Literary Devices – Bereshit 50/0
Literary Devices – Bereshit 50
Structure
Parallels and Contrasts
Key Words
The various keywords of this chapter (father, ascent and land, on one hand, and embalming and mourning on the other) relate to both the national and personal spheres. This is a common, if subtle, motif in Tanakh, that national concerns and aspirations -- such as the return to the land of Israel -- are rooted in the personal experiences of individuals and their relationships to each other.
Father, Ascent and Land
Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the words that appear with greatest frequency in this chapter are אב, עלה, ארץ. The terms appear in two contexts -- the returning of Yaakov to be buried in the land of Israel and the promise that the nation of Israel will eventually return as well.1 Thus Sefer Bereshit concludes by emphasizing the eternal link of the Patriarchs and their descendants to the Land.
On Mourning
The words that appear with greatest frequency in Bereshit 50 relative to the rest of Bereshit and the rest of Tanakh are “חנט” (embalming) and “אֵבֶל” (mourning) reflecting the specific connection of this chapter to the period and practices of mourning.
"פקד"
- Though the root "פקד" appears only four times in the chapter, see the concordance that, with one exception, all appearances of the root (and the related noun פקיד) in Sefer Bereshit are found in the Yosef narratives,2 suggesting that the word might play an important role in the story.
- Secondary Literature – Professor Yonatan Grossman, in his article Leitwort (III) discusses the repetition of the root, noting that it takes various forms with different meanings:: “פקד” (to take account or remember), “הפקיד” (appoint), and “פקיד” (agent) . The various usages and different contexts3 underscore the theme of dual causality that is central to the story of Yosef, playing with the question: “Who is the ruler? Who is the agent?” (God or man?)
