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Why did Yosef stop eating with his brothers after Yaakov died, and why did the burial procession take a circuitous route through Ever HaYarden? The shiur develops that Yaakov's burial wasn't a family affair but the first act of Malchus Yisrael, with Yosef functioning as divinely appointed king through his oath. This created the prototype for the future exodus while requiring Yosef to distance himself politically afterward.
This shiur examines several puzzling aspects of Yaakov's death and burial through the lens of Yosef's evolving kingship. The lecturer begins by questioning why Yosef stopped inviting his brothers to eat at his table after Yaakov died, despite professing continued devotion to them. He also addresses the geographical puzzle of why the burial procession went through Ever HaYarden (east of the Jordan) when traveling from Egypt to Hebron should not require such a circuitous route. The analysis centers on a Gemara (גמרא) in Sotah that describes how Yosef became qualified for kingship by learning seventy languages, with the angel Gabriel adding the letter 'Heh' from God's name to make him 'Yehosef.' When Pharaoh discovered Yosef knew Hebrew (the 71st language) while he did not, Pharaoh made Yosef swear not to reveal this deficiency. The lecturer resolves Tosafos (תוספות)'s question about oath nullification by explaining that Pharaoh understood that violating any oath would sever Yosef's divine connection and disqualify him from true kingship.
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Sotah 36b
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