Midrash su Genesi 41:14

“The Song of Songs that is Solomon’s” (Song of Songs 1:1).
Prologue of the Sages. “The Song of Songs,” that is what [the verse] written by Solomon states: “Have you seen a man diligent in his labor? He will stand before kings, he will not stand before dark ones” (Proverbs 22:29). “Have you seen a man diligent in his labor” – This is Joseph, in whose regard it is written: “He came into the house to perform his labor [and none of the men of the house were there, in the house]” (Genesis 39:11). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda says: It was a day of disgrace and manure,¹The midrash is referring here to Egyptian ritual worship, and uses these words to describe it in order to demean such idolatry. and a day of theater. Rabbi Neḥemya says it was a day of theater in honor of the Nile. Everyone went to see, and he entered to perform his labor to calculate the accounts of his master.
Rabbi Pinḥas says in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Abba: Anyone who serves his master properly is set free. From where do we derive this? From Joseph. Because he served his master properly, he was set free. Therefore, “he will stand before kings,” this is Pharaoh, as it is stated: “Pharaoh sent and summoned Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon” (Genesis 41:14). “He will not stand before dark ones,” this is Potiphar, as the Holy One blessed be He blinded his eyes and castrated him.

And when the king heard the words of the chief butler the king gave orders that the wise men ‎of Egypt be not slain. And the king commanded further unto his servants to bring Joseph ‎before him, and he said unto them: Go ye unto him, but do not frighten him lest he be ‎confused and unable to speak correctly. And the servants of the king went unto Joseph and ‎they took him hastily from the dungeon, and they shaved him and changed his prison ‎garments, and he came before the king. And the king was seated upon his throne in his royal ‎garments, girt with the golden Ephod, and the ornaments that were upon him sparkled, and ‎the carbuncle and the ruby and the emerald flashed, and all the precious stones that were ‎upon the head of the king were blazing, and Joseph was greatly astonished at the sight of the ‎king. And the throne upon which the king sat was covered with gold and with silver and with ‎onyx stones, and there were to it seventy steps. And it was the rule in all the land of Egypt, ‎when a man came to speak unto the king, and if he was a prince or one highly esteemed by ‎the king, that he ascended toward the king up to the thirty-first step, and the king would ‎descend to the thirty sixth step and speak unto him. And if he was of the common people, he ‎ascended to the third step, and the king descended to the fourth and spoke unto him. And it ‎was further their rule that every man who understood to speak the seventy languages, he ‎would scale the seventy steps, and while ascending he would speak until he reached the king. ‎And any man that knew not all the seventy languages was permitted to ascend the steps ‎according to the number of his languages. And it was a law in Egypt, in those days, that no man ‎could be king over them unless he knew the seventy languages. And when Joseph appeared ‎before the king he bowed down before him to the ground, and he ascended three steps, and ‎the king sat down on the fourth and he spoke unto Joseph saying: I have dreamed a dream ‎and no one can interpret it correctly. And I commanded to-day all the magicians of Egypt and ‎all the wise men came before me, and I told my dream unto them, but there was none among ‎them to interpret it correctly. And now I have heard of thee this day that thou art a wise man, ‎know ing to interpret correctly every dream. And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying: Let the ‎king relate his dream which he hath dreamed, for verily his interpretation is with God. And ‎Pharaoh related his dream unto Joseph concerning the cows and concerning the ears. And ‎when the king ceased speaking, ‎

Everything fortunate that occurred to Joseph likewise happened to Zion. It is written of Joseph: And Joseph was of beautiful form and fair to look upon (Gen. 39:6), and of Zion it is stated: Fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth (Ps. 48:3). Concerning Joseph it is written: He is not greater in this house than I (Gen. 39:9), and of Zion: The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Hag. 2:9). Joseph: The Lord was with him (Gen. 39:2), Zion: And My eyes and My heart shall be there (II Chron. 7:15). Joseph: And showed kindness unto him (Gen. 39:21), Zion: I remember for thee the affection of thy youth (Jer. 2:2). Joseph: And he shaved himself and changed his raiment (Gen. 41:14), Zion: And the Lord shall have washed away (Isa. 44:4). Joseph: Only in the throne will I be greater than thou (Gen. 41:40), Zion: At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord (Jer. 3:17). Joseph: And arrayed him in vestures of fine linen (Gen. 41:42), Zion: Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments (Isa. 52:1). Joseph: He sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:29), Zion: Behold, I send My messenger (Mal. 3:1).

[Gen. 46:28:) NOW HE HAD SENT JUDAH.] The text is related (to Mal. 3:1): BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER TO CLEAR A WAY BEFORE ME…. Come and see. Everything which happened to Joseph happened to Zion.³⁷Tanh., Gen. 11:10. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:3): NOW ISRAEL LOVED JOSEPH; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 87:2): THE LORD LOVES ALL THE GATES OF ZION. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:4): THEY (Joseph's brothers) HATED HIM; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 12:8): < MY HOUSE > HAS SET ITS VOICE AGAINST ME, THEREFORE I HAVE HATED IT. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:7): AND HERE WE WERE BINDING SHEAVES; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 126:6): HE SHALL SURELY COME BACK BEARING HIS SHEAVES WITH REJOICING. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:8): THEN HIS BROTHERS SAID TO HIM: SHALL YOU INDEED REIGN OVER US? And it is written about Zion (in Is. 14:7): WHO SAYS TO ZION: YOUR GOD REIGNS. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:5): ONCE JOSEPH DREAMED A DREAM; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 126:1): WHEN THE LORD BROUGHT BACK THE RESTORATION OF ZION, WE WERE LIKE DREAMERS. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:10): ARE WE TO COME, I AND YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR BROTHERS, AND BOW DOWN TO THE GROUND FOR YOU? And it is written about Zion (in Is. 49:23): THEY SHALL BOW DOWN FOR YOU, NOSE TO THE GROUND, AND LICK THE DUST OF YOUR FEET. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:11): SO HIS BROTHERS WERE JEALOUS OF HIM; and it is written about Zion (in Zech. 8:2): I AM JEALOUS FOR JERUSALEM WITH A GREAT JEALOUSY. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:14): PLEASE GO AND SEE HOW YOUR BROTHERS ARE FARING (shalom); and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 29:7): AND SEEK THE WELFARE (shalom) OF THE CITY. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:18): NOW THEY SAW HIM FROM AFAR; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 51:50): REMEMBER THE LORD FROM AFAR. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:18): THEY CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM TO KILL HIM; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 83:4 [3]): THEY DEVISE INTRIGUE AGAINST YOUR PEOPLE. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:23): THEY STRIPPED JOSEPH < OF HIS TUNIC > ; and it is written about Zion (in Ezek. 23:26): AND THEY SHALL STRIP YOU OF YOUR CLOTHES. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:24): AND THEY CAST HIM INTO THE PIT; and it is written about Zion (in Lam. 3:53): AND THEY HAVE DESTROYED MY LIFE IN THE PIT. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:24): BUT THE PIT WAS EMPTY WITH NO WATER IN IT; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 38:6): AND THERE WAS NO WATER [IN THE PIT], ONLY MUD. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:25): THEN THEY SAT DOWN TO EAT BREAD; and it is written about Zion (in Lam. 5:6): < WE HAVE HELD OUT A HAND TO EGYPT >, TO ASSYRIA TO BE FILLED WITH BREAD. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:28): THEY PULLED AND RAISED JOSEPH FROM THE PIT; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 38:13): {AND EBED-MELECH THE ETHIOPIAN BROUGHT JEREMIAH UP}…. [AND THEY RAISED JEREMIAH BY THE ROPES AND BROUGHT HIM UP FROM THE PIT]. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:34): THEN JACOB RENT HIS GARMENTS AND PUT SACKCLOTH ON HIS LOINS; and it is written about Zion (in Is. 22:12): AND IN THAT DAY [THE LORD] GOD OF HOSTS CALLED TO WEEPING AND MOURNING, TO BALDNESS AND TO GIRDING WITH SACKCLOTH. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:35): BUT HE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED; and it is written about Zion (in Is. 22:4): PRESS NOT TO COMFORT ME. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 37:36): BUT THE MIDIANITES SOLD HIM INTO EGYPT; and it is written about Zion (in Joel 4:6 [3:6]): AND YOU HAVE SOLD THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH AND THE CHILDREN OF JERUSALEM TO THE CHILDREN OF THE GREEKS. All the bad things which happened to Joseph happened to Zion and likewise the good things. It is stated about Joseph (in Gen. 39:6): NOW JOSEPH WAS BEAUTIFULLY BUILT WITH A BEAUTIFUL APPEARANCE; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 48:3 [2]): BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE, JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH, < EVEN MOUNT ZION >.³⁸Cf. above, 9:18. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 39:21): THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH; and it is written about Zion (in I Kings 9:3): MY EYES AND MY HEART SHALL BE THERE FOR ALL TIME. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 39:9): HE IS NO GREATER < IN THIS HOUSE THAN I > ; and it is written about Zion (in Ps. 99:2): THE LORD IS GREAT IN ZION. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 39:21): AND HE EXTENDED HIS FAITHFULNESS UNTO HIM; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 2:2): I HAVE REMEMBERED IN YOUR FAVOR THE FAITHFULNESS OF YOUR YOUTH. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 41:14): HE SHAVED AND CHANGED HIS GARMENTS; and it is written about Zion (in Is. 4:4): WHEN THE LORD SHALL HAVE WASHED AWAY THE FILTH OF THE CHILDREN OF ZION. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 41:40): ONLY WITH RESPECT TO THE THRONE SHALL I BE GREATER THAN YOU; and it is written about Zion (in Jer. 3:17): THEY SHALL CALL JERUSALEM THE THRONE OF THE LORD. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 41:42): AND HE CLOTHED HIM WITH CLOTHES OF FINE LINEN; and it is written about Zion (in Is. 52:1): AWAKE, AWAKE, PUT ON YOUR SPLENDOR, O ZION. It is written about Joseph (in Gen. 46:28): NOW HE HAD SENT JUDAH AHEAD OF HIM < UNTO JOSEPH TO SHOW THE WAY BEFORE HIM >; and it is written about Zion (in Mal. 3:1): BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER TO CLEAR A WAY BEFORE ME.

"Happy is the man who makes the Eternal his trust" (Tehillim 40:5) - this is Yosef. "And does not turn to the proud" (ibid.) - since he said to the chief of drinks, "remember me... and mention me..." (Bereishit 40:14), two years [in jail] were added for him. "Happy is the man who makes the Eternal his trust" - Rabbi Yudan said, many myriads of proud ones who "pursue deceit" (Tehillim 40:5) - woe to him and to one who trusts in him. "Dreams come with much brooding" (Kohelet 5:2) - Paroh said, "Whose existence is dependent on whom? Me on my god, or my god on me?" He said to him, "You are dependent on your god: behold it is written "And it was at the end [of two years, and Paroh dreamed that he was standing on the Nile,]" (Bereishit 41:1)". "For from the jailhouse one can come to rule" (Kohelet 4:14) - this is Yosef, who came from the jail of paroh and came to rule - "And Paroh sent [for Yosef]..." (Genesis 41:14). "And even in his kingship can come to poverty" (Kohelet 14:4) - in the kingship of Yosef was born the poverty of Potifar. Another take, "And it was at the end" (Bereishit 41:1) - "I saw all life which walks under the sun" (Kohelet 4:15) - this is Yosef. "they were with the second son" (ibid.) these are the two years that were added for him. And why were two years added for him? So that Paroh could dream and he could grow great by means of this dream, as it says "And it was at the end of two years of days." (Bereishit 41:1)