We know from Genesis that before he passed, Joseph made his brothers swear a solemn oath: when God finally remembers them, they must carry his bones out of Egypt with them (Gen. 50:25). Seems simple enough, right?
But the Torah is silent on the details. Fast forward, and we’re about to leave Egypt. Moses searches high and low for Joseph's coffin, but nobody remembers where it is! Imagine the pressure. He's got a nation waiting, Pharaoh breathing down his neck… and a missing coffin.
Talk about a historical scavenger hunt.
According to the Tree of Souls, after three days of frantic searching, Moses encounters a woman named Serah bat Asher. Now, Serah is no ordinary woman; she's a living link to Joseph's generation, a survivor who remembers what happened. Moses, understandably exasperated, asks her if she knows anything.
"Come with me," she says, "and I will show you where it is."
Intrigued, Moses asks how she could possibly know. Serah reveals that she was there when the Egyptians, using their magic and astrology, created a lead coffin for Joseph and sank it in the Nile. Their reasoning? As Serah tells it, they believed that as long as Joseph's bones remained submerged, the Israelites would never be able to leave Egypt! A clever, albeit dark, plan.
So, how does Moses retrieve the coffin? This is where things get really interesting, and we find a few different versions of the story.
One version says that Moses stood at the edge of the Nile and called out to Joseph himself. He declared that the time for redemption had come, reminding Joseph of the oath he'd made the Israelites swear. He essentially says, "Joseph, it's time to go! Show yourself, or we're released from our promise." Talk about direct!
And then, the miracle happens. The heavy lead coffin shakes itself free, rises from the depths, and floats to the surface! Moses then takes possession of it, ready to fulfill the ancient vow.
Another version, found in Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, says Moses took a shard, inscribed God's Name on it, and threw it into the river. Immediately, Joseph's coffin surfaces.
No matter which version you prefer, the image is powerful: Joseph's remains, finally freed after all those years.
The Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael specifies that this coffin was deliberately sunk in the Nile. And as we read in Exodus 13:19 and 14:19, Joseph's coffin accompanied the Ark of the Covenant during their desert wanderings!
The Talmud, in B. Sota 13a-b, even addresses the seemingly impossible fact that a metal coffin could float. "Be not astonished that iron should float," it states, citing the story of the floating axe-head in 2 Kings.
Why all the fuss about this coffin? Why was it so important?
Well, the Pesikta de-Rav Kahana and B. Sota offer a profound explanation. Imagine the scene: the Israelites are trekking through the desert with two arks. A passerby asks what they are. The answer? One is the Ark of God, containing the Torah, and the other is the coffin of Joseph. The onlooker is puzzled. Should the Ark of God really be next to a… coffin?
The Israelites explain that Joseph, in his life, embodied and fulfilled all the commandments contained within the Ark of God. In essence, Joseph was Torah in action.
So, for forty years, the Israelites carried these two arks side by side. One representing the past – the promise made to Joseph – and the other representing the future, guided by the Torah.
Serah bat Asher, in leading Moses to the coffin, plays a crucial role. She bridges the gap between the vow and its fulfillment. She's a reminder that even seemingly lost promises can be found and kept.
And Moses? He has to figure out how to raise that coffin, both literally and figuratively. As Pesikta de-Rav Kahana points out, even if Moses couldn't retrieve the coffin, he would at least have done everything in his power to honor the oath.
Isn't it amazing how one seemingly small detail – the carrying of Joseph's bones – can unlock such a rich tapestry of stories, interpretations, and profound lessons about memory, obligation, and the enduring power of promises? What promises are we carrying with us, even now? What "coffins" do we need to raise to keep those promises alive?