Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 47:30/אור החיים על בראשית מ״ז:ל׳

אוַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶעֱשֶׂה וְגוֹ׳. צָרִיךְ לָדַעַת לָמָּה הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר לוֹ כֵּן, וְהָיָה לוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה בְּפֹעַל וְזֹאת הִיא תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ גַּם כֵּן לֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם כְּשֶׁאָמַר לוֹ אַבְרָהָם (בראשית כד:ב) ״שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ״ וְגוֹ׳ הַתְּשׁוּבָה הָיְתָה ״וַיָּשֶׂם הָעֶבֶד אֶת יָדוֹ״ וְגוֹ׳:
1 ויאמר אנכי אעשה כדבריך. He said: "l will do in accordance with your instructions." Why did Joseph have to announce that he was going to do all this? All he had to do was to place his hand where his father had asked and make the promise and that would be his reply to his father's request. This is what Eliezer did when Abraham made him swear an oath concerning his selecting a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24,9).
באָכֵן הַכַּוָּנָה הִיא שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לִשָּׁבַע לוֹ, וְהִנֵּה הוּא מוּכָן לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּדְבָרָיו.
2Actually, the Torah mentions Joseph's declaration as proof that he said he did not need to swear an oath, that his promise was sufficient.
גאוֹ יִרְצֶה שֶׁכְּפִי הַדִּין הוּא מְחֻיָּב לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּדְבָרָיו, אוֹ לְצַד שֶׁהוּא בְּנוֹ, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ אָנֹכִי אֶעֱשֶׂה, אוֹ לְצַד שֶׁהוּא מְצַוֶּה מֵחֲמַת מִיתָה (חושן משפט רנב:ב), וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ כִדְבָרֶיךָ וְאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ שְׁבוּעָה, וּבָזֶה הוֹדִיעַ יוֹסֵף עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם צִדְקָתוֹ כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא לַעֲשׂוֹת דְּבַר מִצְוָה מֵרְצוֹנוֹ הַפָּשׁוּט:
3Alternatively, he meant that he was legally obligated to comply with his father's request either by dint of being his father's son or by dint of his father's request being that of a man about to die (compare Choshen Mishpat 252,2). Joseph added the word כדברך to demonstrate that he would fulfil the request quite independent of any oath he would swear.