ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו כי השבע השביע את בני ישראל לאמר פקד יפקד אלהים אתכם והעליתם את עצמתי מזה אתכם (בשלח יג:יט)

What lesson does the Torah teach us with this pasuk, and what is the meaning of the double expression “פקד יפקד”?

The Frierdige Rav zt”l explains that although at the time of Kriyas Yam Suf, Moshe Rabbeinu stood together with all the tzaddikim and all of Klal Yisroel, the Midrash (שוח’’ט תהלים קיד) teaches that the sea split specifically in the merit of Yosef HaTzaddik.

Why was the merit of Yosef needed? At the sea, the Yidden could have thought that all the miracles were taking place solely in the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu, the tzaddik of their generation. But what would later generations say when facing a tzarah, chas v’shalom, without a tzaddik of Moshe’s stature? From where would their salvation come?

Therefore, Hashem showed them that the merit of tzaddikim continues to protect even after their passing. The sea split in the merit of Yosef to teach that the zchus of a tzaddik is effective for later generations as well.

This explains why the Torah emphasizes, “ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו”—Moshe took Yosef’s bones with him to demonstrate that the merit of tzaddikim accompanies Klal Yisroel throughout the generations. The pasuk continues with the double expression “פקד יפקד”, alluding to this very idea: the zchus of tzaddikim protects both in their lifetime and for generations to come.