The Egyptians, according to Legends of the Jews, actually mourned Jacob. Why? Because they believed his presence had lessened the severity of the famine. Instead of lasting the divinely decreed forty-two years, it only lasted two, thanks to Jacob's merit! Talk about a legacy.
But here's where things get complicated. Joseph, Jacob's son and a powerful figure in Egypt, ordered the physicians to embalm his father's body. Now, you might think that's a sign of respect, right? But according to the narrative, this act displeased God. The text quotes God as saying, "Have I not the power to preserve the corpse of this pious man from corruption? Was it not I that spoke the reassuring words, Fear not the worm, O Jacob, thou dead Israel?" In other words, Joseph's embalming showed a lack of faith, a lack of trust in God's ability to protect His righteous servant. The reward that Joseph receives for this lack of faith is that he is the first of Jacob's sons to die.
It's a stark reminder of the delicate balance between human action and divine will.
But what about the Egyptians? They spent forty days embalming the corpse and preparing it for burial. This act of veneration, surprisingly, was rewarded. According to the text, God gave the Ninevites, whose king was the Pharaoh of Egypt, a forty-day respite before destroying their city, as a merit for the Egyptians' treatment of Jacob's body.
The story doesn’t end there. The Egyptians also mourned Jacob for seventy days. And for this mourning, they were recompensed during the time of Ahasuerus (as mentioned in the Book of Esther). From the thirteenth of Nisan (the first month of the Jewish calendar) until the twenty-third of Siwan (the third month), they were permitted to enjoy absolute power over the Jews. This refers to the period when Haman's decree ordering the extermination of the Jews was in effect, before Mordecai intervened and the decree was overturned.
What's the takeaway? It's not just about individual piety, but also about how we treat the righteous, even in death. The Egyptians, despite not being part of the covenant, were rewarded for showing respect. Their reward was being given authority over the Jews, during the time between Haman's decree and Mordecai's recall of it.
As we find in Midrash Rabbah, God measures reward and punishment with incredible precision. Every action, every intention, has a consequence, rippling outward in ways we can't always foresee. This story reminds us to be mindful of our actions, to trust in the divine, and to always, always show respect for those who have lived righteous lives.