Why Jacob Said He Would Go Down Mourning to Sheol

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash 10:2

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

(Gen. 37:35:) "FOR I WILL GO DOWN MOURNING TO MY SON, TO SHEOL." What is "mourning, to Sheol"? Perhaps I am to die the death of the wicked in this world and in the world to come. Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, had promised me that He would give me twelve tribes, and behold, one of them has died. Perhaps I have not merited them, and I am to die in two worlds. Therefore he said, "For I will go down mourning to my son, to Sheol." What is "mourning, to Sheol"? Perhaps I am to die the death of the wicked in this world and in the world to come. Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, had promised me that He would give me twelve tribes, and behold, one of them has died. Perhaps I have merited them, yet I am to die in two worlds. Therefore he said, "For I will go down mourning to my son, to Sheol." Do you wish to know what he said when he saw that he was alive? (Gen. 46:30:) "AND ISRAEL SAID TO JOSEPH: NOW LET ME DIE." And what did he see fit to say, "Now let me die"? Rather, he said: When they came and told me Joseph was dead, I said, "I am to die in two worlds." Now that I have seen that you are alive, I have good tidings that I am not to die, except one time. "Now let me die."

Themes

Divine PromiseMourningDeathPatriarchsJacob

Biblical References

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Midrash AggadahDeborah Rebekah's Nurse and the Hidden Mourning at Allon-bacuthWhen Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died, they buried her beneath the oak below Bethel, and the place was called the Oak of Weeping. The Sages ask: why such weeMidrash Tanchuma Buber, VayishlachWhy Jacob Need Not Have Sent Messengers to Esau"And Jacob sent", and the Maggid asks: what manner of man does Scripture warn against? "One who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrelMidrash Tanchuma Buber, VayeshevJacob Mourns the Broken Covenant of the Twelve TribesWhen word came that Joseph was gone, why would Jacob not be comforted? Hear what our father feared. He cried out: I have toiled my whole life to raise up twelveBook of JubileesJacob Discovers Abraham Has Died in His SleepThen… a chill. An unnatural cold that seeps into your bones. That’s how Jacob discovered the death of his grandfather, Abraham. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinatBook of JubileesEsau — Jacob's LegacyIt's an ancient Jewish work that retells the stories from Genesis and Exodus, but with a whole lot of extra detail and a unique perspective on Jewish law and hiLegends of the JewsJacob Flees Esau and Nearly Does Not SurviveThere was a very real chance that Jacob wouldn't have made it. It all boils down to a moment of vulnerability, a brush with death, and a divine intervention tha