וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֶל־יוֹסֵ֑ף בַּחֲלֹמִ֕י הִנְנִ֥י עֹמֵ֖ד עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃
Entonces Faraón dijo á José: En mi sueño parecíame que estaba á la orilla del río:
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 47,19. “and provide us with seed so that we may live and not die.” See Rashi’s commentary on this verse who explains that since the arrival of Yaakov in Egypt and his blessing, the people had begun to sow seed again although the famine had been predicted to last for seven years. Compare also the answer to the question of Nachmanides how Yaakov was able to annul an interpretation given by his son of Pharaoh’s dream according to which the famine would last for seven years. After all, Joseph had spoken in the name of G’d when he had told Pharaoh: את האלוקים עושה הגיד לפרעה, “G’d has revealed to Pharaoh that which He is about to do.” (Genesis 41,28) Joseph had implied that no tzaddik could interfere with this decree of G’d, although the Talmud in Moed Katan 16 told us of the ability of the tzaddik through his prayer to bring about a cancellation of harmful decrees. We must answer that what Joseph had told Pharaoh at that time concerned the existing circumstances, when there was no tzaddik in Egypt whose prayer could influence G’d to rescind part or all of His decree. With the arrival of Joseph’s father in Egypt, circumstances had changed, as there now was a tzaddik of sufficient caliber to bring about a cessation of this decree. This is why Joseph could hand out seed and this was not a waste.
Kedushat Levi
At the time when Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint wise and insightful men to collect parts of the harvest of the good years and store it for use during the seven years of famine, thus implying that the hardship of these years could be counteracted by human endeavor, (Genesis 41,33-36) all the commentators question who had appointed Joseph to volunteer advice to Pharaoh?
However, we must examine Pharaoh’s dream and the manner in which he related it to Joseph in greater detail. The Torah’s objective report of the dream describes him as dreaming that he stood “above” the river. (41,1). This was an arrogant Pharaoh, who, according to our sages, considered himself as a deity, owner and creator of the Nile river, economic mainstay of the whole land of Egypt. In 41,17 this Pharaoh had humbled himself by telling Joseph that in his dream he had been standing on the banks of the river. Joseph, who knew what Pharaoh had really seen in his dream, realized that this king had undergone a change of heart since the time he had had the dream. Joseph had not offered an interpretation of the dream as related by Pharaoh, but as dreamt by Pharaoh. He had therefore left himself an opening, allowing for a change in G’d’s decree on the basis of Pharaoh no longer being as arrogant as he had been at the time when he had dreamt the dream. When Joseph spoke about an איש חכם ונבון, “wise and full of insight,” this was hyperbole for a tzaddik. He meant that when the need arises such a man would intervene on behalf of Egypt at G’d’s court and plead for G’d to rescind the decree of such a disastrous famine.
He explained to Pharaoh that G’d is not interested in bringing disasters on His creatures, but in order to prevent such disasters there had to be at least one tzaddik who would pray to Him for deliverance of the people among whom he resided. This was the reason that Joseph brought his father to Pharaoh so that Yaakov could bless him. Yaakov assured Pharaoh that in spite of Joseph having predicted seven consecutive years of famine, this decree would be changed so that in the following year seed planted would grow as the Nile would again overflow its banks as was customary in normal years. The reason that Joseph himself, also a tzaddik had not personally prayed for a cancellation or softening of G’d’s decree, was that he was in the employ of the Egyptians, and as such he was not independent but bound by Egyptian laws. His father Yaakov, was a free agent. Moreover, when Yaakov arrived in Egypt he had brought with him a whole clan of monotheistic people, all of whom were obedient to G’d’s laws so that Yaakov, when praying, could point with pride to the number of G’d fearing people he had raised, all of whom would be directly affected by return to normal life in Egypt after cessation of the famine.
However, we must examine Pharaoh’s dream and the manner in which he related it to Joseph in greater detail. The Torah’s objective report of the dream describes him as dreaming that he stood “above” the river. (41,1). This was an arrogant Pharaoh, who, according to our sages, considered himself as a deity, owner and creator of the Nile river, economic mainstay of the whole land of Egypt. In 41,17 this Pharaoh had humbled himself by telling Joseph that in his dream he had been standing on the banks of the river. Joseph, who knew what Pharaoh had really seen in his dream, realized that this king had undergone a change of heart since the time he had had the dream. Joseph had not offered an interpretation of the dream as related by Pharaoh, but as dreamt by Pharaoh. He had therefore left himself an opening, allowing for a change in G’d’s decree on the basis of Pharaoh no longer being as arrogant as he had been at the time when he had dreamt the dream. When Joseph spoke about an איש חכם ונבון, “wise and full of insight,” this was hyperbole for a tzaddik. He meant that when the need arises such a man would intervene on behalf of Egypt at G’d’s court and plead for G’d to rescind the decree of such a disastrous famine.
He explained to Pharaoh that G’d is not interested in bringing disasters on His creatures, but in order to prevent such disasters there had to be at least one tzaddik who would pray to Him for deliverance of the people among whom he resided. This was the reason that Joseph brought his father to Pharaoh so that Yaakov could bless him. Yaakov assured Pharaoh that in spite of Joseph having predicted seven consecutive years of famine, this decree would be changed so that in the following year seed planted would grow as the Nile would again overflow its banks as was customary in normal years. The reason that Joseph himself, also a tzaddik had not personally prayed for a cancellation or softening of G’d’s decree, was that he was in the employ of the Egyptians, and as such he was not independent but bound by Egyptian laws. His father Yaakov, was a free agent. Moreover, when Yaakov arrived in Egypt he had brought with him a whole clan of monotheistic people, all of whom were obedient to G’d’s laws so that Yaakov, when praying, could point with pride to the number of G’d fearing people he had raised, all of whom would be directly affected by return to normal life in Egypt after cessation of the famine.