Genesis 35:11
Pharaoh said to Joseph: Since G-d has informed you of all this, there is no one as wise and understanding as you”
Pharaoh was not able to find anyone who could interpret his dreams to his satisfaction until Joseph did. However, if Joseph received the interpretation from G-d, then it isn’t Joseph who is wise, it is G-d. Why does Pharaoh give so much credit to Joseph?
Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, the Maggid of Dubno, clarified this through one of his famous parables:
There was a very wealthy merchant who was assessed to pay a high tax to the community. The merchant felt the tax was unfair, and he went to the committee in charge of taxes to complain. He told them that the merchandise in his warehouse did not really belong to him, because he received it on credit.
In response, the committed said that no one would have given him that much merchandise on credit unless he was a truly wealthy person.
When Joseph was asked by Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, he said: That is beyond me. It is G-d who will respond to Pharaoh’s welfare (41:16).
Pharaoh reasoned that if Joseph himself were not a wise and understanding person, G-d would not have revealed His wisdom regarding the dreams to him.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
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