
Quote from: https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/1714464/breaking-report-remains-of-israeli-spy-eli-cohen-removed-from-damascus-on-way-back-to-israel.html
According to multiple reports quoting Syrian opposition websites, a Russian delegation reportedly left Syria on Sunday and had with them the coffin containing the remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel has refused to comment on the reports.
YWN stresses that these are unconfirmed reports, but come just two weeks following the return to Israel of the remains of IDF Soldier Zachary Baumel HY”D.
Burial In The Land of Israel Is A Zionistic Statement of Love For the Land of Israel
Yosef Hatzadik (Joseph the Righteous One) cherished the land of Israel and this is one of the reasons, he made a special request to have his bones brought from Egypt to the land of Israel.
His request is recorded in the end of the book of Beresheet (Genesis)
50:24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die; G-d will surely remember you and take you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
50:25 And Joseph adjured the children of Israel, saying, “G-d will surely remember you, and you shall take up my bones out of here.”
Moshe (Moses) fulfills the oath.
Shmot/Exodus 13:19 Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for he [Joseph] had adjured the sons of Israel, saying, G-d will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you
Yehoshua (Joshua) chapter 24 verse 32 as translated by https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15808/jewish/Chapter-24.htm
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
From where do we learn that Yosef Hatzadik (Joseph the Righteous One) cherished the land of Israel? We learn this from Rashi’s commentary on the request of Yosef’s descendants to receive a portion of the land of Israel in the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 27.
as translated by https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9955/jewish/Chapter-27.htm
27:1 The daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came forward, and his daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
27:2 They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the kohen and before the chieftains and the entire congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, saying,
27:3 “Our father died in the desert, but he was not in the assembly that banded together against the Lord in Korah’s assembly, but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.
27:4 Why should our father’s name be eliminated from his family because he had no son? Give us a portion along with our father’s brothers. “
Rashi to verse 27:1 as translated by https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9955/jewish/Chapter-27.htm#showrashi=true states:
of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph:Why is this said? Has it not already said, “the son of Manasseh”? But to inform you that Joseph cherished the Land, as it says, “and you shall bring up my bones… ” (Exod. 13:19), and his daughters cherished the Land, as it says, “Give us a portion” (verse 4) (Sifrei Pinchas 10), [hence they were of Joseph’s family in spirit], and to teach you that they [who are mentioned in the verse] were all righteous, for anyone whose deeds and whose father’s deeds are not clearly described, but Scripture specifies one of them to trace his genealogy for praise, he is a righteous man the son of a righteous man, but if it traces his genealogy for shame, as for example, “Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama came” (II Kings 25:25), it is known that all those mentioned with him were wicked people. — [Sifrei Pinchas 9]
Since The Bible deals in great detail about the request of Yosef Hatzadik, to be buried in Israel this serves in part as a role model for future generations.
This blog post is located at https://vilnagaon.org/after-the-body-of-missing-soldier-z-baumel-hyd-has-been-returned-to-israel-there-is-new-hope-for-the-return-of-eli-cohen-hyd/