Yosef's Dream Interpretation

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1. "There Is None So Wise and Knowing As You"

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   All the dreams associated with Joseph come in pairs; Joseph dreamed two dreams, the butler and the baker's dreams complement each other, and Pharaoh dreams two dreams. The development of the dreams lies in the contrast of each pair, and the three pairs can be viewed as one system. The two initial pairs prepare Joseph for his meetings with Pharaoh, and provided him with the ability to interpret Pharaoh's dreams.

2. Yosef's Teshuva

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   The second half of the book of Genesis describes the Teshuva process of Yaakov’s sons. The first to repent is Reuven; who had tried to prevent the selling of Yosef; and by this atone for his act with Bilhah. Next; Yehuda atones for his actions in the Tamar incident; and goes so far as to offer himself in exchange for Benjamin. Finally; all of the brothers atone for the sin of selling Yosef by proclaiming “we are guilty.” Yosef also undergoes a process of Teshuva; by purchasing land from the Egyptians; and by concealing his brothers’ sin from his father.

3. The Good Figs and the Bad Figs

   Rabbi David Sabato

   The prevalent mood among those who remained in the Land of Israel after the exile of Yehoyakhin was that their brothers had been exiled from the land and they viewed themselves as heirs to the land. Yirmiyahu struggled against this perception, arguing that it is precisely the exiles, who are likened here to good figs, who will return to the land and inherit it, while those who remained in the land, who are likened to bad figs, will become diminished in numbers and disappear.

   There are several lines of similarity between the vision concerning the figs in Yirmiyahu's prophecy and the dreams of Pharaoh that were interpreted by Yosef. Yosef interprets Pharaoh's dream and reveals to him that a great calamity is about to fall upon Egypt. However, Yosef, who was sold as a slave to Egypt, succeeds in saving his family in the years of famine and sustaining them in the exile of Egypt. 

   In the same way, Yirmiyahu, the prophet of destruction and exile, stands before a great calamity that is threatening to befall the people. In this vision, Yirmiyahu reveals that it is precisely in the depths of the calamity that we find a bright spot in the form of the good figs, the exile of Yehoyakhin, who were "picked" at an earlier stage, before they became ruined, in order to constitute a base for the renewal of the people after the destruction and after the exile in Babylon.

4. Visions of Disaster and Solutions: Yirmiyahu's Figs and Pharaoh's dreams

   Rabbi David Sabato

5. He Who Answered Yosef in Prison

   HaTanakh.com Staff

6. Yosef - Tanakh Profiles

   Rabbi Jonathan Mishkin

7. Two Dreams and Two Solutions

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   What is the significance of Yosef's interpretation of the butler and the baker's dreams? We can understand the importance of the interpretation of the butler's dream, because he remembers Yosef, and it is thanks to his mention that Yosef is brought before the Egyptian king. The contribution of the butler's dream to the development of the plot, then, is obvious. His dream plays a role in the providential plan to get Yosef out of prison.

   But the baker, too, dreams an unusual dream. His dream is likewise interpreted most accurately by Yosef – however, it seems redundant. The baker's dream and its interpretation play no part in the flow of the events surrounding Yosef, such that if he had not dreamed at all, it would have made no difference to the story. Since it is clear that Yosef's trials and tribulations in Egypt are directed by Divine Providence, we must seek the role of the baker's dream in the overall development of the story of Yosef.

   What, then, is the significance of the baker's dream?

   Through an examination of the narrative we can learn that it is not a matter of the number of dreams that Yosef interprets correctly, but rather of the fine distinction that he detects between one dream and another, between "Pharaoh will lift up your head" and "Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you."

8. Yosef: Dreamer and Interpreter

   Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot

   How did Yosef succeed in interpreting Pharaoh's dreams? What is the key to their interpretation? By noticing the discrepancies between Pharaoh's original dreams and the versions he recounts to Yosef, we understand the way in which Yosef utilizes these differences to prove his great wisdom to Pharaoh. We also notice that Pharaoh's dreams resulted in a transformative process for Yosef by shedding light on his own dreams. 

9. The Meshech Chochma's Explanation of the Baker in Jail

   Reuven Weiser

10. Why Were Yosef's Dreams Different than Pharaoh's?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

11. Hanukka and Humility - Yosef and Pharaoh's Dreams

    Rabbi David Silverberg

12. The Cupbearer's Description of Yosef

    Rabbi David Silverberg

13. Yosef's Job Requirements: Intelligence and Wisdom

    Rabbi David Silverberg

14. How Yosef Descended Through a Dream and Rose through a Dream

    Rabbi David Silverberg

15. The Difference between Yosef's Intrpretation and that of the Advisors

    Rabbi David Silverberg

16. Yosef Speaks Up

    Rabbi David Silverberg

17. The Author of Our Lives

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    Almost everything that happens in Joseph’s life falls into two categories: Things done to him, and things he attempts to do on his own. But, in a unique sequence of descriptions, the Torah explicitly attributes his actions and their success to God. Through a close examination of the Joseph narrative we can gain a deep understanding of Divine intervention and about Joseph’s relationship with God.

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series. 

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.