Commento su Genesi 40:8

AND THERE IS NO INTERPRETER OF IT. The meaning thereof is that “there is no one to inform us concerning the future which can be derived from the dream.”
It is possible that they sent for some magicians in the morning, or that there were people with them in the prison, but no one could interpret it. It may be that they said; “There is no one in the world, in our opinion, who can interpret it, for it is very obscure.”

ופותר אין אותו, as if the Torah had written ואין פותר אותו, “there is no one who knows how to interpret it.” We encounter a similar inverted verse in Ezekiel 33,32 ועושים אינם אותם, which by right should have been ואינם עושים אותם, “but will not obey them. (carry them out)”

הלא לאלוקים פתרונים? The wisdom to interpret a dream is something divinely inspired, seeing that man has been created in G’d’s image. It is therefore possible that even I may have been endowed with such wisdom, even though I am a lowly servant and on top of my misfortune I am in jail. It may therefore be possible that you erred when you said that there is no one who can interpret your dreams.

ויאמרו אליו…ופותר אין אתו, "and there is no one to interpret it." They meant that there was no one to interpret it at all, as distinct from Pharaoh's dream (41,8) when a variety of interpretations were offered, none of which satisfied Pharaoh.

ופתר אין אותו, they had already asked other people to explain their dreams to them but had not found anyone who could interpret it.

פותר אין אותו, “there was no one who would interpret it.” There was no one in the whole world that knew how to interpret it. Alternately, these ministers had sent messengers to a number of well known dream experts, both within the jail and beyond, and none of those had any explanation to offer.

הלא לאלו-הים פתרונים, ”are not the interpretations a matter for G’d?” Joseph meant that future events foreshadowed by dreams are something known only to G’d who is the One who sends the dream to the person whom He wants to warn through a dream. He is the only One who can reveal the future, make peace and initiate evil (Isaiah 45,7). Joseph wanted to reassure the two courtiers that they would neither profit nor suffer any harm by revealing their dreams to him, seeing it was G’d who would determine their future.

Ihr habt keinen Deuter hier? Wenn Träume einer Deutung wert sind, wenn sie eine Bedeutung haben, so muss sie Gott gesendet haben und Gott das Verständnis vermitteln. Gott ist aber auch hier gegenwärtig und kann das Verständnis auch durch den Mund eines jeden gewähren.

ופוטר אין אותו, seeing that they were held in communicado with the outside world, they had no one who could bring their plight to Pharaoh’ attention, or at least to consult with any of the professional sorcerers of Egypt.

DO NOT (‘HALO’) INTERPRETATIONS BELONG TO G-D? Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it as saying that “future events destined to come as indicated in dreams belong to G-d, for He alone brings on the dream and lets the future be known, and it is He who makes peace, and creates evil,²⁶²Isaiah 45:7. but in my speaking to you there is neither benefit nor loss.” This he said so that they should not punish him if evil should befall them, or so that they should tell him the dreams and not scorn him.²⁶³Thus far the comment of Rabbi ibn Ezra.
But if so, there is no sense for the word halo (do not) in this context.²⁶⁴Since Joseph is stating it all in the affirmative; “dreams belong to G-d, etc.” the interrogative form of the word halo is out of place. 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.”

?הלא לאלוקים פתרונים, he was reminded of his own dreams. He was still awaiting the correct interpretation of his own dreams, something known only to G’d. He knew however, that G’d lets you dream certain dreams in order to foreshadow coming events. Seeing that this is so, there must be people who can interpret such dreams, why else would the phenomenon of dreams exist? The reason why their dreams were so confused, i.e. that they perceived themselves to be merely bakers and cup-bearers respectively, was that at the time they themselves were imprisoned and it would not have reflected their psychological makeup to perceive of themselves as occupying positions of authority.

הלא לאלוקים פתרונים, “is not the subject of interpreting dreams something reserved for G’d? Ibn Ezra says that Joseph meant that G’d exclusively, knows of the interpretation that will come true in the future. Only He knows the future and sees fit to reveal some of it to whosoever needs to know it. Joseph continued: “if I explain the dream to you in a manner that will please you, or even in a manner which will not reflect its true meaning, this will not affect your future fate at all.” He may have said this to them in order to encourage them to tell him their dreams, or as reinsurance so that they would have no reason to punish him if it was found that he erred in his interpretations. Nachmanides writes that the correct interpretation of our verse in his opinion, is that Joseph explained to them that for all the dreams which defy our ability to interpret correctly there is an explanation which G’d knows of, and this is a knowledge that He has granted to some people to share with Him. If he were to offer an explanation for their dreams, it would be the result of knowledge granted to him by G’d. If they were to tell him the details of their dreams, perhaps G’d would enlighten him concerning the meaning.

הלא לאלוקים פתרונים, "don't interpretations belong to G'd?" This was Joseph's way of saying that although he offered his services as an interpreter they should not think that he claimed to boast about his ability, but that G'd had many interpreters at His disposal; he, Joseph, was only one of them. He invited them to tell him their dreams.

?הלא לאלו־הים פתרונים, “since interpretations of dreams is a matter for G-d, perhaps He has decreed that I could interpret it?”

ספרו נא לי, perhaps G’d will grant me the insight to interpret the dream.

When Joseph referred to "interpretations" in the plural, he alluded to a story from the Talmud Berachot 55 according to which there were twenty four regular dream-interpreters in Jerusalem. All of them interpreted the dream of Rabbi Banah, each one offering a different interpretation. All their interpretations happened to come true. This is what Joseph had in mind when he said: "G'd has interpretations." Joseph meant that a dream is capable of many different interpretations all of which are correct.

Joseph had two reasons for saying נא, please, when inviting the ministers to tell him their dreams. 1) An interpretation can only claim to be accurate when it is given on the day after the night the dream has occurred, and this is the reason that one may fast even on the Sabbath after having had a bad dream; on the other hand, if one delayed fasting, one may not fast on the Sabbath on account of that dream. Joseph's use of the word נא, meant that he urged the ministers to tell him their dreams at once before the interpretations would become useless to them.

The second reason Joseph said נא, is also related to a statement in the Talmud on the next folio. We are told there that most dreams follow the mouth, i.e. the interpreter [I have explained this on page 301. Ed.]. This is why Joseph was anxious that they should tell their dreams to him rather than to someone else in order that his interpretation would be fulfilled. He said: ספרו נא, "please tell now!" Although we have mentioned that there were twenty four interpreters in Jersualem each one of whom was able to give a different yet true interpretation to the same dream, I maintain that this was so only because none of the twenty four interpretations contradicted one another. If, for instance, the first interpreter would say that the prisoner would be released whereas the second interpreter would say that the prisoner would remain in jail until dead, only the first interpretation would be fulfilled. Joseph urged them to make him the first interpreter of their dreams for their sakes.