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Surf A Little Torah PARASHAT MIKETZ by Rav David Silverberg Parashat Miketz tells of Yosef's sudden rise from a prison cell in the Egyptian dungeons to the second highest position of political leadership in the strongest empire in the world. The Midrash Ha-gadol in the beginning of the parasha notes that both Yosef's original downfall and ultimate rise to greatness resulted from dreams. His dreams of superiority and leadership over his brothers fueled their flames of hatred towards him, which, as we know, reached their peak in Dotan as they sold Yosef into slavery. Parashat Miketz opens with Pharaoh's mysterious dream, which paved the road to glory for Yosef the inmate. From here the Midrash concludes, "The Almighty - in the same manner in which He smites a person, he cures him." We may, however, find more specific significance in the role played by these dreams in Yosef's whirlwind tour of slavery and glory. Indeed, the Midrash Ha-gadol earlier, in Parashat Vayeshev, states very simply, "Yosef descended through a dream and rose through a dream." This passage perhaps implies inherent meaning in the effect of these dreams on Yosef's life, irrespective of the Almighty's general tendency to "cure" in the same way He "smites." Yosef's sale resulted not as much from the dreams per se but rather from his preoccupation therewith. Noting the expression, "Shimu na" (37:6), which denotes asking for permission, the Midrash Lekach Tov writes that Yosef had to beg his brothers to allow him to report his dream. He presumed that they would share his interest in his ambitions of leadership. Needless to say, they were not only disinterested in these dreams, they were disgusted by them. Yet, Yosef was so engrossed in his own ambition that he took for granted the enthusiastic response of his brothers, who had already harbored feelings of animosity towards him. Thus, Yosef's downfall resulted from his overindulgence in his own dreams. Yosef realizes the fulfillment of these dreams only after he successfully interprets the dreams of others - the butler, the baker, and Pharaoh. Although dream interpretation certainly entails prophetic powers, it seemingly requires, at very least, a willingness on the part of the interpreter to carefully study the dreamer. To properly interpret dreams, one needs not only prophetic intuition, but the ability to consider the other individual's life experiences, worries, concerns, ambitions, drives, goals, frustrations, pain, etc. Only after Yosef can engage himself in the dreams of others can his dreams of leadership see fruition. Hence, the Midrash tells us, "Yosef descended through a dream, and rose through a dream." He fell on account of his absorption in his own fantasies, and rose as a result of his ability to focus on the dreams of others. **** Parashat Miketz opens with Pharaoh's mysterious dreams whose meaning eluded the royal advisors and was eventually disclosed by Yosef. As Rashi explains, the interpretations suggested by Pharaoh's aides did not convince the monarch. They understood the dream as foretelling the birth and subsequent untimely death of Pharaoh's seven daughters. The Midrash Rabba adds another suggestion offered, that Pharaoh will conquer seven kingdoms and then confront the rebellion of seven of his provinces. The reason why Pharaoh found Yosef's interpretation more convincing is clear: a dream involving cows and sheaves more likely relates to agriculture than to family life or military campaigns. The question then arises, how did the royal advisors overlook this seemingly obvious interpretation? Why did they insist on looking for a meaning outside the realm of agriculture? Rav Mordechai Sabato suggests that the difference between Yosef's interpretation and those of the advisors relates to the different theological approaches of monotheism and paganism. Yosef understood that God delivered a message to the Egyptian king in order to trigger a response. Meaning, a prophetic warning of impending crisis is meant specifically to help avoid the disaster. For the pagan advisors, such a notion was untenable. The disclosure of a divine plan whose discovery can lead to its annulment was, in their mind, ludicrous. As Rav Sabato explains, the existence of many deities necessarily translates into the limitation of the powers of each. The secrecy of their plans for mankind is therefore indispensable to the gods, so as to ensure that no other forces will interfere. The belief in one God, by contrast, means the unlimited power of that deity. The Almighty therefore risks nothing by divulging information concerning His plans. To the contrary, He specifically seeks to assist man through the red signals sent via prophecy and similar media. For Yosef, God "had nothing to lose" by allowing advanced planning to help Egypt "outsmart" the devastating famine. Therefore, only Yosef successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dream to the king's liking. **** In reaction to their troubles in Egypt, Yosef's brothers attribute their difficulties to their having wronged Yosef: "Alas, we are being punished on account of our brother, because we looked on at his anguish, yet paid no heed… " (42:21). This reaction raises an interesting question with practical ramifications: may one presume an association between a given tragedy and a specific sin? Former chief rabbi of Tel-Aviv, Rav Chaim David Halevi zt"l, addresses this question and cites several precedents thereof in earlier works. One such precedent appears in the works of Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, known as the "Chida." A case came before him involving two business partners. One of them felt compelled to violate Shabbat for the sake of the business, after which burglars plundered the warehouse and stole all the merchandise. The other partner insisted that the crime occurred as a direct result of his partner's Shabbat desecration, and, as such, he is to be held solely responsible for the losses. The ruling sided with the Shabbat violator. One cannot decide for himself why a given disaster occurred, except for those instances when Chazal explicitly draw such an association. Therefore, the partner has no proof with which to blame the other for the burglary, as no correlation necessarily exists between the theft and the Shabbat desecration. It should be noted, however, that this does not undermine the need for introspection during difficult times. The Rambam writes in the beginning of Hilkhot Ta'aniyot that times of crisis must trigger an intense process of soul-searching and repentance. When confronted by difficult situations or tragedy, Heaven forbid, a person - or community, or nation - must search for those areas requiring improvement. Although one may not definitively conclude on a correlation between a certain crisis and a specific sin, one can and must reflect in these situations in an attempt to correct his mistakes of the past. **** The Gemara in Masekhet Sota tells of the political controversy that erupted in Egypt in response to Pharaoh's decision to name Yosef the country's viceroy. The royal servants murmured, "You subjugate us to a slave purchased for twenty silver coins!?" Pharaoh responded by reaffirming his confidence in Yosef's credentials. The servants, however, persisted: "He does not know the seventy languages!" The Gemara continues that God sent an angel to teach Yosef the necessary languages in order to complete his qualifications for the position. However, Yosef encountered difficulty mastering the various languages until God added a letter from His own Name, the letter "hei," to Yosef's name. This is why Tehillim 81:6 refers to Yosef as "Yehosef." After receiving the extra letter from God's Name, Yosef mastered the necessary languages. What does all this mean? One explanation suggested understands this Gemara as addressing the difficulties confronted by righteous, observant people upon their entry into the spirituhostile environment of the secular world. The "languages" spoken of by the Gemara refer to Egyptian culture. The servants, who firmly and arrogantly believed in the superiority of Egyptian culture, could not tolerate the assumption of leadership by a foreigner lacking basic familiarity with this advanced civilization. Yosef, the young Hebrew, had to therefore expose himself to the values, lifestyle, scholarship, beliefs and mores of Egypt. The Gemara teaches us, however, that one cannot embark on this process before adding a "letter from God's Name" to his own name. Meaning, one must first firmly establish his religious persona and only thereafter cautiously engage in foreign culture. Chanuka marks the failed attempt to afford primacy to a foreign system of beliefs over the Torah. In the end, the small "oil jug" of commitment to authentic Jewish values and laws endured the raging waves of defilement. This festival bids us to reaffirm our devotion to the Torah as the only authoritative system of values. How to accomplish this we learn from Yosef. Before engaging in the "seventy languages," we must first add a letter to our names from the Name of God, establishing within ourselves the foundations of Godliness that will steer us in the proper direction as we wade through foreign waters. **** Many commentators have struggled to justify Yosef's remarks upon the birth of his eldest son, Menashe: "God has made me forget my hardship and my parental home" (41:51). He names his son after the word, "nashani," "has made me forget." How can Yosef express gratitude to God for having helped him forget his family? Perhaps more to the point, how could Yosef forget his family? Did he really just give up his entire past to establish himself in Egypt? Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch expresses particular vehemence against attributing such a statement to Yosef. He claims that such an interpretation of this comment renders Yosef an insensitive, heartless man. He therefore presents a novel translation of the word "nashani," claiming that it evolves from the Hebrew word for creditor - "nosheh." Meaning, Yosef acknowledges that his troubles and difficult childhood, which seemed so tragic at the time, actually played a critical role in his ultimate good fortune. He therefore "owes a debt of gratitude" to his sorrowful past for laying the groundwork for his prosperous present. An equally novel suggestion was offered by the "Tzeror Hamor." He claims that Yosef here refers to the longing for his family he experienced during his days in the Egyptian prison. He thanks the Almighty for helping him forget both his troubles and the painful yearnings for the warmth and security of his family that he felt throughout his years of incarceration. A third interpretation is adopted by Rav Sa'adya Gaon. He explains that the word "hardship" in this verse actually modifies the following clause, as well: "my parental home." In other words, one must read the verse as follows: "God has made me forget my hardship and [the hardship of] my parental home." Yosef did not forget his past, Heaven forbid. He did, however, forget the troubles and difficulties suffered on account of the friction between him and his brothers. He expresses his appreciation for being able to forget the troubles of the past, though clearly retaining his emotional bond to his past in general. **** Rashi, commenting on 41:50, notes the verse's stress on Yosef's having begotten children only before the onset of the years of famine. He explains, paraphrasing the Gemara in Ta'anit (11a), that Yosef specifically did not have any children once the seven years of drought begun, whereas one may not engage in marital relations during periods of famine. Many later commentators - starting already with the Ba'alei Ha-Tosafot - question this halakha in light of a Gemara in Masekhet Sota (12a) regarding the birth of Levi's daughter, Yokheved. The Gemara establishes that Yokheved was born during the tribes' journey to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. How does this accommodate the prohibition against procreating during times of famine? The Ba'alei Ha-Tosafot (on Chumash) resolve the difficulty based on a dispute between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel regarding the obligation of procreation (Yevamot 61b). Whereas Bet Hillel maintain that one fulfills the mitzvah of "peru u'rvu" only through the birth of both a son and a daughter, Bet Shammai holds that the birth of two sons also qualifies. Now the prohibition against begetting children during a famine can apply only when one has already fulfilled the basic obligation to reproduce; one who has yet to father the minimum required number of children must involve himself in this important mitzvah even during difficult times. The Ba'alei Ha-Tosafot suggest that this dispute between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel actually originates in a dispute between Yosef and Levi! Yosef adopted the view of Bet Shammai (pardon the historical inaccuracy), that one fulfills the mitzvah through the birth of two sons. Therefore, he was required to suspend marital relations during the years of famine. His older brother Levi, by contrast, subscribed to Bet Hillel's position, that one requires a daughter to fulfill the obligation. Therefore, he was obligated to continue building his family until the birth of his daughter, Yokheved, at which point he completed the fulfillment of the mitzvah of "peru u'rvu." **** Yaakov sends his sons to Egypt to purchase grain, and upon their return he hears of the trouble they encountered there. Specifically, the Egyptian viceroy imprisoned Shimon and demanded that the brothers bring him their youngest brother, Binyamin. Yaakov, however, outright refuses to allow Binyamin to go. As the famine conditions in Canaan intensify, Yaakov asks his sons once again to buy grain in Egypt, but they then remind him of the viceroy's strict orders not to return to Egypt without Binyamin. At this moment of frustration, Yaakov asks his sons, "Why have you wronged me, by telling the man that you have another brother?" (43:6). On this verse the Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 91) comments, "Yaakov Avinu never said anything pointless ['davar shel batala'] except here. The Almighty said, 'I am busy making his son a ruler in Egypt - and he says, why have you wronged me?!'" The power of this passage relates to the simple but critical message it conveys, and the everyday relevance of that lesson. Nothing constructive is served by this question Yaakov poses to his sons. The reason why they divulged their family information is of no use now, when they face the threat of starvation so long as Binyamin does not accompany them to Egypt. The Midrash therefore considers this question a "davar shel batala," a pointless remark on Yaakov's part. The great patriarch never uttered a non-constructive remark in his life, until now. On one level, this teaches an important lesson in interpersonal relationships. When mistakes or oversights occur, one can only exacerbate the resulting difficult situation by asking the responsible party after the fact, "Why did you do that?" Nothing positive results from such questioning. The best - and only - way to deal with errors is to look ahead, pick up the pieces, and leave the mistakes of the past for memory. The Midrash, however, points to a more inherently theological problem with non-constructive questioning of this sort. At times of crisis, the question of "why" is not only of less value than that of "what to do now," but also far less appropriate. As believers in an omniscient, all-powerful God infinitely greater than any of us, we firmly trust that everything in the world serves a purpose, one which, more often than not, eludes our comprehension. God does not ask us to decipher His master plan or identify the rationale behind the manner in which He conducts the world. Instead, He demands that we work to improve that world, under whatever conditions we happen to find it. The Midrash therefore criticizes Yaakov's question to his sons. Why things turned out the way they did should not interest him; he must rather conceon how to handle the difficult situation he now confronts.
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This shiur is provided courtesy of the Virtual Beit Midrash, the premier source of online courses on Torah and Judaism - 14 different courses on all levels, for all backgrounds. MakeJewish learning partof your week on a regular basis - enroll in the (c) YeshivHar EtzioAll rights reserved to Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Et | ||||||||||||||||||||