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(23) Yet the chief cupbearer did not think of Joseph; he forgot him.
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 250
One of the lessons of the Joseph story, reinforced as autumn gives way to winter, is that life is cyclical. Good years are followed by lean years, adversity is followed by success, rejection yields to connection, winter gives way to spring and summer, only to return again.
Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and Conversation, vol. 1, p. 282-284
How subtly and deftly this point is made in the story of Joseph – the supreme example of a life in which human action and divine intervention are inextricably entwined. It is all there in the verse about the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream. By delaying this information until this point in Joseph’s life, the Torah shows us how a later event can force us to reinterpret an earlier one, teaching us the difference between two time perspectives: the present, and the understanding that only hindsight can bring to the past. It does so not by expounding complex philosophical propositions, but by the art of story-telling – a far more simple and more powerful way of conveying a difficult truth. These two time perspectives are embodied, in Judaism, in two different literatures. Through halakha, we learn to make choices in the present. Through aggada, we strive to understand the past. Together, these two ways of thinking constitute the twin hemispheres of the Jewish brain. We are free. But we are also characters in a divinely-scripted drama. We choose, but we are also chosen. The Jewish imagination lives in the tension between these two frames of reference: between freedom and providence, our decisions and God’s plan.
Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, p. 442
This was not the first time Pharaoh had had these dreams. They had visited him every night during a period of two years, and he had forgotten them invariably in the morning. This was the first time he remembered them, for the day had arrived for Joseph to come forth from his prison house. Pharaoh's heart beat violently when he called his dreams to mind on awaking.
(9) The chief cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, “I must make mention today of my offenses. (10) Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and placed me in custody in the house of the prefect, together with the chief baker. (11) We had dreams the same night, he and I, each of us a dream with a meaning of its own. (12) A Hebrew youth was there with us, a servant of the prefect; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us, telling each of the meaning of his dream. (13) And as he interpreted for us, so it came to pass: I was restored to my post, and the other was impaled.” (14) Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was rushed from the dungeon. He had his hair cut and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh. (15) 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.” (16) Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “Not I! God will see to Pharaoh’s welfare.”
Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, p. 447
Joseph asked the king first whence he knew that the interpretation given by the wise men of his country was not true, and Pharaoh replied, "I saw the dream and its interpretation together, and therefore they cannot make a fool of me."
Rabbi Mark Borowitz, Finding Recovery and Yourself in Torah, p. 60
When he comes to Pharaoh, however, the change in Joseph is immediately seen. Joseph responds to Pharaoh’s statement about his being an interpreter of dreams by saying, “Not I! God will see to Pharaoh’s welfare” (Genesis 41:16). Joseph has true humility in this moment. He has realized that trying to be too puffed up, too full of himself, has worked against him. He has finally come to believe that God is God and all things emanate from God, even Joseph’s own wisdom. This is, I believe, Joseph’s spiritual awakening.
Rabbi Lisa D. Grant, Ph.D. The Mussar Torah Commentary, p. 63
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,
Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and Conversation, vol. 1, p. 276
We are at best co-authors of our lives. Not realizing it at the time, the very act the brothers did to prevent Joseph’s dreams coming true was the first step in their coming true. As for Joseph, unbeknown to him, his life was part of a larger story – revealed by God to Abraham generations earlier when He told him that his children would suffer slavery in a land not their own. Sometimes we too catch a glimpse of the workings of fate in our lives. Many times, I have had prayers answered – but never when I expected, nor in the way I imagined. In many cases, the answer came after I had given up hope. Providence exists.
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 790
The verse could mean that God has told Pharaoh what He is doing or that the dream has told Pharaoh what God is doing. Even on the latter meaning, Joseph has already said that “meanings belong to God” and that “God will answer regarding Pharaoh’s well-being.” But the question is still whether God has provided both the dream and the interpretation of it—or just the interpretation, while the dream itself may derive from elsewhere. This question remains unanswered in the text!
(37) The plan pleased Pharaoh and all his courtiers. (38) And Pharaoh said to his courtiers, “Could we find another like him—a man with the divine spirit?” (39) So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is none so discerning and wise as you. (40) You shall be in charge of my court, and by your command shall all my people be directed; only with respect to the throne shall I be superior to you.” (41) Pharaoh further said to Joseph, “See, I put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” (42) And removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; and he had him dressed in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. (43) He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command, and they cried before him, “Abrek!” Thus he placed him over all the land of Egypt. (44) Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh; yet without you, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” (45) Pharaoh then gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him for a wife Asenath daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On. Thus Joseph emerged in charge of the land of Egypt.—
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshit, p. 442
Pharaoh, king of Egypt defers for the first time to the supreme King of kings.
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshit, p. 451
What is the criterion of truth? How is it to be recognized and detected by the hearers?
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshit, p. 454-455
Citing Abravanel: ...As soon as the interpreter discovers their true and accurate meaning, the dreamer will immediately sense that this was what he saw. Memory acts in this manner...As soon as someone else reminds him he will himself recall that this was what he forgot
According to [Abravanel's] explanation, the dreamer himself detects the meaning behind his dream, its kernel which is concealed inside an outer shell of symbols. The interpreter merely draws attention to what he had subconsciously realised, to the interpretation which he had 'forgotten,' but had now been 'reminded of.' His own heart is the witness of its truth.
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 796
Joseph is not successful initially because of his cleverness or his sage advice. He succeeds because he can interpret dreams, apparently by revelation rather than by his own insight,
George Robinson, Essential Torah, p. 332-333
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin says, is that Yosef is “a powerful and careful listener.” Thus, Riskin observes, he is able to hear the similar dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, yet discern subtle differences between their dreams and infer the very different fates that Pharoah has chosen for them. Yosef’s interpretation of Pharoah’s dreams provides some outstanding examples of his listening skills at work.
Bereshit Rabbah 89:6
(6) R. Yehoshua of Sakhnin in the name of R. Levi, "They [Pharaoah's Egyptian sages] would interpret it, but their voices would not enter his ears.
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 254
45. Zaphenath-paneah The Egyptian words mean 'God speaks; he lives' or 'the creator/sustainer of life.' During this period in Egypt, it was not unusual for foreigners, and Semites in particular, to be welcomed by the court and to rise to positions of responsibility and power in the government.
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 255
A Rabbinic legend identifies Asenath as the daughter who was born to Dinah, Jacob's daughter, after she had been violated by Shechem (Genesis 34). Subsequently, she was adopted by the childless Potiphar. Thus Joseph, like the other Patriarchs, marries a relative.
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 256
By calling his first soon Manasseh, Joseph is not saying that he has forgotten the circumstances of his coming to Egypt. He is saying that he remembers them but that the memory no longer oppresses him.
Robinson, George, Essential Torah, p. 334
[There is] another quality of Yosef’s, one that is equally important in keeping him—and his family—intact, a quality that will enable the Jews as a people to survive four centuries of bondage in Egypt. Although he is entirely comfortable in Egyptian society, dressing like an Egyptian, speaking the language fluently, Yosef maintains his Hebrew identity throughout his long time in exile.
Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, location 6437, Kindle edition
The dangers of obsession with the past are very real for Joseph; they have the power to cripple him in the essential task he has undertaken. Not only the evils of the past but its loves, its beauty, and its sweetness—all have become perilous to one whose business is sheer survival. Joseph’s task, quite simply, is to ensure—in the phrase that is used more than once to express the overriding value of survival—“that we may live and not die” (43:8; 47:19).
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshit, p. 458
9. Recalling the dreams that he had dreamed about them The text does not read 'and Joseph remembered all that they had done to him; how they had cast him into the pit,' or 'how he had entreated them but they had not hearkened.'
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 258
The purpose of Joseph's elaborate ruse is not to torment or embarrass his brothers but to see whether they indeed had changed. Repentance (t'shuvah) is more than regret. It includes finding oneself in a similar situation and responding differently.
Rabbi Mark Borowitz, Finding Recovery and Yourself in Torah, p. 68
Like Joseph, we cannot begin to heal until we face our demons (many in the form of long-held resentments). Like Joseph, when we begin to face the truth of our circumstances, we can truly emerge from the pit. We can begin to be not only externally successful, but also internally serene.
Maimonedes, Mishneh Torah, 2:1
(1) [Who has reached] complete Teshuvah? A person who confronts the same situation in which he sinned when he has the potential to commit [the sin again], and, nevertheless, abstains and does not commit it because of his Teshuvah alone and not because of fear or a lack of strength.
RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 261
24. He turned away from them and wept For 20 years, Joseph had dreamed of getting even with his brothers. Now that he has that power, now that his youthful dream of having them bow to him has come true, Joseph realizes that he does not really want revenge. He wants his family back. Revenge is almost always sweeter in the contemplation that in the realization.
Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, p. 459
He was inclined to make himself known to them as their brother, but an angel appeared unto him, the same that had brought him from Shechem to his brethren at Dothan, and spoke, saying, "These came hither with intent to kill thee." Later, when the brethren returned home, and gave an account of their adventures to Jacob, they told him that a man had accused them falsely before the ruler of Egypt, not knowing that he who incited Joseph against them was an angel.
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 832
43:27. Is he still alive? Here is an exceptional example of the emotional power that looms in the background in the Torah’s stories. From the point of view of the brothers and the Egyptians who are present, Joseph is just making polite conversation, graciously asking about “your old father whom you mentioned.” But, inside, Joseph is about to find out—with anticipation, dread, even guilt?—whether his own father, who loved him the most, is alive or dead.
Judith Abrams, "Jacob, Joseph, and His Brothers: A Story of Child Abuse?', Tikkun Magazine, Feb 21, 2014 (https://www.tikkun.org/jacob-joseph-and-his-brothers-a-story-of-child-abuse/)
43:27 Is he still alive? Once Joseph is completely secure in his position in Egypt, utterly defended by wealth and position, he does not send word to his family to bring them to Egypt. He does not feel safe. In fact, he betrays his sense that his father is still a threatening presence in his life in the moment that he reveals himself to his brothers. He asks, “Is my father still alive?" (Genesis 45:3). Given the theory we are exploring, the import behind the question becomes clear: he is asking if he is released from his bondage of fear and shame. He is asking if his father is dead so he can finally feel safe. He sends his brothers back home with enough wealth that they need not come back to Egypt for quite some time, if ever.
Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, location 6912, Kindle edition
Each time he weeps, something opens up in him, an unplanned response, which is at first a mere parenthesis, as he turns away and then turns back to his tyrannical role. In the course of that “parenthesis,” he knows himself lost and remembered by his brothers. As they speak of what was not in the past, a new relationship is suggested, woven of regret, empathy, loss. Listening to them, Joseph begins to be; his real life takes on imagined luster in their words, in their contrition.
David Kasher, ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, p. 101-102
Again he is struck with a sudden, uncontrollable need to cry. Again he feels he must hide his tears. But this time, he actually leaves the scene to go take refuge in another room. And then, again, he returns to the dialogue only to proceed immediately with some decisive action, as if nothing had happened. What a strange man, they must have thought. Where did he go so abruptly, only to reappear moments later? Where exactly did he go, we might well ask? What kind of room is so immediately available to a crier in the grand vizier’s palace? The 19th century commentary of the Netziv, HaEmek Davar, wonders the same thing, and speculates that: In this house, deep inside, there was a small room that no man could come into, save him alone. Joseph’s inner sanctum. A hidden little room – as if tucked behind some secret panel – that no one was allowed to enter but Joseph. For all we know, this was his designated “crying room,” used for no other purpose than to make these escapes when Joseph was feeling overwhelmed. This is how Joseph cried. He cried alone. He cried in hiding. He kept his tears far away from the public eye, and away from the public persona he had carefully cultivated. That person was a ruler, an Egyptian, a man of power and mystery. That man was to be feared, respected, obeyed. That man didn’t cry. So Joseph kept his crying inside. In public he was stoic, inscrutable. And if there were times when he could not maintain the cool exterior, he would turn away, even take retreat if he needed to. He would shut the world out. No one would ever hear his sobs.
Rabbi Suzanne Singer, in Eskenazi, Dr. Tamara Cohn, ed. The Torah: A Women's Commentary, p. 720
This parashah ends mid-action, leaving us to wonder: Will Joseph really enslave Benjamin? How will the brothers respond? Will Joseph reveal his identity? The answers are not clear—because neither Joseph’s motivation for putting his brothers through this ordeal, nor their commitment to ethical behavior, are fully actualized until the next parashah. Perhaps the Rabbis broke off the story here to suggest that our choices are moment-to-moment decisions, the path never certain until the time comes to act. This cliffhanger ending is also a signal of hope, because t’shuvah is always open to us.