Parshat Miketz

This week's dvar torah is sourced from Dena Weiss of Mechon Hadar and perfectly captures the simple meaning of Yosef's capabilities.

"In the beginning of this week’s parashah, Pharaoh is dreaming. His dreams are frightening and disorienting, but Pharaoh knows better than to ignore them. He consults with his advisors but finds their interpretations wanting; his unrest is unresolved. When his royal butler hears of Pharoah’s distress, it reminds him of his own and the dream that he had when he was in prison. The butler remembers how Yosef, a fellow prisoner, was gifted in the interpretation of dreams and urges Pharaoh to consult him. Pharaoh finds in Yosef not only an interpreter for his dreams but also an architect of his nation’s future.

The text does not tell us why the interpretation of his advisors was unsatisfactory to Pharaoh. However, we do see part of what made Yosef’s interpretation so special. It is that he does not stop at mere interpretation. He does not only tell Pharaoh what the dreams mean; he also guides Pharaoh through the message they impart. Yosef teaches Pharaoh how to manage the years of abundance and the years of famine. Yosef’s ability to advise Pharaoh in this way is a direct outgrowth of his own experience. Indeed, Yosef has experienced his own cycles of plenty and lack. He therefore knows what it means to be patient and to store up hope for the

future. Yosef not only provides Pharaoh with a strategy; Yosef embodies this strategy. He

thus provides a model for us of how to deal with the vicissitudes in our own lives, thereby teaching us how we must and can learn to prepare for our own times of scarcity. " - Dena Weiss

May we all be blessed with the strength to withstand plenty and lack and may we always remember to support one another.

Channukah Sameach