Miketz | On Dreams and Their Interpretations
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In loving memory of my parents Shmuel Binyamin (Samuel)
and Esther Rivka (Elizabeth) Lowinger z"l - Benzion Lowinger
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And they said one to another: Behold, this dreamer comes. (Bereishit 37:19)
Among themselves, the brothers refer to Yosef as "the dreamer." Indeed, no designation is more appropriate for Yosef than "dreamer," for dreams accompany him wherever he goes. What is the meaning of Yosef's capacity to interpret dreams? Is he nothing but a talented fortune-teller?
The Interpretation of Dreams
When Pharaoh summons Yosef, he says to him: "And I have heard said of you, that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it" (Bereishit 41:15). It is clear that Yosef became known as a dream interpreter after he successfully interpreted the dreams of the chief baker and chief butler. The fact is, however, that if we examine their dreams and Yosef's interpretations, the interpretations seem exceedingly simple.[1]
Everyone in Egypt knew that Pharaoh's birthday would fall out in three days' time, and it was clear to everyone that the day would be used to settle accounts with those around him. On his birthday, Pharaoh did not only “lift up the heads” of the chief baker and the chief butler among his servants; he made a comprehensive round of appointments, of which these two ministers were only a part.[2] The two officers knew exactly what sins they were being accused of, and therefore they could guess what the future held for them. The chief butler's dream clearly predicted that he would be restored to his old position: "And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand" (40:11). The chief baker's dream was less clear, but when compared to that of the chief butler, it quite clearly portrays a future that is not rosy. Since Pharaoh does not appear in the dream, the chief baker plays a very passive role in it, and birds eat out of a basket on his head; it is clear to any novice dream interpreter that the picture is extremely bleak.[3]
Moving forward in the story, we see that the interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams are not particularly complicated either. The Nile, as we know, is the source of life in Egypt. When seven well-favored cows emerge from the river, this means that the river gave rise to good-looking and meaty cows. In contrast, when ill-favored cows emerge from the river, it is clear that they represent years of famine, as the river gave rise to poor-looking and lean cows. The same is true regarding the ears of corn: Healthy ears indicate years of plenty, whereas thin and blighted ears clearly represent years of famine. It is difficult to imagine that not one of the Egyptian magicians, who were proficient in dream interpretation, knew how to interpret such simple dreams. What, then, was unique about Yosef?
“Now Therefore Let Pharaoh Look Out a Man Discreet and Wise”
After explaining the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream, Yosef further advises the king of Egypt how to proceed:
Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. And the food shall be a store for the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. (41:33-36)
Ostensibly, this addition is impertinent and even extremely dangerous. Pharaoh did not ask Yosef for strategic advice regarding how to survive the years of famine. The attempt to help Pharaoh run the country could cost Yosef dearly. What is more, the advice to look for a wise man could be interpreted as a job offer directed at himself. Why was Yosef not afraid that Pharaoh would see him as a cheeky slave holed up in prison and pretending to be ruler of Egypt?
The Solution of Pharaoh’s Dream
To resolve these two difficulties, we must pay attention to a key point in the way that Yosef interprets dreams.
Many of the commentators point out differences between Pharaoh's dream and what he told Yosef. Most of these differences stem from the fact that the first description is an objective account of the dream, while the second description included Pharaoh's personal impressions.
There is, however, one difference that is not explained by this distinction. In both the dream and the story, the seven ill-favored cows eat the seven well-favored cows, and the seven thin ears eat the seven full ears. When Pharaoh recounts the dream of the cows, he notes that "when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favored as at the beginning" (41:21). It stands to reason that this detail symbolizes that the good years would not be remembered during the lean years. In light of this, it is interesting that there is no parallel sentence in the relating of the dream about the ears of corn. In fact, if we compare Pharaoh’s two stories, we find that the appearance of the thin ears improves after they swallowed up the full ears (for it is does not say that "their appearance was thin as at the beginning").
It seems, then, that the two dreams represent two possible courses of action. The dream of the cows represents what is liable to happen if they fail to properly prepare for the years of famine: nothing will be left of the seven good years for the seven lean years. The dream of the ears of corn, on the other hand, represents the second possible outcome – what will happen if they properly prepare. In that case, the bad years will indeed swallow up the good years, but it will be possible to survive the years of famine because of what they did during the seven years that preceded them.[4]
We now understand that Yosef counseled Pharaoh because this advice was included in the dream. Not only does the dream foresee the future, but it also provides a way to handle it. Yosef understands that a dream is meant not only to predict the future, but also to hint at how it can be influenced. This understanding is based on two assumptions: First, Yosef understands that if God reveals Himself to a person in a dream and tells him something, there is a need for that revelation. If a person can do nothing, God does not reveal Himself to him and tell him about the future.[5] Second, Yosef knows that the dream will not necessarily come true. We have already seen with Avraham that even when he was explicitly promised inheritance of the land, he feared that his sins would be a factor, and so he asks: "How shall I know that I shall inherit it" (15:8). All the more so is it possible that a dream will not be realized;[6] the purpose of a dream is to direct a person toward its fulfillment.
This is also the reason Yosef constantly tries to fulfill dreams. When he hears the dreams of the chief butler and the chief baker, he understands that the dream was intended to rescue him from prison. Since the two officers can do nothing to influence Pharaoh's decision, there is no need for a revelation in a dream in order to inform them what will happen in the future. It must be concluded that the purpose of the dream is different, and therefore he asks of the chief butler to mention him before Pharaoh. As we will explain later, the purpose of the chief baker's dream was to demonstrate Yosef's talent, and when his interpretation is fulfilled, the chief butler sees that indeed Yosef knows how to interpret dreams.
The same is true of Yosef's own dreams. Even though he sees that the dreams upset his brothers, he continues to tell them about them, apparently in order to contribute to their fulfillment: Yosef believes that the dreams will indeed come true, and he tells them to his brothers so that they may fulfill them. This is Yaakov's rebuke to Yosef: it is impossible for the dreams to come true, since his mother is dead and cannot come to bow down before him.[7]
A Dream as the Word of God
If we return to the question with which we opened the discussion – Why is Yosef considered to be such an outstanding dream interpreter? – we now have the answer. Yosef's talent for interpreting dreams is not so special, but what sets him apart is his willingness to act on a dream and rely on it. Yosef believes that the dream is the word of God, and therefore he is willing to take risks to make it come true. If he tells the baker that he will be hanged, and in the end he is not hanged, he will take revenge against Yosef.[8] Yosef's daring to accurately describe what is liable to happen (even when the description is not sympathetic - "and the birds shall eat of your flesh off of you" [40:19]) is what convinces the chief butler of Yosef's talent, and therefore he tells Pharoah about him.[9]
We can find a hint to this perspective in the chief butler's behavior after he has his dream. It was clear that he had had a good dream, yet the Torah attests that his face was sullen. The chief butler understood the significance of his dream, but he was not sure about its interpretation. He lacked the certainty that the dream would come true, and that it was not merely an idle dream. It was Yosef's serious attitude toward this dream that convinced him.
Now, if this is true in relation to the dreams of the officers, then it is doubly true in relation to the dreams of Pharaoh. Yosef takes a very serious risk when he interprets the dream. On the one hand, he is in prison and has nothing to lose; on the other hand, if the seven bad years do not materialize, it is likely that Pharaoh will execute him due to the huge sums from the royal treasury spent on building silos and storing grain. The interpretations offered by the magicians do not require any special preparation, and therefore it will also be easy for them to explain their failures. Yosef, in contrast, is confident about his interpretation and is willing to take risks for it. He gains the trust of the king of Egypt because he knows that not only does the dream describe the thoughts of the dreamer, but it is also the word of God to man.
(Translated by David Strauss)
[1] Admittedly, it is always the case that after presenting a solution to a particular problem it seems as if the solution should have been clear from the beginning. It seems, however, that in this case, the interpretation is indeed quite simple.
[2] This may be the reason that the two officers were placed for "days" (i.e., a year) under guard: They had to wait until Pharaoh's birthday, and then they would be sentenced.
[3] It should be noted that the magicians in Egypt had books that defined the interpretation of dreams. They could not offer an interpretation that was not found in one of the books. Yosef was not subject to these books, and therefore he could offer an interpretation in accordance with his own understanding.
[4] Yosef himself explains the doubling of the dream in a different way: "And for that the dream was doubled to Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass" (41:32). This does not contradict what we have suggested, for even according to what we have said, the second dream would have sufficed to explain how to deal with the seven years of famine, and the first dream came only to imply that "the thing is established by God." Apart from that, Yosef may have wanted to cause Pharaoh to release him immediately from prison.
[5] God also revealed Himself to the Patriarchs through dreams, and each such revelation had meaningful content – not only a message about the future. In this framework, it may be noted that Yosef's two dreams as well present two possibilities. The sheaves bow down not to Yosef but to his sheaf, whereas the stars bow down to Yosef himself. This, however, is not the forum to expand further on that topic.
[6] For a dream is on a lower level than an explicit revelation, as we find with Yaakov: God reveals Himself to Yaakov in a dream at the beginning of his journey, and only after the vow is fulfilled does He reveal Himself to him directly.
[7] It should be added that in Yosef's dreams, a number always signifies a period of time (the three branches and the three baskets symbolize three days, and the seven cows and seven ears of corn symbolize seven years). Therefore, there was room to also say that the eleven stars symbolize eleven years: after eleven years, Yosef's brothers will bow down to him. Indeed, Yosef had his dreams at the age of seventeen and stood before Pharaoh when he was thirty, which means he interpreted the dreams of the chief butler and the chief baker at the age of twenty-eight – precisely eleven years after he had his dreams. In light of this, it is clear why Chazal say that Yosef was supposed to have been released from prison two years earlier, when he was twenty-eight, but he was punished because he put his trust in man rather than in God.
[8] Even if the chief baker would not be released, since Yosef was the servant of the chief butler and the chief baker, it stands to reason that they enjoyed higher standing than he did and it would have been in their power to exact revenge.
[9] Yosef also seems to abuse the chief baker. His opening remarks to the chief baker are the same as those to the chief butler. Therefore, the baker would have begun to hope for a favorable interpretation. This deception of the chief baker was necessary in order to demonstrate Yosef's conviction regarding his interpretation. It is precisely his sharp presentation of an interpretation that could end in punishment that indicates this conviction.
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