Question
Do the bodies of the righteous (tzadikim) decay? Moses took Joseph’s bones out of Egypt; does this mean that his body had decayed?
Answer
The statement about the bodies of tzadikim is found in the Midrash Tanchuma, where it says that worms do not attack their flesh. This isn’t inconsistent with the possibility that their flesh can decompose and turn into dust. Joseph was embalmed (Gen.50:26), so more than his bones surely survived until Moses’ time; when “Joseph’s bones” are referred to, the phrase can be interpreted loosely as referring to his body.