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כִּי־מ֣וֹת נָמ֔וּת וְכַמַּ֙יִם֙ הַנִּגָּרִ֣ים אַ֔רְצָה אֲשֶׁ֖ר לֹ֣א יֵאָסֵ֑פוּ וְלֹֽא־יִשָּׂ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ נֶ֔פֶשׁ וְחָשַׁב֙ מַחֲשָׁב֔וֹת לְבִלְתִּ֛י יִדַּ֥ח מִמֶּ֖נּוּ נִדָּֽח׃
We must all die; we are like water that is poured out on the ground and cannot be gathered up. God will not take away the life of one who makes plans so that no one may be kept banished.
(כט) וַיִּקְרְב֣וּ יְמֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לָמוּת֒ וַיִּקְרָ֣א ׀ לִבְנ֣וֹ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֣חַת יְרֵכִ֑י וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ עִמָּדִי֙ חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֔ת אַל־נָ֥א תִקְבְּרֵ֖נִי בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃
(29) And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “Do me this favor, place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty: please do not bury me in Egypt.
חסד ואמת. חֶסֶד שֶׁעוֹשִׂין עִם הַמֵּתִים הוּא חֶסֶד שֶׁל אֱמֶת, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְצַפֶּה לְתַשְׁלוּם גְּמוּל:
חסד ואמת MERCY AND TRUTH — The mercy shown to the dead is “mercy of truth” (true, disinterested kindness) since one cannot hope for any reward (Genesis Rabbah 96:5).
וְעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת הוּא תַּשְׁלוּם גְּמוּל לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין כְּמוֹ שׁוּב וְהָשֵׁב אָחִיךָ עַמְּךָ. חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת וְקוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ מֶרֶצ״י בָּלַע״ז, כְּלוֹמַר מְחֻיָּב אַתָּה לְקַבְרָנִי אֲבָל אֵינְךָ חַיָּב לִטְרֹחַ לְקַבְרָנִי בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, וּלְכָךְ אֲנִי מְפַיֵּס אוֹתְךָ אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם לְהִשְׁתַּקֵּעַ שָׁם בִּקְבוּרָה.
And perform for me an act of kindness and truth: Wherever we find the expression חסד ואמת, it refers to giving someone more than he is entitled to expect, or asking him to do something beyond what he is entitled to demand. One such example is found in Samuel II 15,20: שוב והשב את אחיך עמך חסד ואמת, “go back and take your kinsmen with you and perform an act of loyalty and kindness (with them).” Yaakov reminds Joseph that while it is his duty to bury his father, he is not entitled to demand that he bring him to burial in the cave of Machpelah. He therefore pleads with him not to bury him in Egypt.
