When they had been in custody for some time, (5) both of them—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—dreamed in the same night, each his own dream and each dream with its own meaning. (6) When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. (7) He asked Pharaoh’s courtiers, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you appear downcast today?” (8) And they said to him, “We had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” So Joseph said to them, “Surely God can interpret! Tell me [your dreams].”
Why does Joseph respond by saying that God can interpret? What does this say about Joseph's state of mind?
But if so, there is no sense for the word halo (do not) in this context. Perhaps its meaning is the same as that of the word hinei (behold). Thus Joseph is saying, “Behold, to G-d alone belong interpretations, but not to man the interpreter.”
In my opinion the correct interpretation is that Joseph is saying; “Do not interpretations of all dreams which are obscure and confined belong to G-d? He can make known the interpretation of your dreams. Now if it is obscure to you tell it to me; perhaps He will be pleased to reveal His secret to me.”
Rabbi Lisa Grant, "Emunah- Faith: A Pathway to Patience, Courage and Acceptance" in Rabbi Barry H. Block The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (p. 63). CCAR Press.
"The key difference between the Joseph who taunts his brothers in Parashat Vayeishev and the more mature and humble Joseph of Mikeitz is that he has developed a steadfast faith in God, which helps him to become more aware of the consequences of his actions. His maturation takes place over time, only starting with the time he spends in Potiphar’s house when he resists the attempted seduction by Potiphar’s wife. Though he is wrongly accused and thrown into prison, he holds fast to his faith..."
Abarbanel on Genesis 41:37-384
What did Pharaoh see to say to his servants, "Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the spirit of God," and that he said to him, "there is no one wise and understanding like you," and that he made him the master over his entire household and ruler over the entire land of Egypt - before he knew whether his words would be substantiated and whether the thing would come to effect as he had interpreted or not?! As behold, the chief wine steward did not do a thing [for just this reason], when he interpreted his dream positively. As maybe the thing would not be as he had interpreted it to Pharaoh. And if so, why did he raise him before the thing was tested?
Rabbi Lisa Grant, "Emunah- Faith: A Pathway to Patience, Courage and Acceptance," in the Mussar Torah Commentary
Joseph becomes trustworthy as an interpreter and as viceroy of Egypt because he has put his trust in God. Thus, he indeed merits Pharaoh’s claim that he is endowed with ruach Elohim, “the spirit of God.” Bezalel, another key biblical character, is also endowed with ruach Elohim. Both he and Joseph can be seen as creators, planners, and builders. Bezalel is entrusted with the design and construction of the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle the Israelites use throughout their wanderings in the wilderness to ensure their spiritual survival. In a parallel move, Joseph builds storehouses for grain to assure Egypt’s physical survival. These two biblical characters’ emunah makes them trustworthy servants and allows the creative work of their hands to flourish.
Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt, https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/mussar/
If I were to choose from this list of character strengths to describe Joseph, top on my list would be emunah, faith and trust (in this translation, "conviction.") He's strong in gevurah, discipline and will power. He's strong in anavah, humility. (Remember his repeated insistence that it is not he who interprets dreams, but rather God, flowing through him.) He's strong in netzach, perseverance and grit. These are the qualities I see revealed in who his life story has led him to become.... There's so much that we can't control, including birth, family of origin dynamics, how others treat us, when and whether we struggle with illness, etc. But Joseph's story is a reminder that we can choose what qualities we want to cultivate, both in years of emotional "plenty" and in years of spiritual "famine." The qualities we choose to cultivate reveal who we are. When change or conflict or challenge offers us an opportunity to make ourselves known, who do we want to reveal ourselves to be?
In the story of Hanukkah, the priest Mattathias was bereft in seeing the distruction of the temple and the harm done to his people. Since he was a well respected public figure, the Syrian soldiers approached him trying to get him to side with them, and to disregard God's laws, as other Israelites had done already. Mattathias responded saying:
The Book of Maccabees I 2:20-21,28
(20) Though all the nations that are under the king’s dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments:
(21) Yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. (22) God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances....(28) And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice, saying, Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me.
Rabbi Lisa Grant, "Emunah- Faith: A Pathway to Patience, Courage and Acceptance," in the Mussar Torah Commentary
Does God truly reward those who believe with emunah sh’leimah (אֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה), with “complete” or “perfect faith”? Perhaps our answer to this question depends on how we understand “reward.” Faith may not help if material gain is our end goal. Still, if we are seeking to lead a good life, to make good choices, and do what is right and just in the eyes of our loved ones, our community, and God, then faith can play a determining role. Cultivating faith can lead to greater patience, courage in facing hardship and the unknown, and acceptance that so much in life is beyond our control. Emunah is often confused with “belief.” “Faith” is not something to be understood intellectually or rationally; rather it needs to be learned from experience and deep reflection. Faith is not static. Like all other middot, it needs to be practiced and renewed constantly. One can grow in faith and one can lose faith. Faith can be seen as a kind of religious courage, as Rabbi Shai Held writes, as “knowing God whether or not one sees Him.”6 As in the case of other middot, we may not see the immediate benefit of cultivating our faith. The inner work of listening for the divine voice as we strive to make good choices takes time. However, the moment we make a choice is the moment in which we consciously negotiate between our inclination to do good (our yetzer tov) and our inclination to give into bad habits and irresponsible behavior (our yetzer hara). This act of ethical decision-making is at the heart of Mussar. And when we make our decisions in light of the question “How is the divine manifest in me, through me, with me, in this moment?” we are acting in faith.
Questions for deeper thought from Block, Rabbi Barry H.. The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life
What seeds do you need to plant in yourself in order to cultivate emunah?
How does your experience of the Divine help to shape your choices?
What happens when you stop and ask yourself, where is God for me in this moment?
How does asking that question shape your understanding and experience of what may happen?
What are some times in your life when you have felt that emunah has helped you to overcome an obstacle or to cope with a challenge?