In Parshas Mikeitz Pharaoh had two dreams, "It came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. And behold, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, of pretty appearance and robust flesh, and they pastured in the marshland. And behold, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, of ugly appearance and lean of flesh, and they stood beside the cows [which were] on the Nile bank. And the cows of ugly appearance and lean of flesh devoured the seven cows that were of pretty appearance and healthy; then Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed again, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, healthy and good. And behold, seven ears of grain, thin and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them. And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears of grain; then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, a dream."
The chartumim, the necromancers and the wise men of Egypt couldn't interpret the dreams. “Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called all the necromancers of Egypt and all its sages, and Pharaoh related to them his dream, but no one interpreted them for Pharaoh.”
Rashi says, “They did interpret them, but not for Pharaoh, for their voice did not reach his ears, and he had no satisfaction from their interpretation, for they said, “You will beget seven daughters, and you will bury seven daughters.”
The chief wine butler told Pharaoh about Yosef , “Now the chief wine butler spoke with Pharaoh, saying, "I call to mind my faults today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in prison,…, me and the chief baker. And we dreamed a dream on the same night, I and he; each one according to the interpretation of his dream, we dreamed. And there with us was a Hebrew lad, a slave…, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; [for] each [of us], he interpreted according to his dream. And it came to pass that just as he had interpreted, so it was; me he restored to my position, and him he hanged."
Pharaoh had Yosef brought out of prison, “So Pharaoh sent and called Yosef, and they rushed him from the dungeon, and he got a haircut and changed his clothes, and he [then] came to Pharaoh.”
Then Pharaoh told Yosef his dreams, “And Pharaoh said to Yosef, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it, but I have heard it said of you [that] you understand a dream, to interpret it. And Yosef replied to Pharaoh, saying, "Not I; G-d will give an answer [that will bring] peace to Pharaoh.””
Pharaoh told Yosef the dreams and he began to interpret the dreams. “Pharaoh's dream is one; what G-d is doing He has told Pharaoh. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain are seven years; it is one dream. And the seven meager and ugly cows coming up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, beaten by the east wind, will be seven years of famine. It is this matter that I have spoken to Pharaoh; what G-d is about to do He has shown Pharaoh. Behold, seven years are coming, great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. And seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will destroy the land. And the plenty will not be known because of that famine to follow, for it [will be] very severe. And concerning the repetition of the dream to Pharaoh twice that is because the matter is ready [to emanate] from G-d, and G-d is hastening to execute it. So now, let Pharaoh seek out an understanding and wise man and appoint him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do [this] and appoint officials over the land and prepare the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty. And let them collect all the food of these coming good years, and let them gather the grain under Pharaoh's hand, food in the cities, and keep it. Thus the food will remain as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be destroyed by the famine.”
What was crazy about this is how Pharaoh and his Necromancers got so excited about what Yosef said because what comes next in the verses is, “The matter pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. So Pharaoh said to his servants, "Will we find [anyone] like this, a man in whom there is the spirit of G-d?" Then Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Since G-d has let you know all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you. You shall be [appointed] over my household, and through your command all my people shall be nourished; only [with] the throne will I be greater than you.”
It seems quite simple, the Nile is what feeds Egypt; it gives all the water that irrigated all the crops of Egypt, and the cattle and people. The cows and wheat are food, the thing about the thin cows eating the fat cows and the beaten wheat swallowing the fat wheat, could mean a famine coming. The seven fat cows and fat wheat, the seven skinny cows and the seven beaten wheats can mean seven cycles, which cycles of wheat is one year, that equals seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Why couldn’t Pharaoh's necromancers and wise men interpret the dreams?
Another question. Why was Yosef telling Pharaoh what to do, he was just brought there to interpret the dreams, why was he getting involved in the governance of Egypt? He should just translate the dreams and leave.
The necromancers were having a hard time interpreting the dreams. What was so difficult about the dreams, that they interpreted that seven daughters would be born and seven daughters would die. What was their difficulty with the dreams?
The problem that the necromancers had was that the cows were on the bank of the Nile River at the same time. How can the cows be there at the same time? How can there be famine and plenty at the same time?
They told Pharaoh that he would have seven daughters and he would bury seven daughters. What they were missing was what the standing at the same time represented and Yosef explained that, that’s why they got so excited even Pharaoh got excited. Because he was under the same misconception of the necromancers.
Yosef said the answer that they were missing was that the dream was saying to Pharaoh and that Pharaoh knew deep inside that what Yosef was saying was true. The interpretation that Yosef was saying the standing at the same time was that they should prepare in the years of plenty, for the years of famine, and the advice that he was given was the interpretation of the dream.
That’s what they got so excited about that they were hearing the true interpretation of the dream. Yosef was telling Pharaoh that they needed to have a person in charge of the years of plenty to collect all the grain and to preserve it. It was the interpretation of the dreams, that was why Yosef was telling Pharaoh that.
That was also the start of the Egyptian exile, because it was why the brothers came to Egypt, because there was a famine. May we be like Yosef and be freed from our exile and may we merit the coming of Moshiach. The time has come.
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