The parasha begins with a description of Yaakov's preparations, knowing that he is about to die. He commands Yosef to bury him in Eretz Kena'an; he declares that Efrayim and Menasheh will have special status as sons deserving of an inheritance; he blesses all of his children, and commands all of them to bury him in Me'arat ha-makhpela. The text then describes his death, the mourning that follows, and the funeral procession.
Following Yaakov's death there is a conversation between Yosef and his brothers, straightening out the affairs between them. The parasha then ends with Yosef's parting words to his brothers, and then his death.
If we compare the two descriptions of death – that of Yaakov and that of Yosef – we find a considerable degree of similarity. Admittedly, the description in Yaakov's case is far more detailed, but the same central elements appear in both
Both Yaakov and Yosef know that there will be a redemption from Egypt, and both command their descendants to bury them in Eretz Kena'an. However, there are two important differences between them:
a. Yaakov does not tell all of his sons that there will be a redemption; he tells only Yosef. Yosef, on the other hand, tells all of his brothers.
b. Yaakov's body is brought to Eretz Kena'an for burial, while Yosef's body remains, for the meantime, in a casket in Egypt.
Why is Yosef's body left, for the meantime, in Egypt? Why does he not command his sons to bury him right away, as his father did, instead commanding them to take up his bones only when they are redeemed from Egypt? And why is it specifically Yosef who tells the brothers about the future redemption, rather than Yaakov?
Sefer Bereishit does not end with the descent to Egypt and the settling there that represents the beginning of the exile. Rather, it ends with the story of two burials, which express the hope for redemption.
The burial of Yaakov in the land of Israel, and the oath to bury Yosef in the land in the future, together represent a heavy anchor that draws them back to the land, with the promise that redemption will arrive and take them back.
