Gen. 41:1-44:17
PrĂ©cis: At the end (mikketz) of two years of Joseph’s imprisonment, Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn. The butler who had shared Joseph’s cell now remembers him and calls him from prison. Joseph predicts seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh is so impressed that he appoints Joseph as his chief vizier and Joseph goes about storing grain during the times of plenty.
Joseph marries Asenath and they have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When the famine comes, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to purchase food. Joseph has them brought in while he remains in cognito. He accuses the brothers of spying, and sends them home after they leave one brother hostage and promise to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. Upon their return, the brothers (including Benjamin) meet the still-unrevealed Joseph. Joseph has their bags filled not only with grain but also with the money used to purchase the grain and has a gold cup hidden in Benjamin’s belongings. When they are “caught” by Joseph’s men, they learn that whoever stole the cup would become Joseph’s slave, while the others would return to their homeland. On this cliffhanger, the parasha ends.
Gen. 41:15-16 “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it. Now I have heard it said of you that for you to hear a dream is to tell its meaning.’ Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘Not I! God will see to Pharaoh's welfare.’”
Rabbi Sacks (z’l) talked about dreams as the keys to Joseph’s incredible rise to power (Covenant and Conversation, 12/17/20).
He noted that Joseph had three gifts: he dreamed dreams, he interpreted dreams, and he had the ability to implement those dreams. His first dreams (of his brothers and his parents) might have merely been childish imagining; instead, they were harbingers of the future: his brothers would indeed bow down to him.
His interpretations were not miraculous. The butler and wine bearer were placed in prison shortly before Pharaoh's birthday celebration. Sherlock Holmes might have called such a conclusion "elementary."
As to Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph may well have been aware of periodic famines that often beset the Nile Valley.
Sacks suggests that Joseph’s greatest ability, however, was the third gift: the ability to implement solutions to those dreams. Joseph had previously shown administrative ability in Potiphar’s house, and in prison as well. Now, he becomes second only to Pharoah over all of Egypt.
What do we learn from this saga? We should dream dreams, and let our imaginations soar. Let our dreams unearth our passions. Sacks notes that Herzl used to say, “If you will it, it is no dream.” The State of Israel was the result of that dream.
We also learn that great leaders interpret other people’s dreams. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech is but one example.
Finally, we must find ways to implement those dreams. A true leader selects advisors who are problem-solvers who see ways to alleviate the suffering of those they served.
As Sacks concludes, “Dream dreams; understand and articulate the dreams of others; and find ways of turning a dream into a reality – these three gifts are leadership, the Joseph way.”
