The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, gives us a peek into just that, focusing on the patriarch Jacob and the sage Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi.
The Torah tells us, "Jacob concluded commanding his sons... His sons did to him just as he commanded them" (Genesis 50:12). So, what were these commands? According to Bereshit Rabbah, they were threefold.
First, Jacob commanded his sons to abstain from idol worship. The text subtly references (Hosea 5:11), "Because he willingly followed an order," interpreting it as a warning against following false prophets and engaging in idolatry. This makes sense. Jacob, having wrestled with God and established the Israelite nation, would want his descendants to remain monotheistic.
Second, he commanded them regarding blessing the Divine Name. Now, this is a euphemism. The text clarifies that this actually refers to not blaspheming God's name. (Leviticus 24:16) states, "When he blasphemes the name he shall be put to death." So, Jacob was essentially telling his sons to revere God and avoid cursing His name. A pretty fundamental instruction!
The third command is perhaps the most interesting. Jacob instructed his sons on how to carry his bier, or coffin. He told them to ensure that no uncircumcised person touched it, lest the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, depart from him. Intriguing, no? He instructed them to arrange themselves: three from the north, three from the south, three from the east, and three from the west. Why this specific arrangement? Jacob wanted them to mirror the future formation of the Israelite tribes in the wilderness, with the Divine Presence in the center. Talk about long-term vision!
The text then transitions to Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishnah, and his final instructions. It's like we're jumping forward in time, but the theme remains the same: the importance of legacy and proper conduct even in death.
Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi gave three commands of his own. First, he didn't want to be eulogized in the small towns. Why? To avoid disputes and overcrowding. Imagine the chaos if every small town vied for the honor of eulogizing him! He preferred the eulogies to be held in the larger cities.
Second, he instructed that his widow not be moved from his house. This might seem odd, but the text explains that normally, the widow of a Nasi, or leader, might not be able to stay in the residence if it was provided by public funds. However, in this case, Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi wanted it known that he hadn't benefited from public funds, so his wife had the right to remain. This was also so that people would not mistakenly think that the Nasi's house was dedicated to the office of the Nasi.
Third, he requested that those who had cared for him in life should continue to care for him in death. Rabbi Ḥanina of Tzippori identified these individuals as Yosei HaPinos and Yosei HaParti.
But wait, there's more! Rabbi Hizkiya added two more commands attributed to Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi: "Do not put on me many shrouds," and "Have my coffin be perforated to [be open to] the ground." The reasoning? Fewer shrouds mean fewer maggots. And a perforated coffin speeds up decomposition, which was considered beneficial for the soul.
This leads to a fascinating statement: "Not in the way that a person goes does he come." In other words, we won't be resurrected in the same state we were buried. If we were, Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi would have wanted to be well-dressed, even if it attracted maggots!
The rabbis, however, held a different view: "As a person goes, so he comes." Different opinions about resurrection!
Rabbi Yoḥanan, adding another layer to the conversation, commanded to be clothed in colored garments, neither white nor black. Why? He wasn't sure if he'd be summoned to be with the righteous (who appear in white) or the wicked (who appear in black), and he didn't want to be caught in the wrong outfit!
Rabbi Yoshiya, a disciple of Rabbi Yoḥanan, boldly contradicted his teacher, requesting to be clothed in fine white garments. When challenged, he simply stated, "Need I be ashamed of my actions?"
Finally, Rabbi Yirmeya took it a step further, asking to be clothed in fine white garments, socks, with his staff in hand and sandals on his feet, placed adjacent to the road, ready to arise at a moment's notice. Rabbi Yona, in the name of Rabbi Ḥama, added that "a man's feet are his guarantors to bring him wherever he is summoned," suggesting that we are destined to die in a particular location, and our feet will carry us there, whether we like it or not.
So, what do we take away from all this? These final commands, spanning from Jacob to the rabbis, offer a glimpse into their values, beliefs about the afterlife, and desires for how they would be remembered. They remind us that even in death, we leave a legacy, and that our actions and instructions can resonate for generations to come. What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind?
“Jacob concluded commanding his sons.” “His sons did to him just as he commanded them” (Genesis 50:12).4These, in addition to Genesis 49:29, cited above, are the verses which mention Jacob’s commands to his sons. The first was regarding idol worship, just as it says: “Because he willingly followed an order” (Hosea 5:11).5The verse refers to following the orders of false prophets to engage in idolatry. The second was regarding blessing the Name,6This is a euphemism for blaspheming the name of God. just as it says: “When he blasphemes the name he shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:16). The third was regarding bearing the bier. He said to them: ‘Pay attention that no uncircumcised one will touch my bier, so as not to cause the Divine Presence to depart from upon me. Instead, act according to the following arrangement: Bear me, three from the north, three from the south, three from the east, three from the west. Just as you do for me, so you are destined to be arranged into four banners in the wilderness, with the Divine Presence in the center.’ Rabbeinu [Yehuda HaNasi] commanded three matters before his death. He said to them: ‘Do not eulogize me in the small towns, do not move my widow from my house, and those who tended to me during my lifetime shall tend to me in my death.’ Do not eulogize me in the small towns – because of dispute.7The towns would quarrel over which would eulogize him, and which villagers and townspeople would have to travel to the neighboring town. Alternatively, the towns would become crowded with the residents of the surrounding countryside. Rather, he wanted them to eulogize him only in the big cities. Do not move my widow from my house – is it not a baraita: A widow who said: ‘I do not wish to move from my husband’s house,’ the heirs cannot say to her: ‘Go to your father’s house and we will sustain you,’ but rather, they sustain her and provide her with residence in accordance with her standing. It is, rather, because it is typical for the Nasi to have all his belongings from the public, but this one, because he did not benefit from the public at all, that is why he said: ‘Do not move my widow from my house.’8If Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s home had been provided by the public due to his position, his wife would not have been able to continue living there after his death. But since he lived in a private home, his wife had the right to remain there. Rabbi Dostai said: So they will not say to her that the house of the Nasi is dedicated to the office of the Nasi.9He commanded that his wife not be moved in order to demonstrate to the masses that his home had not been provided by the public. It was his private home and not a publicly-funded residence that would then belong to the next Nasi. ‘Those who tended to me during my lifetime shall tend to me in my death’ – Rabbi Ḥanina of Tzippori said: Like Yosei HaPinos and Yosei HaParti. Rabbi Ḥizkiya added two more:10He added two more commands that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi issued before his death. ‘Do not put on me many shrouds’ and ‘Have my coffin be perforated to [be open to] the ground.’ Do not put on me many shrouds – because they attract maggots. Have my coffin be perforated to [be open to] the ground – due to decomposition.11This will cause the body to decompose faster, which is better for the soul. The statement of Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] indicates: Not in the way that a person goes does he come.12When a person is resurrected, he does not arise dressed as he is when buried. If he would, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi would have requested to be well dressed even if that would attract maggots. The statement of the Rabbis is that they say: As a person goes, so he comes. Rabbi Yoḥanan commanded and said: ‘Do not clothe me not in white and not in black, but in colored garments. If I am summoned to be with the righteous, the wicked will not know me. If I am summoned to be with the wicked, the righteous will not know me.’13Rabbi Yoḥanan was not sure if he would be summoned with the righteous, who appear in white, or the wicked, who appear in black. He therefore asked to be buried in a different color so as to avoid a situation in which he was dressed in white but summoned with the wicked, which would be embarrassing, or a situation in which he was dressed in black but summoned with the righteous, which might appear as a distortion of Divine justice. Rabbi Yoshiya would command and say: ‘Clothe me in fine white garments.’ They said to him: ‘Your master said this, and you said that?’14Rabbi Yoshiya was a disciple of Rabbi Yoḥanan. He said to them: ‘Need I be ashamed of my actions?’ Rabbi Yirmeya would command and say: ‘Clothe me in fine white garments, clothe me in socks. Place my staff in my hand and my sandals on my feet and place me adjacent to the road, so if I am summoned, I will arise prepared.’ That is what Rabbi Yona said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama: A man’s feet are his guarantors to bring him wherever he is summoned.15Some commentaries suggest that the words “that is what” should not appear in the text, as this is an independent statement, not connected to what preceded it. The meaning is that a person is destined to die in a particular location, and his feet will carry him there whether he likes it or not. See Sukka 53a. Thus, Jacob did not return to Canaan after the famine, as he was destined to die in Egypt (Etz Yosef).
