BRAGADAYJAH 161

After Joseph’s one hundred and ten days of mourning had past, he petitioned the Pharaoh that he should allow him to go to the burial place of his ancestors to bury his father there in accordance with his father’s dying wish; and the Pharaoh consented and told him, go and bury your father. And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went all of Pharaoh’s servants, and all the elders of his house and all the elders of the people of the land of Egypt. With him too, were his and his father’s own household and his brethren, the little ones and the flocks only were left behind. Accordingly, then, the only person of importance left behind in Egypt, who did not attend Joseph’s father’s funeral was the Pharaoh himself. Clearly the Pharaoh loved and had great regard for Joseph and his father; but it would seem that while it was fitting that due reverence be paid to a man of such high esteem such as Israel was, that though he was head of household, Israel was not then a state, but a tribe; as such he was not head of State, and it would seem that even way back then, protocol was that heads of State only attended the funerals of heads of State. Even so, the Pharaoh made sure that he was well represented, by causing his servants and elders to attend. The procession that left Egypt, then, to attend Israel’s funeral was a great company of horses and horsemen and chariots. Arriving at a certain threshing floor, which is beyond the Jordon they, decided to stop there. This place was in the land of Canaan, and there the whole company engaged in a period of solemn mourning lasting over a period of seven days. And after the final period of mourning was over, Israel’s sons bore their father to his final resting place; and there they buried him.