PARSHAT MIKETZ – DREAM INTERPRETATION

בס "ד

In this week’s Torah reading we find Yosef interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh. Even though his magicians offered different interpretations, none of the found favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. What was the real wisdom of Yosef? What is the lesson for us? Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 15, p. 339

Parashat Miketz: Pharaoh’s Dreams and Yosef’s True Wisdom

In this week’s Torah reading, Parashat Miketz, we encounter one of the most famous dream narratives in the Torah. At the end of two additional years that Yosef remains in prison, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, experiences two disturbing dreams.

Pharaoh’s Dreams

In the first dream, Pharaoh sees seven fat cows emerging from the Nile River, followed by seven lean cows. Shockingly, the lean cows swallow the fat ones, yet they do not appear any healthier afterward.

In the second dream, Pharaoh sees seven healthy, full ears of grain, followed by seven thin, scorched ears. Once again, the thin ears consume the healthy ones, without any visible change.

Pharaoh is deeply troubled. He summons all the magicians and wise men of Egypt to interpret the dreams, but none of their explanations satisfy him.

At that moment, Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer remembers Yosef, the Hebrew slave who had once interpreted dreams accurately while they were both imprisoned. Yosef is summoned from the dungeon, and he offers an interpretation that changes history.

Yosef’s Interpretation

Yosef explains that the two dreams are really one message:

• Die seven fat cows und seven healthy ears represent seven years of abundance.
• Die seven lean cows und seven thin ears represent seven years of severe famine.

The famine will be so intense that it will “consume” the years of abundance, just as the lean cows and ears consumed the healthy ones.

Yosef then adds something extraordinary. He advises Pharaoh to appoint a wise and capable leader to oversee Egypt during the years of plenty, storing grain in preparation for the coming famine.

Pharaoh is astonished, not only by the interpretation, but by the wisdom embedded within it. He appoints Yosef as ruler over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Why Didn’t the Magicians Understand?

At first glance, Yosef’s interpretation does not seem especially complex. The cows emerge from the Nile, the source of Egypt’s sustenance, clearly pointing to food and abundance. Why, then, could Pharaoh’s magicians not interpret the dreams?

Our sages explain that the magicians did offer interpretations, but they failed to satisfy Pharaoh. Some suggested that Pharaoh would have seven daughters born and seven daughters die. Others claimed he would conquer seven nations and then lose seven nations.

However, Pharaoh rejected these explanations for two key reasons:

1. They did not fit the imagery: Daughters do not come from the Nile, and cities are not nourished by it. The river clearly symbolized sustenance.
2. They failed to explain simultaneity: In the dream, the fat and lean cows coexist. Yosef’s interpretation uniquely explains this by showing that the solution to the famine must occur during the years of abundance.

The Real Wisdom of Yosef

Yosef’s advice was not an addition to the dream, it was part of its interpretation.

The dream itself teaches that the good years must contain the preparation for the bad years. While abundance exists, one must already be thinking about scarcity. During the famine, Egypt would survive by consuming what was stored during prosperity.

This insight is what truly amazed Pharaoh. Yosef revealed not only what would happen, but what must be done, embedded directly within the dream.

The Deeper Lesson for Us

There is a profound lesson here for our own lives.

The Psalms tell us that when G-d brings the final redemption, we will feel as though we were dreamers. In a sense, this world itself is like a dream. Strange contradictions exist side by side. We can be flawed, limited, and imperfect, yet still given space to grow, change, and become better.

Just as in a dream where impossible things coexist, G-d allows us to exist in His world despite our shortcomings, offering us endless opportunities for growth and connection.

Like Yosef’s interpretation, we are meant to recognize that the present moment already contains the future. What we do now, during times of strength, clarity, and opportunity, shapes how we will endure more difficult times.

Through exile, uncertainty, and the dreamlike nature of this world, G-d is giving us a tremendous gift: the chance to prepare, to grow, and to draw closer to Him.

May we learn, like Yosef, to recognize the deeper meaning within our own dreams, and to act wisely while we still can.

Vortrag von Rabbi Tuvia Serber


Die obige Darstellung zeigt den gesprochenen Text, der in geschriebenen Text umgewandelt wurde.

© Copyright, alle Rechte vorbehalten. Wenn Ihnen dieser Artikel gefallen hat, ermutigen wir Sie, ihn weiter zu verbreiten.

Unsere Blogs können Texte/Zitate/Referenzen/Links enthalten, die urheberrechtlich geschütztes Material von 
Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.orgund/oder FragNoah.orgdie wir in Übereinstimmung mit ihren Richtlinien verwenden.