PESIKTA D’RAV KAHANA 11:13
“Joseph made the Children of Israel promise:
‘When God shall take notice of you,
then you must bring up my bones from this place!’
When Joseph died, he was placed in an ark in Egypt.”
(Genesis 50:25-26)
“When Pharaoh let the people go…
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him
to fulfill the promise that Joseph had obtained
from the Children of Israel before his death…”
(Exodus 13:17,19)
This is to the special credit of Moses, for while the rest of Israel were busy plundering Egypt (cf. Exodus 12:35-36), Moses was engaged in searching for the bones of Joseph.
Who told Moses where Joseph was buried? Some say it was Serach daughter of Asher (cf. Genesis 46:17; Genesis Rabbah 94:9 et al), still alive at that time, who told Moses that Joseph was buried in the Nile. Moses went and stood by the Nile, crying: “O Joseph, O Joseph, the time has come when the Holy One, blessed be He, is redeeming His children. The Shechinah is waiting for you, Israel are waiting for you, the Divine Clouds are waiting for you. So now it is time for you to announce yourself! And if not, then we are released from the promise that you received from our fathers!” Thereupon the ark of Joseph floated up to the surface!
Others relate that Moses took a shard, etched the Divine Name upon it, and threw it into the water, whereupon the ark of Joseph floated up to the surface!
In any case there were two “dogs” nearby. But in actuality these “dogs” were produced by sorcerers. They started to bark at Moses. Moses took the opportunity to cry out: “O people, come and see! These cannot be real dogs, for real dogs would not be barking.” Rabbi Yudan explained: Because these “dogs” were, in effect, whetting their tongues, whereas Moses had warned Pharaoh that the Eternal would strike the first-born sons of Egypt at midnight, “but against the Children of Israel not even a dog will whet its tongue” (Exodus 11:7)!
So now two arks would accompany Israel in the wilderness. When the nations of the world asked, “What is the purpose of these two arks?” the Israelites said to them: One of the arks contains the body of Joseph, and the other is the Ark of the Eternal God! The nations of the world then taunt Israel: What is the Ark of the Eternal God doing alongside the ark of a corpse?! Israel’s answer: The body that is lying in this ark fulfilled all that is written in that Ark!
Sedra Summary 