חסידות אויף בראשית 41:28

Concerning the question of Nachmanides that it is surprising that ‎Joseph’s prediction of seven years of famine was not fulfilled, and ‎that therefore his reputation as an interpreter of dreams must ‎have suffered, it appears that Joseph had covered this eventuality ‎by saying: (41,28) ‎אשר האלוקים עושה הראה לפרעה‎, “what G’d is ‎about to do He had shown Pharaoh.” This left it open to G’d to ‎forego the unpleasant part of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s ‎dream. G’d’s decrees, (negative ones) are definitive unless a ‎‎tzaddik intervenes and asks Him to cancel or to “soften” ‎them. On the other hand, the tzaddik has no power to ‎cancel or “soften” a decree by G’d which is manifestly beneficial ‎for the people concerned. When we read in 47,7 that Joseph ‎introduced his aged father Yaakov to Pharaoh, the Torah ‎describes this with the words: ‎ויעמידהו לפני פרעה‎, “he made him ‎stand (not bow) before Pharaoh.” This was a hint that his father ‎had the power to affect G’d’s negative decrees which his son had ‎predicted. In other words, although G’d had taken him, and ‎through him, Pharaoh, into His confidence, Yaakov, Joseph’s ‎father took precedence over both Joseph and Pharaoh in his ‎intimacy which G’d.‎

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.‎