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Why does the Torah (תורה) place Yaakov's funeral procession "be'ever hayarden" (east of the Jordan) when they're traveling from Egypt to Hebron—a route that should pass west of the Jordan? The shiur demonstrates that the funeral procession deliberately followed the exact route the Jewish people would later take entering Eretz Yisrael under Yehoshua, traveling east through the Midbar and crossing the Jordan from the east. The twelve sons carried the coffin in the formation of the degalim in the Midbar, making Yaakov's funeral a prophecy and template for the future conquest.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes the geographical puzzle in Parshas Vayechi surrounding Yaakov Avinu's burial. The Torah (תורה) states that the funeral procession reached "Goren Ha'atad asher be'ever hayarden" (beyond the Jordan), where they held a seven-day mourning period. The fundamental problem is geographical: traveling from Egypt (southwest of Eretz Yisrael) to Hebron (in central Eretz Yisrael), the logical route would place them west of the Jordan River, not east of it. The phrase "ever hayarden" consistently means the east bank of the Jordan throughout Tanach, yet this makes no sense for a direct route from Egypt to Hebron. The Chizkuni attempts to resolve this by suggesting that "ever hayarden" here uniquely means the west bank, but Rabbi Zweig demonstrates this is an enormous difficulty. The subsequent verse states "Vayisu oso banav eretz Canaan"—they carried him to (literally: toward) the land of Canaan—indicating they were not yet in Eretz Yisrael. If they were already west of the Jordan, they would be in Eretz Yisrael, contradicting the plain meaning that they carried him "to" the land.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 50:10-13
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