There is an interesting juxtaposition between the burials of Sarah and Rachel in the Torah. Sarah was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hevron (Genesis 23:19). This was a purchased family burial site, which later became the burial place for Avraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah. Rachel was buried on the road to Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19-20), rather than in the family tomb. Her burial place remained outside a settled area. While Sarah is buried in a permanent, established location, Rachel’s grave is along the roadside, symbolizing movement and exile.

In terms of process it is also interesting. Avraham purchases the Cave of Machpelah from the Hittites for 400 silver shekels (Genesis 23). The detailed negotiation shows his desire for a secure and honored burial site. This stands in contrast to the process for Rachel. She died suddenly during childbirth and was buried quickly by Jacob without a formal acquisition process (Genesis 35:16-20). While Sarah’s burial involves a public legal acquisition, Rachel’s is immediate and informal.

In terms of the symbolism the contrast is also striking. For Sarah, her burial marks establishment—a secure Jewish presence in the Promised Land. The Cave of Machpelah remains a national heritage site for the Jewish people. For Rachel, her burial is linked to exile and redemption. The Book of Jeremiah (31:15-17) describes Rachel weeping for her children, symbolizing Jewish suffering and longing for return. While Sarah’s resting place represents permanence and belonging, Rachel’s symbolizes wandering, exile, and hope for return.

Sarah’s burial emphasizes ownership and establishment in the Land of Israel, while Rachel’s burial represents exile, longing, and divine compassion. Both are foundational to Jewish identity—Sarah as the matriarch of a settled nation, Rachel as the mother who mourns for her dispersed children but offers hope for their return.

I wanted to explore this juxtaposition today in that we are reading Beshalach, this week’s Torah portion. Here we learn that the Israelites are finally liberated from Egypt. But before we get to the spitting of the Sea, Moshe has to take care of some unfinished business. We read:

And Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” ( Exodus 13:19)

430 years earlier, when Yosef died, he made his descendants promise to take his bones from Egypt when God fulfilled the promise of leaving Egypt. The charge to fulfill that promise fell to Moshe, who had to Yosef’s body out of Egypt and carry it with them in the desert. According to Genesis 50:26, Yosef’s body was embalmed.

Yosef was going to be buried in Egypt, his adopted home, but it was never supposed to be seen a final resting space. In many ways we see that when Yosef died he was buried like Rachel on the roadside, but his vision for himself was that he should be buried like Sarah. He wanted to transition from being a symbol of our diaspora to a foundation of our national homeland. If we learn nothing else we realize the brilliance of Yosef’s patience and long term vision and the importance Moshe was making good on this.

Do we have a vision for our lives in diaspora? What will be our long term connection to our national homeland? How will we make sure that we will have people in 430 to make good on this vision?