"Behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk healthy and good, and behold, seven thin ears sprung up after them." (41:5- 6)
QUESTION: Why were only the seven good ears of corn on one stalk?
ANSWER: Yosef interpreted the dream to mean that there would be seven years of abundance and seven years of famine. When Yaakov came to Egypt, the seven good years were over and they were finishing the second year of famine.
When he stood before Pharaoh, he blessed him, and at that time the Nile river rose and irrigated the fields and the famine stopped. The five years of famine were only delayed, however, until after Yaakov passed away (Tosefta, Sotah 10:3). Seventeen years later, when Yaakov died, there were five additional years of famine.
"The seven good ears of corn upon one stalk" allude to the seven years of abundance, which were consecutive. The seven years of famine were not consecutive. Therefore, the thin ears of corn were not upon one stalk.
"Now Pharaoh must seek out a man with wisdom and insight and place him in charge over Egypt." (41:33)
QUESTION: Pharaoh only asked Yosef to interpret his dreams. Why did Yosef offer him advice as well?
ANSWER: Yosef's advice had a connection with his interpretation of the dream. According to the
Gemara (
Rosh Hashanah 16a), the world is judged in four periods during a year. On
Rosh Hashanah people are judged regarding what should happen to them during the coming year. On
Pesach, the harvest is judged as to whether there should be abundance or famine.
Pharaoh's dream took place on Rosh Hashanah. Yosef interpreted it to mean good years and years of famine. Consequently, the harvest in Egypt would be plentiful in the coming seven years, and afterwards there would be a famine due to the land's poor produce.
Pharaoh asked Yosef, "If your interpretation is correct, why did I dream about this on Rosh Hashanah, and not on Pesach when the harvest is judged?" Yosef's reply to Pharaoh was v'atah ("and now") — "If you are wondering why your dream took place now, on Rosh Hashanah, and not Pesach, the reason is that through your dream a person will be elevated to a very high position — and this was decreed today, on Rosh Hashanah, when people's destinies are decided."
"Pharaoh said to his servants 'Can there be found another such person who has G-d's spirit in him?' " (41:38)
QUESTION: What convinced Pharaoh that Yosef's interpretation was correct?
ANSWER: When Pharaoh related his dream, he attempted to trick Yosef to see if his interpretations were authentic or merely guess work.
The pasuk relates that he dreamt that "he was standing on the river" (41:1). However, when he related his dream to Yosef he said "In my dream I am standing upon the bank of the river" (41:17). Yosef interpreted each and every detail of the dream but did not explain the significance of where Pharaoh was standing. He told Pharaoh, "Hashem revealed no interpretation for your standing upon the bank of the river. Perhaps, this did not appear in your dream."
In Psalms, Assaf states, "As a testimony for Yosef he imposed it, when he went out over the land of Egypt, I heard a language unknown to me" (81:6).
In view of above-mentioned, the passage can be explained to mean that Yosef proved his authenticity to Pharaoh when he told him, "You are telling me about 'sefat' — the river bank. However 'lo yadati' — I do not have any knowledge — with which to interpret this detail which 'eshma' — I am hearing from you."
"He gave him Asenat daughter of Potiphera the priest of On as a wife." (41:45)
QUESTION: Why would a tzaddik like Yosef marry the daughter of a priest?
ANSWER: When Dinah the daughter of Yaakov married Shechem, she gave birth to Asenat. Fearing that his sons would kill her, Yaakov sent her away. Before sending her off, he made her a necklace on which he wrote that she was his granddaughter and that whoever married her would become part of his family. She later ended up in Egypt and was raised in the home of Potiphera and was considered as his daughter.
When Yosef was appointed the viceroy of Egypt, he traveled throughout the country. All the girls heard of his handsome appearance and came out to catch a glimpse of him. They threw presents at him, hoping that he would marry them. Asenat threw her necklace. When Yosef read its contents, he decided to marry her.
"And Yosef called the name of the first-born Menasheh, 'for G-d has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.' " (41:51)
QUESTION: Why was Yosef grateful for forgetting his father's house?
ANSWER: A visitor once entered a presumably kosher restaurant. Unimpressed with the religiosity of the personnel, he began to inquire about the
kashrut standards. The proprietor confidently pointed to a picture on the wall of a Jew with a long beard and
peiyot. He said to the visitor: "You see that man up there? He was my father!" The visitor replied: "If you were hanging on the wall, and your father was behind the counter, I would not ask any questions. But since your father is hanging on the wall, and you are behind the counter, I have good reason to question the
kashrut."
There are many whose only attachment to Yiddishkeit is through nostalgia. They remember their mother's lighting candles, they recall the long beards and peiyot of their fathers, and they reminisce about their parents' Shabbat table. They proudly tell their children about it, but unfortunately, they do not emulate or practice this way of life themselves.
Living among the Egyptians, Yosef was in danger of becoming totally assimilated in the society of the upper class. Fortunately, he remained tenacious in his Torah observance. Thus, it was unnecessary for him to tell his children about his parents' observance. He conducted his home life in exactly the same way as his father had done and was able to "forget" his father's house and show his family his own home as a living example.
"The seven years of abundance ended... and the seven years of famine began to come as Yosef had said." (41:53-54)
QUESTION: Why does it state "as Yosef said" regarding the seven years of famine, but not in relation to the seven years of abundance?
ANSWER: The non-Jewish world hates the Jew and envies his success. Thanks to Yosef, the people in Egypt experienced great affluence, but they did not want to give credit to a Jew. When the troubles started, suddenly everyone began accusing the Jews of causing the Egyptians' suffering. Alas, this is a recurrent pattern in Jewish history .
"The people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said, 'Go to Yosef; do as he says.' " (41:55)
QUESTION: Rashi explains that the people were upset because Yosef was demanding that they circumcise themselves. Why would Yosef want the Egyptians to be circumcised?
ANSWER: When Hashem originally gave the
mitzvah of circumcision to Avraham, He told him that it includes "a person born in your household or purchased with money" (17:13).
When Pharaoh appointed Yosef as the viceroy, he declared that he was in control of the entire country and that all the needs of the people would be provided through him (see Rashi 41:40). Pharaoh put everyone under his rulership, to the extent that, "Without you no one shall lift his hand or his foot in the land of Egypt" (41:44). Thus, they became "kinyan kaspo" — "his acquisitions" — and therefore he was obligated to see to it that they be circumcised.
Alternatively, circumcision is the defining sign of a Jew. Yosef was afraid that as the Jewish people became comfortable in Egypt, they would want to assimilate and avoid circumcision in order not to be recognized as Jews. He therefore decided to make circumcision the practice of the land and thus, Jews, would also feel comfortable performing this mitzvah.
"And Yaakov saw that there was food in Egypt." (42:1)
QUESTION: The Sages interpret the word shever as if it was spelled with a shin — sever — which means hope (Rashi). What special hope did Yaakov see in Egypt?
ANSWER: In accordance with Yosef's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, Egypt stored away food for the years of famine, and from many lands people were coming to Egypt to purchase food.
This amazed Yaakov, and he thought to himself, "It is very strange that non-Jews should be so kind and share their food with others in a time of famine. On the other hand, Jews are known to be a merciful and generous people. Perhaps there is in Egypt some spark of holiness — a Jew. Perhaps my lost son Yosef is in Egypt and is involved with the entire operation."
"Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him." (42:8)
QUESTION: Yaakov and Yosef looked exactly alike (Rashi 37:3). Why didn't they recognize him as their lost brother since he resembled their father?
ANSWER: It is true that Yaakov and Yosef looked alike, but there was a big age difference. Yosef was now only 39 years old. Yaakov married at the age of 84 and was now 130 years old.
The brothers had never seen their father as a young man. Therefore, though Yosef's countenance now was exactly the same as Yaakov's when he was 39 years old, he did not resemble their father, now 90 years older.
"Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him." (42:8)
QUESTION: How is it possible that none of the brothers recognized him?
ANSWER: Yosef's brothers were shepherds by profession. They were out in the fields with their cattle and had very little to do with the world at large. This was the most suitable profession for one who wanted to remain religious and avoid endangering his Torah observance.
When the brothers came to Egypt, they met Yosef, who looked like one of them; beard, peiyot, and religious garb. They were sure that it would be impossible for a truly religious person like themselves to live in Egypt and rise to glory.
Positive that Yosef remained strong in his faith, they assumed that this man was not religious, but rather someone who merely chose to dress religiously — therefore, not their brother Yosef.
"He took Shimon from them and arrested him before their eyes." (42:24)
QUESTION: He was arrested only "before their eyes" but, as soon as they left, Yosef took him out of prison and gave him food and drink (Rashi). Since Yosef treated Shimon so well, why did he arrest him?
ANSWER: Yosef wanted very much that the brothers should bring Binyamin to Egypt. However, he was afraid that if all the brothers would go back to Yaakov, they would take a person off the street, bring him to Egypt, and present him as Binyamin. Yosef hardly knew Binyamin, and thus, he would not know if it was really him or not.
Therefore, after insisting that the brothers come back with Binyamin, he took Shimon and arrested him before their eyes. His plan was that when the brothers returned, he would ask Shimon to identify the person they presented to him as their brother Binyamin. Since Shimon was separated from them, he did not know of their plan. Thus, if the person was not Binyamin, he would tell Yosef that he doesn't know him. Hence, Yosef would know that the brothers deceived him.
Since in reality, Shimon did not do anything wrong, there was no reason to keep him under arrest. Consequently, as soon as the brothers left, Yosef took him out of prison and treated him royally.
"Their father Yaakov said to them, 'You are making me lose my children; Yosef is gone, Shimon is gone, and now you want to take away Binyamin; upon me are all these things.' " (42:36)
QUESTION: The words "upon me are all these things" — seem superfluous. What was Yaakov alluding to?
ANSWER: When Yitzchak wanted to give the
berachot to Eisav, Rivkah insisted that Yaakov disguise himself and obtain the
berachot. Yaakov refused, saying, "I am afraid that if my father realizes I am fooling him, he may become angry and curse me." His mother replied, "You have nothing to fear because your curse be on me, my son" (27:13).
Rivkah's approach is difficult to comprehend. Instead of taking the curse upon herself, which is a very serious matter, she should have assured Yaakov "Your father will not curse you!"
Indeed, Rivkah did not consider a curse from Yitzchak very lightly, and she meant something else entirely. She was telling Yaakov that she saw through Ruach Hakodesh — Divine inspiration — that during his lifetime he would suffer only from three curses. These three curses are hinted at in the word alai. The ayin stands for Eisav, the lamed is for Lavan, and the yud is for Yosef. She was saying, "Since I foresee no other serious tribulations or curses destined for you, you can go ahead with confidence and obtain the berachot from your father."
After Yosef's disappearance, Yaakov cherished Binyamin because he was the only child remaining from Rachel. Suddenly, he saw Binyamin's life in danger and feared losing him, too. Therefore, he said to his children, "You want to bring upon me a new curse. I cannot understand what is happening because, my mother told me that the only problems I would suffer would be the ones involving Eisav, Lavan and Yosef, which have already all come upon me?!" (Shimon's incarceration in Egypt is not counted as a fourth curse, since it was only temporary, and thus his mother's prophecy was accurate.)
"Behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; We have brought it again in our hands. And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: We do not know who placed our money in our sacks." (43:21- 22)
QUESTION: Why was it necessary for the brothers to say that they brought other money to buy food? Moreover, should not the statement, "We do not know who put our money in our sacks" come first?
ANSWER: In ancient times, every country would put its own insignia on its currency and the value was based on the weight of the gold and silver. People came from many lands to Egypt to purchase food. The Egyptians would weigh the currency and sell accordingly.
The brothers related that when they opened their sacks, they found money, "Bemishkalo" — which weighed exactly the same as the money they had given for their purchase. However, the emblems engraved on the coins were not the same because, "We brought other coins with different emblems when we came to buy food. Therefore, we are puzzled and do not know who put silver of the same weight as our money in our sacks."
"[The man in charge of Yosef's household] told them, 'Do not fear...I received your money.' " (43:23)
QUESTION: The man in charge was Menasheh. Why did he lie?
ANSWER: Hashem told Avraham that the Jewish people would be slaves for 400 years in Egypt and, afterwards, they would go out with great wealth. According to the
Zohar, the reason for the famine was to increase the wealth of Egypt, for the Jews were destined to eventually receive this wealth. (See
Yalkut Reuveini)
Bearing this in mind, Menasheh told his uncles, "Whatever money I took in until now by selling grain to the entire world is in reality your money. Since all the money I receive from sales will ultimately be yours in the future, why should I bother now to take your money and later need to return it to you?"
"And portions were taken from before him to them; but Binyamin's portion was greater than the portions of all of them, five times as much. And they drank and were merry with him." (43:34)
QUESTION: Rashi comments: "Since the day that they had sold him, they did not drink wine, nor did he (Yosef) drink wine; but on that day they did drink."
Yosef recognized his brothers. Therefore, he had good reason to drink and be merry. However, since the brothers did not know who he was, why did they indulge in drinking?
ANSWER: The major problem between the brothers and Yosef stemmed from their jealousy. Due to their jealousy of his aspirations to rise above them, they went as far as selling him as a slave. When the brothers were invited to a meal in Yosef's house, Yosef put them to a test to see if they had overcome their negative trait. He gave Binyamin five times as many presents as he gave them, and waited to see how they would react.
The brothers had already learned their lesson and showed no signs of jealousy whatsoever. When a person strives to improve his ways and overcomes his failings, he is very happy. Proud of their victory over jealousy, they permitted themselves to indulge in wine to celebrate their improved character.
"And they drank and were merry with him." (43:34)
QUESTION: Even kosher wine, when handled by a non-Jew, is considered "stam yeinam" and may not be consumed by a Jew. How did the brothers allow themselves to drink wine with Yosef, whose true identity had not yet been revealed to them?
ANSWER: The
Maharsha (
Shabbat 139b) says, "they did it out of fear of the government." What, was their fear?
When the brothers appeared in Egypt before Yosef, he accused them of being spies. They categorically denied this, claiming that their visit to Egypt was strictly personal.
It is well known that "nichnas yayin, yatza sod" — When wine enters the person and he becomes intoxicated, his tongue becomes loose, and he reveals secrets (Eiruvin 65a). Therefore, when the brothers were served wine, they decided to drink it in order to prove to Yosef that they were not spies. Had they refused to drink, he would have claimed that their reluctance was out of fear of becoming intoxicated and revealing self-incrimanting information, and thus, his accusation that they are spies would have been substantiated.
"They had left the city, had not gone far out of the city, and Yosef said to his house steward, 'Get up, chase after the men.' " (44:4)
QUESTION: Why does the Torah emphasize "lo hirchiku" — "[They] had not gone far"?
ANSWER: One who travels to another city is required to recite
Tefillat Haderech. This prayer has the power to shield a person from unpleasant occurrences. The prayer should be recited with a
berachah when one is out of the city, and the total length of the trip will be at least approximately 2 1/2 miles (
Orach Chaim 110). Yosef, therefore, told his house steward, "
Chase after them immediately, before they recite
Tefillat Haderech, because after they say the
Tefillat Haderech we will not be able to cause them any inconvenience."
"Behold, the money which we found in our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; how then could we have stolen from your master's house silver or gold?" (44:8)
QUESTION: Yosef's goblet was of unlimited value. There was nothing like it in the entire world. How does the fact that they returned the purchase money for the food prove that they would not steal something of such tremendous value?
ANSWER: When the steward of Yosef's house caught up with the brothers, he told them that the goblet was one which Yosef used for divination. "If Jews were permitted to practice divination," he explained, "I would understand why you were tempted to take the goblet. However, since you are forbidden to practice divination, then you are just plain thieves and deserve to be punished severely."
The brothers responded, "On the contrary! If we were permitted to practice divination, it would be a great iniquity for us to steal such a valuable thing from your master and it would make sense for you to suspect us. However, it is forbidden for us to practice divination, so to suspect that we stole it just for its silver value is foolish, because we already returned much more than that in food money."
"Anyone among your servants with whom it is found shall die." (44:9)
QUESTION:
- According to Torah law, the punishment for a thief is not death. Why did the brothers select death as punishment?
- Why did they relinquish their self-esteem and refer to themselves as "servants"?
ANSWER: The brothers told the prosecutor: "It is far from us to commit such a crime. Behold, we returned the money we found; how then should we steal silver and gold from your house? Since the purchase money was
again found in our sacks, we are obviously being framed. There is someone among
your servants who has a vendetta against us, or who is anti-semitic. A righteous country like Egypt, which helps the world endure the famine, should not tolerate such people.
"Therefore, 'he with whom it is found' — 'mei'avadecha' — 'from your servants' — who is out to get innocent people into trouble, he should be put to death.
"If an investigation will show that we are indeed the thieves, then we will be slaves in accordance with the laws of our Torah." The prosecutor accepted this offer and agreed that if one of the brothers stole it, he should remain as a slave.
"And he said: 'Also now let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found, he shall be my slave; and you shall be blameless.' " (44:10)
QUESTION: Yosef's steward (Menasheh) seems to be contradicting himself. By saying "chedivreichem ken hu," it seems that he accepts their offer that the thief be killed and they all be slaves, and yet he concludes: "he with whom it is found, he shall be my slave and you shall be blameless"?
ANSWER: A shrewd thief will always try to create an impression of honesty to avoid being suspected of wrongdoing. If one wants to steal something very valuable, he will first steal something of less value and return it. Afterwards, when he steals the extremely valuable item, no suspicion is cast on him.
The brothers pleaded: "It is far from your servants to do such a thing. Behold, we returned the money we found in our sacks. How is it that we would steal gold and silver from your house?"
Menasheh said to them: "Chedivreichem ken hu," — "Be aware that your own words are a source of proof that you did indeed commit the robbery! Most likely, everything was premeditated. The reason you returned the purchase money was to establish credibility, so that you would not be accused when you commited the major theft of stealing the goblet which is of unlimited value.
"However, I do not agree with you in regard to your extremely harsh verdict. Only the one that is the thief will remain my servant, and all the others will be free to leave."
"He searched; he began with the oldest and ended with the youngest, and the goblet was found in Binyamin's saddlebag." (44:12)
QUESTION: According to the Midrash, "the oldest" whom he searched first was Shimon. Wasn't Reuvein the oldest?
ANSWER: When Yosef's agent told the brothers that they were being accused of stealing a priceless goblet, they responded, "Behold, the money that we found in the mouth of our saddlebags we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; how then could we have stolen from your master's house silver or gold?" (44:8) The agent responded, "Your argument is a good one; however, it cannot exempt Shimon or Binyamin. For when you came to Egypt the first time, Binyamin did not come with you; and when you left Egypt the first time, Shimon did not accompany you. My master incarcerated him to assure that you would return to Egypt with Binyamin (42:19). Therefore, he searched the oldest — Shimon — and the youngest — Binyamin — and the goblet was found in Binyamin's saddlebag."
Although he knew that the goblet was in Binyamin's sack, he began with the oldest so that they should not sense that he knew where it was (Rashi).
"There are 146 verses in this parshah, numerically corresponding to Yechizkiahu... and the parshah contains 2025 words."
QUESTION: At the end of every parshah there is a Masoretic note regarding the number of verses. This is the only parshah where there is also a note regarding the number of words — why?
ANSWER: The Torah relates that when Yosef was appointed viceroy they drove him throughout the land of Egypt in a royal chariot. All the people came out to greet him and proclaimed before him
"avreich" (41:43). The word
avreich consists of two words:
av — elder in wisdom and
reich — young in years. When the Torah is read in public, should it be read together as one word or two?
This Masoretic note provides an answer to this question: There are 2025 words in the Parshat Mikeitz. If "avreich" is read as two words, the total is 2026. Hence, it should be read together as one word.
Vayeishev