Everyone loves happy endings. Without a happy ending people don't enjoy the book. This rule is followed in our holy sages’ writings as well. A mishna or gemorah try to end off on a positive note. That being the case, why would parshas Berashis end on a seemingly bleak note? The final scene of the book is Yosef being laid to rest in Egypt. What is the upside here? Quite to the contrary, it was all downhill from there, years of difficult servitude to the Egyptians.
The Rebbe gave in 1987 addressed this question in the following manner. Once Klal Yisroel descended to Egypt, they knew that it was going to be a harsh, bitter exile. As we discussed last week, there had to be a beacon of light, a ray of hope to be able to live through the harsh golus. Yosef was the bearer of hope for Klal Yisroel. He was the one who carried with him the secret of the redemption, the p'kod pekaditi. He was able to insure people that someday they would get out of the golus. After his death, who take over to be the bearer of the geulah message? The answer is Yosef. By remaining in Egypt, any time someone would see his grave, he would remember the message of redemption that Yosef carried with him. His resting in Egypt isn’t a sad ending, it is an end of a chapter that opens a window to a new beginning.
The Rebbe gave in 1987 addressed this question in the following manner. Once Klal Yisroel descended to Egypt, they knew that it was going to be a harsh, bitter exile. As we discussed last week, there had to be a beacon of light, a ray of hope to be able to live through the harsh golus. Yosef was the bearer of hope for Klal Yisroel. He was the one who carried with him the secret of the redemption, the p'kod pekaditi. He was able to insure people that someday they would get out of the golus. After his death, who take over to be the bearer of the geulah message? The answer is Yosef. By remaining in Egypt, any time someone would see his grave, he would remember the message of redemption that Yosef carried with him. His resting in Egypt isn’t a sad ending, it is an end of a chapter that opens a window to a new beginning.
Of course, ראויין הדברים למי שאמרן, I can’t think of anyone in the second half of the 20th century who urged the message of the geulah of Klal Yisroel from its bitter golus more than the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He carried the message of the modern day p'kod pekaditi and urged us all to ready ourselves for the coming of the redeemer. And of course, anyone who visits his grave site is reminded of this message.
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