Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Genesis 47:29/ספורנו על בראשית מ״ז:כ״ט

אאַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם. אֲפִלּוּ בְּאָרוֹן כְּעִנְיַן "וַיִּישֶׂם בָּאָרוֹן בְּמִצְרָיִם" (בראשית נ:כו). שֶׁאִם תַּעֲשֶׂה כֵּן אֲפִלּוּ לְשָׁעָה, לֹא יַנִּיחוּךָ לְהוֹלִיכֵנִי לַמְּעָרָה, שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ שֶׁזֶּה מַסְפִּיק כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה הַמִּנְהָג אֶצְלָם.
1אל נא תקברני במצרים, even temporarily, in a coffin, as was done with Joseph (50,26). Yaakov reasoned that if he allowed himself to be interred even temporarily, Joseph would never be allowed to take his remains to the land of Canaan at a later date. They would argue that the honour done to him and burial in the soil of Egypt was adequate as it had been for the most outstanding kings. [we must understand the preoccupation the Egyptians had with the cult of death and what they presumed to be their afterlife. The whole culture of that people revolved around burial, hence the pyramids. Ed.]