Parshat Miketz

2005

Dreamweaver

This week's torah portion, Miketz, tells of Joseph's first encounter with his brothers after they sold him into slavery. He has risen to Pharaoh's favor by interpreting his dreams. Specifically, Joseph interprets one set of dreams about the seven fat, healthy cows being consumed by seven thin cows, and a second set about seven healthy, full stalks of corn being consumed by seven unhealthy, thin stalks. Joseph leverages the situation to his advantage, explaining to Pharaoh that the dreams mean that there will soon be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and that Pharaoh needs to appoint a minister to manage the issue. Reasoning that the one who rationalized the dream would be best suited to handle the situation, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to take care of the grain during the expected famine. It is during this time, as a powerful man, that he reencounters his brothers. They do not recognize him, although he knows who they are immediately and has put himself in a position of real power over them.

Interestingly enough, this ability to interpret dreams is both the breaking point in Joseph's relationship with his brothers and turns out to be the skill that propels Joseph from the Pharaoh's dungeon to his right hand. The gift of interpreting dreams has been both a blessing and a curse to Joseph. The way Joseph deals with seeing his brothers again also shows that there are two sides of his story. He wants to exact revenge for what they did to him, and yet the Torah mentions on more than one occasion that Joseph has to leave the room to weep during his encounters with them. The Sforno, a traditional Bible commentator, notes that Joseph is not crying out of self pity, but because he is truly and deeply troubled and feels pain for both his brothers and father. His internal conflict is apparent in this interaction when, for example, he punishes Benjamin, and yet he seems most emotionally effected by Benjamin's presence before him.

The story of Chanukah and the story of Joseph in Miketz relate to each other in the common themes. The story of Chanukah begins with terrible conflicts between Jews and the Greeks in the takeover of the Temple. There are also internal conflicts among the Jews. Not all Jews were in agreement. There were many who embraced Hellenistic culture, and those, like the Maccabees, who rose up against Hellenism in order to preserve Judaism their way. The fight over the Temple is long, and much is lost. Although this point in our history is full of political conflicts, on Chanukah we have come to commemorate this story by focusing on the miracle of the oil burning in the Temple after it was reclaimed. Like Joseph, the heroes of the story of Chanukah had to take what they were given and use it to their best advantage. The Maccabees were rewarded with the miracle of the oil burning for eight days. Our eight-day celebrations commemorate the miracle that God gave them in their victory, but it also reminds us of the chaos and hardship that preceded the miracle.

Both Joseph in Miketz and the Chanukah story teach us about gifts that we possess, as well as how we use what is given to us to interpret and influence our situations. It is difficult to see through chaos and know that we are preparing correctly for the future. Joseph's gift of interpreting dreams made him a rich and powerful man, but it also alienated him from his family. Had the Maccabees not held out in their long and vastly outnumbered fight, they would not have reclaimed the Temple. There were also many costs to their battle, including a large divide within their community. Through these stories, we see that there is strength in looking through the chaos of the present and focusing on the future. In the little time we have to relax during the eight days of Chanukah, we have the opportunity to think about the decisions we make to influence our future and celebrate our successes, as individuals and as a part of a community.

Prepared by Lisa Stella, Soref Fellow

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Additional commentaries and text studies on Parshat Miketz at MyJewishLearning.com.