בראשית, פרק נ׳, פסוק ו׳

Joseph's request to bury his father in the land of Canaan is met with approval from the ruler of Egypt, though this permission is not granted face-to-face. Instead, the message is relayed through the servants with whom Joseph initially spoke [ביאור יש״ר]. Beneath this official approval lies a deep reluctance. Pharaoh does not actually want Jacob's remains to leave Egypt. He prefers that the patriarch be buried within his borders, hoping that Jacob's merit will continue to bring blessing and prosperity to the nation [חומש קה״ת]. Because of this, Pharaoh makes it clear that his permission is granted solely because of the oath binding Joseph; without it, he would never have allowed the departure [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, צאינה וראינה]. This oath is not merely a general promise to bury Jacob in the land of Israel, but a strict commitment to place him in the precise grave he had prepared for himself [העמק דבר].

This raises a natural question: if Pharaoh is so eager to keep Jacob in Egypt, why does he not simply order Joseph to annul the oath to his father? The primary approach among commentators is that the dynamic between the two leaders is governed by a delicate political balance and a closely guarded secret. According to Egyptian royal law, a king is required to master all seventy languages of the world. While Pharaoh knows all seventy, Joseph knows seventy-one. Joseph is also fluent in the Holy Tongue, a language Pharaoh is incapable of learning due to a lack of spiritual suitability [גור אריה, צאינה וראינה].

In the past, Pharaoh had forced Joseph to swear that he would never reveal this deficiency to the Egyptian people. Exposing the truth would prove that Joseph is more qualified for the throne, potentially sparking a rebellion that would end in Pharaoh's overthrow [מזרחי, גור אריה]. Because of this vulnerability, Pharaoh is terrified to demand that Joseph break his promise to Jacob, fearing that Joseph will retaliate by breaking his own oath of silence and exposing the king's secret [רש״י].

Commentators offer various explanations for how Joseph might justify breaking his oath to Pharaoh if pushed. One perspective suggests Joseph would argue that an oath to a righteous father carries more weight than an oath to a monarch. By exposing the secret, Pharaoh would be deposed and Joseph would take the throne, allowing him to bury his father without interference [רא״ש, יריעות שלמה]. Another approach suggests that if Pharaoh forces Joseph to commit a sin, all the past kindness the king has shown him would be undone, thereby releasing Joseph from his obligation of silence [משכיל לדוד]. A third view posits a logical defense: Joseph would claim that if he is not held liable for breaking an oath under Pharaoh's coercion, he should similarly face no penalty for breaking the oath Pharaoh coerced out of him [דברי דוד].

To clarify how Joseph was previously able to speak the Holy Tongue with his brothers despite this delicate arrangement, commentators note the exact nature of the promise. Joseph never swore to refrain from speaking the language entirely; his commitment was strictly limited to keeping Pharaoh's ignorance a secret [שפתי חכמים, משכיל לדוד].