Parshat Beshalach contains the final piece of the epic culmination of the redemption from Egypt-the Exodus would come to its eternal conclusion with the splitting of the sea and the drowning of the Egyptian armies. Never again would the Jewish nation be enslaved; even when the physical entities of the members of our holy nation would face torture and suffering, the Jewish mind would always rise above its circumstances to cling and cleave to Hashem. Thus was the gift that was forged by the iron crucible of Egypt into the national psyche of Am Yisrael.
However, one last piece of the puzzle needed to be put into place before the redemption could conclude; the body of Yosef and the remains of his brothers needed to be found and brought back to Israel as part of the salvation, for as the Possuk states [Shemot 13’ 19’]:
“...Moshe took the bones of Yoseif with him, for [Yoseif] had bound the B’nei Yisrael by oath saying, “Elohim will surely remember you, and [then] you must carry up my bones out of here with you…"
Rokeach writes [ad. Loc.] that many members of the tribe of Ephraim had tried to escape Egypt thirty years earlier, only for these individuals to fall victim to local Philistine populations, who were allies and kinsman of the Egyptians. The reason why divine assistance wasn’t found in their endeavor, explains Rokeach, was because they did not ensure that the bones of their direct ancestor, Yosef, were brought out of Egypt with them. Without the fulfillment of the oath Yosef had placed on the descendants of the Shevatim, their attempt to flee was doomed from the start.
Moshe, therefore, prior to leading the Jews out of Egypt, put great effort into locating and excavating the coffin of Yosef, which according to one opinion in the Gemara [see Sotah 13], was buried in the depths of the Nile River. The Gemara states that there is a great moral lesson to be gleaned from this episode, namely that “The wise of heart will seek the fulfillment of Mitzvot"; for even when the rest of the Jewish nation was heavily involved in the pursuit of material wealth and riches, Moshe sought to fulfill the obligation imposed on Am Yisrael via the oath of Yosef.
A fascinating concluding detail is offered by the Rokeach in his commentary here, which to my knowledge, is not found in any other source. Moshe’s primary disciple and most devoted student was the great Yehoshua Bin Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, who would take over leadership of the Jews after Moshe’s passing. What inspired Yehoshua to become so devoted? Rokeach explains, that upon leaving Egypt, Yehoshia noticed that Moshe made sure to retrieve and treat the coffin of Yosef with the greatest respect, something the descendants of Ephraim, and cousins of Yehoshua, did not do upon their doomed flight from Egypt 30 years prior. Yehoshua did not ignore the honor accorded to his ancestor, Yosef [the progenitor of Shevet Ephraim], by Moshe, the great prophet and leader of the Jews, and this inspired him to cling to Moshe and absorb his wisdom, thereby becoming next in line as leader of the Jews. Perhaps it can be suggested, ultimately, that Moshe’s retrieving of the body of Yosef would thereby serve as the cog in the wheel that would prepare Am Yisrael’s next leader, Yehoshua, after Moshe’s passing 40 years later.
How great are the wonders of Hashem, as every happening, in hindsight, can illuminate the great Hashgachah [divine providence] that He places on his children, the nation of Am Yisrael. May this Devar Torah serve as a merit for the Nation of Yisrael upon the return of the last hostage. May we see the Techiat Hameitim Speedily in our days, as the Gemara records [Sanhedrin 92B] that Yechezkel has already brought back to life the members of the Tribe of Ephraim who left Egypt without the body of Yosef.
Dedicated in memory of all those who have perished and sacrificed for Am Yisrael.
Have a Great Shabbat!