder andere hinnehmen. Demgemäß ist ארון auch als Sarg ein Behälter, in welchem die von dem Menschen zurückgelassene Hülle .für den Eigner — zeitweilig — aufbewahrt bleibt

The construction of ויישם is similar in meaning to ויושם. We find a similar construction in Exodus 30,32: על בשר אדם לא ייסך, “it must not be rubbed on any person’s flesh (skin).”

חזק

The prefix letter ב in the word: בארון has the vowel kametz under it. This is meant to inform the reader that the coffin had already been prepared for Joseph during his lifetime, i.e. he was placed in the coffin with which he had been familiar. This is the only one of the patriarchs of which temporary burial in a casket has been reported, as the later generations, who had not even been alive when he died, would transport him from Egypt.