Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 50:14/אור החיים על בראשית נ׳:י״ד
אוְכָל הָעוֹלִים וְגוֹ׳ אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ וְגוֹ׳. אָמְרוֹ ״כָּל הָעוֹלִים״ לוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא נֶעְדַּר מֵהֶם אִישׁ מִכָּל הַמַּחֲנֶה הַכָּבֵד, גַּם רֶכֶב גַּם פָּרָשִׁים, וְנָתַן הַטַּעַם כִּי כֻּלָּם הָלְכוּ לִדְבַר מִצְוָה לִקְבּוֹר אֶת אָבִיו, וְלֹא חָזַר אֶחָד מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁקָּבַר יוֹסֵף אֶת אָבִיו, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וַיָּשָׁב וְגוֹ׳ וְכָל הָעוֹלִים וְגוֹ׳ כֻּלָּם שָׁבוּ, וְהַטַּעַם ״אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ״ שֶׁכֻּלָּם הָיְתָה הֲלִיכָתָם לִדְבַר מִצְוָה וּשְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה אֵין נִזּוֹקִים לֹא בַּהֲלִיכָתָם וְלֹא בַּחֲזָרָתָם (פסחים ח:).
1 וכל העולים אתו, and all those who had gone up with him, etc. The Torah tells us that not a single person who had been part of the funeral cortege failed to return to Egypt. The reason was that they had all gone only in order to perform the מצוה of burying Joseph's father. None of them returned before he had completed participating in that deed. The Torah also wants to inform us that because they were all שלוחי מצוה, charged with the performance of a good deed, none of them encountered any mishap either while going or while returning (compare Pessachim 8).
באוֹ יִרְצֶה עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ: וַיָּשָׁב יוֹסֵף וְגוֹ׳ וְכָל הָעוֹלִים, וְתֵדַע בְּאֵיזֶה עוֹלִים אֲנִי מְרַבֶּה הַכֹּל שֶׁלֹּא נֶעְדַּר מֵהֶם אִישׁ – אוֹתָם שֶׁהָיְתָה כַּוָּנַת עֲלִיָּתָם לִקְבּוֹר אֶת אָבִיו. וּבַמֶּה יִהְיוּ נִכָּרִים אֵלּוּ מֵאֵלּוּ? לָזֶה גָּמַר אוֹמֶר: אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ אֶת אָבִיו – אֵלּוּ שֶׁנִּתְעַכְּבוּ עַד אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ וְגוֹ׳, מַחֲשַׁבְתָּם נִכֶּרֶת מִתּוֹךְ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי לְשֵׁם מִצְוָה בָּאוּ, וְאוֹתָם לֹא מֵת עַד אֶחָד. אֲבָל הָעוֹלִים לְסִבָּה אַחֶרֶת אֵינָם בִּכְלַל הַדָּבָר.
2Alternatively, the Torah may be telling us something entirely different. When the Torah speaks separately of Joseph and all those who buried his father as returning to Egypt, and then repeats the words: "after he had buried his father," it may differentiate between those who waited with their return until after the burial and between those who used the opportunity to conduct whatever business they had in Canaan by joining the funeral cortege. The former all returned safe and sound without mishap because they were engaged in a מצוה. The people who were motivated by their personal concerns were not included in the statement that everybody returned without fail.