How Did All Paroh’s Interpreters Miss An Easy One? Paroh’s dream about fat cows and skinny ones, healthy stalks and wind beaten ones, seem obviously to be referring to feast and famine. How is it that the best they could come up with was something far off like Paroh’s seven daughters? The Satmar Rov in Divrei Yoel answers that the dream showed seven years of famine. In reality the famine stopped after two years when Yaakov came to Mitzrayim and were eventually made up centuries later in the time of Yechezkel. The Ramban (Devarim 18:9) writes that Mazalim and Sheidim can tell the future but only the immediate future and not the distant future. Therefore, Paroh’s Chartumim only saw two years of famine and could not reconcile this with the dream of seven bad years. Only Yosef, who interpreted with Hashem’s help, could see how the whole dream would be played out.
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Yosef Explains a Dream Yosef is pulled out of jail to decipher the message of Paroh’s dream, which he does successfully. In reward for this Paroh makes him vice king and second in command. Isn’t this a bit rash? Could he not have made him Minister of Economy or Chief Advisor? The Toras Chaim answers this with the following story about the Noda B’Yehuda: There were two wealthy people in town who lived in the same courtyard. One day a world class harpist came to the courtyard, played beautiful music, and left. Each one claimed that the music was in his honor. They decided to settle their dispute before the wise Noda B’Yehuda, whom they paid handsomely to decide whose honor the music was for. After hearing the entire story, the Noda B’Yehuda proclaimed that the music was not in honor of either one of them. The music was clearly in the honor of the Noda B’Yehuda, in order that he should profit from arbitrating this strange dispute. Paroh was convinced that the dream was in his honor, the great and mighty king. The Mitzrim were sure that it was in honor of the nation, to make them a world power. Yosef interpreted the dream and explained to them that it was purely to get him out of the pit and raise him to a lofty status. Paroh admitted defeat and immediately carried out the dream by making Yosef his second in command.
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Reuven Offer the Lives Of His Two Children The Shevatim needed to return to Mitzrayim for more food, but they knew they cannot do so without bringing Binyomin with them. Yaakov refused, and Reuven tells him that he will take personal responsibility and will put up the lives of two of his children as collateral. What exactly was he thinking? The Shnayim Mikra brings from Rav Shlomo Zalman Zalaznik, the Rosh Yeshiva of Eitz Chaim in Yerushalayim, as follows: When the daughter of Nichunya, the well digger, fell into a well, they went to Rebbi Chanina ben Dosa to daven for her. He said, “Not to worry; she is fine.” An hour later they came crying to him again, and again he told them that she was doing fine. The third time they came back, he said that she is already out of the well. They were amazed. “I am not a Navi,” he told them. “It is obvious that Nichunya the tzadik, who dug wells for Bnei YEretz Yisroel, would not lose his child in a well, which is his greatest ally. When the Shevatim wanted to Kill Yosef, only Reuven felt his father’s pain and protested. “He knew,” says Rav Zalaznik, “that after his Mesiras Nefesh to save his own father from suffering the loss of his child, nothing bad could ever happen to his children, and he would be able to bring home Binyomin safely.”
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Spies Don’t Drink Wine “Vayishtu Vayishkiru Imo.” (Mikeitz 43:32) When Yosef invited the Shvatim to dine with him upon their second arrival, they drank wine with him. Rashi says this was the first time since the sale of Yosef twenty-two years’ prior, that either Yosef or the Shvatim drank wine. Yosef drank wine because he had his brothers with him, but why did the Shvatim allow themselves to indulge in wine when nothing changed to their knowledge with regard to Yosef? The Iturei Torah brings from the HaMedrash V’HaMaaseh that the Shvatim were still under the accusation of being spies. A spy cannot allow himself to become intoxicated as he must always be on guard–careful of what he says and how he acts in order not give himself away. Had the Shvatim refused to drink with Yosef, they would be furthering his suspicion. For this reason, they went along and agreed to drink wine.

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