Insuring that the final journey is a proper one

Yosef is sworn to bury Yaakov in the land of Canaan at the very beginning of the Torah portion (47:29-30). After he blesses his sons and gives them his final messages, Yaakov instructs all of his sons to bury him in the Me’arat Hamachpela, the plot where his wife, parents and grandparents are buried. (49:29-32)

With the promise of Yosef, second in command of Egypt, that he’ll be buried in the family plot in Canaan, why does he feel the need to instruct his sons as well? Ramban posits that Yaakov was concerned that Yosef would not be given permission to go due to his position; yet Pharaoh lets Yosef go, commanding, “Go up and bury your father, to fulfill that which he made you swear.”

Ibn Ezra explains that Yaakov was merely instructing his sons to accompany Yosef. He doesn’t ask for a response from them and he doesn’t get one. And then he dies.

 “He didn’t want them to think that he only obligated Yosef alone to accompany him to burial, and so he commanded all of them to be involved,” write Or HaChaim. “He didn’t need to have them swear, because they will all fulfill his word.”

Considering the brothers’ concern for Yaakov when Binyamin was in trouble at the end of Parshat Miketz and in last week’s parsha, wouldn’t it be obvious that they’d all want to go to their father’s funeral?

Clearly Yaakov was not convinced that they’d all want to go. Yosef may have needed an oath to grant him leave from his position, but what was tying the brothers to Egypt that Yaakov felt would hold them back from participating in his funeral?

Since last week’s parsha, the family moved to Egypt, Yosef was reintroduced to the family life, Yaakov started to play favorites again (see how he claimed Ephraim and Menashe as replacements for Reuven and Shimon), and gave his sons his last will and blessings.

Maybe they loved Egypt too much.