<b>And Moses took the bones of Joseph (Exod. 13:19).</b> How did Moses know where Joseph’s grave was to be found? They say that only Serah the daughter of Asher had survived from that generation, and that she revealed to Moses where Joseph’s grave was located. The Egyptians had made a metal coffin for him and then sunk it into the Nile. Moses went to the bank of the Nile with a pebble upon which were engraved the words “Ox, arise,”<sup class="footnote-marker">3</sup><i class="footnote">Mekhilta de-R. Ishmael says that the Tetragrammaton was engraved on the pebble</i> and called out: “Joseph, Joseph, the time has come for the Holy One, blessed be He, to redeem his children. The Shekhinah and Israel and the clouds of glory await you. If you will reveal yourself, good, but if not, we shall be free of your vow.”<sup class="footnote-marker">4</sup><i class="footnote">Joseph had made the brothers swear that they should carry his bones out of Egypt (Gen. 50:25).</i> Whereupon Joseph’s coffin floated to the surface. Do not be surprised at this, for it says elsewhere: <i>As one was felling a beam, the axehead fell into the water, and he cried, and said: “Alas, my master,” for it was borrowed, and the man of God said: “Where fell it” … and he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and he cast in thither, and made the iron to swim</i> (II Kings 6:5–6). We can logically conclude that since Elisha, who was only Elijah’s disciple, was capable of making the iron float, surely Moses, Elijah’s teacher, could do as much.<sup class="footnote-marker">5</sup><i class="footnote">Reasoning here by <i>kal vehomer</i> (an inference from the lesser to the more important), the first of R. Ishmael’s rules of interpretation.</i>
R. Nathan was of the opinion that Joseph’s grave was in the royal tombs, since it is written: <i>And they embalmed him</i> (Gen. 50:26). How, then, did Moses know which one was Joseph’s coffin? He went to the tomb and stood among the coffins and called out: “Joseph, Joseph, the time has come for the Holy One, blessed be He, to redeem his children. The Shekhinah awaits you and Israel, and the clouds of glory await you. If you will make yourself appear good, but if not, we will be free of your vow.” Whereupon Joseph’s coffin began to stir, and Moses took it and departed. This teaches us that just as a man treats others, so they will treat him. Joseph buried his father, as it is said: <i>And Joseph went up to bury his father;and with him went up all the servants … and his brothers</i> (ibid., v. 7). Even though none of his brothers was as famous as he, since he was a ruler in the land, it is written: <i>And he brought up with him both chariots and horses</i> (ibid., v. 9). Therefore, he deserved to be taken from his grave by Moses himself (since he exerted himself in burying Jacob).
Moses bore Joseph’s bones out of Egypt, though there was no one in all the world as important as he, since he was a king, as it is said: <i>And there was a king in Jeshurun</i> (Deut. 33:5). Moses merited that the Shekhinah itself should be concerned about him. Hence it is said: <i>He buried him in the valley</i> (ibid. 34:6). What is more, not only did Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his house, and the elders of the land of Egypt escort Jacob, but Joseph’s coffin was escorted by the Shekhinah, the ark, the priests, the Levites, and the clouds of glory. Furthermore, as Joseph’s coffin was borne alongside the ark of the Eternal One through the desert, the nations would inquire of Israel: “What are these two arks?” And the Israelites would reply: “This one is the ark of the one who died, and the other is the ark of the Living One of the world.” “Is it customary to carry the ark of a dead person alongside the ark of the Eternal, the Living One of the world?” they would ask. The Israelites would respond: “The deceased lying within this ark fulfilled all that is written in the other ark.”
Because Miriam waited an hour for Moses, as it is said: <i>And his sister stood far off</i> (Exod. 2:4), the Holy One, blessed be He, waited for her in the desert, with the clouds of glory, the Levites, and the priests, for seven days as is said; <i>And the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again</i> (Num. 12:15). <i>For he had straightly sworn the children of Israel</i> (Exod. 13:19). He had made his brothers swear that they would cause their sons, the children of Israel, to take a vow that they would bring his body out from Egypt. Why did he compel his brothers to vow rather than his own sons? He said to himself: If I impose this vow upon my sons, the Egyptians may not permit them to fulfill it. For if they should tell the Egyptians: “Our father brought his father out of the land,” they may reply: “Your father was a king, and therefore he forced his brothers to promise to do this.”
Another explanation. Joseph said to them: Our father descended voluntarily, and I took him back, while I was brought here against my will; therefore swear to me that you will return me to the place where you caused me to be sold, and so they did, as it is said: <i>And the bones of Joseph which the children brought out of Egypt buried they in Shechem</i> (Josh. 24:32).
<i>God will surely remember you</i>. That is, He will remember you in Egypt, and He will remember you at the sea; He will remember you in the wilderness, and He will remember you at the river of Arnon; He will remember you in this world, and He will remember you in the world-to-come.