Yosef's Last Request
After their father died, the brothers thought that now their father was not around Yosef will take revenge for how they treated Yosef many years ago. The brothers now came to Yosef to ask for his forgiveness.
Yosef calmed his brothers, "Don't worry. You may have had bad intentions when you sold me, but HaShem made it happen for a good reason: so I could save your lives!" For 54 years after that, Yosef ruled over Egypt. He was known as a wise and fair leader.
When he was very old, he sent for his brothers. "Listen. You will eventually leave Egypt! HaShem will take you up to Eretz Yisrael, the land He promised to our fathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Promise me one thing: When you leave, take my bones out of Egypt with you!" His brothers agreed to do as Yosef had requested.
When Yosef was 110 years old, he passed away. (He lived long enough to see the grandchildren of his son Menashe!) The Egyptians placed his coffin in the Nile River, in the hope that having a tzaddik (righteous person) in the waters would bring blessing. But wait a minute... if Yosef's coffin is now deep in the water of the Nile, how will his brothers keep their promise to bury Yosef in Israel?
