Dare to Dream – Parshat Miketz

Printable PDF available here. Previous pieces on Miketz are available here and here.

**Rav Kook (Based on Midbar Shiur, 25)**

“It came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.” (Bereishit 41:1)

In various places in Jewish history, we find that Israel’s development and advancement occurs through the means of a dream. Yosef’s dreams prefigured his attainment of power in Egypt, which in turn set the stage for the exile, the Exodus and the formation of Klal Yisrael as a national entity. In this week’s parsha, Pharaoh’s dreams play a role in advancing this process as well. Similarly, in the Babylonian exile, Daniel role to power by interpreting a dream for Nevuchadnezzar. Why do dreams have a role in the Divine plan for history, and what is the spiritual purpose of dreams in general?

To answer this question, let us examine a puzzling teaching of our Sages in Gemara Berachot (55a-b), where we learn that no dream has a fixed meaning. Instead, “A dream that has not been interpreted is like a letter left unread … All dreams are fulfilled based on the interpretation given to them.” As an illustration of this principle, one rabbi even reports that he received 24 different interpretations of a dream, and that as a result, all of them were fulfilled! The question is obvious – how can an interpreter affect the meaning of a dream and alter the future accordingly? Even if a dream is some form of prophecy, a foretelling of the future, why does interpretation have such a powerful impact?

To unravel this puzzle, we need to understand why G-d endowed us with the ability to dream. A true dream is meant as a wake-up call, an exhortation to bring out hidden potential or correct something that has gone wrong. As Iyov (33:15-16) declares, “In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls upon men, in the slumbers on the bed, He [G-d] opens the ear of men, and delivers them reproof.” Dreams are the way that G-d, in his infinite wisdom, grants a purified and spiritual mind a vivid vision of the future – one that cannot be accessed by the normal conscious faculties that operate while we are awake.

Of course, not all dreams are prophetic. Before the sin of Adam and Chavah coarsened humanity’s spiritual perception, every dream reflected profound truths. But now, most dreams are largely a confusing amalgamation of strange images, pointless thoughts and unusual flights of imagination – what our Sages refer to as “a mixture of wheat and chaff.” So let us be clear that we are talking about dreams as a category, as a part of the ideal religious experience, and not necessarily any particular dream that one of us may have had.

With that caveat, let us delve into the inner function of dreams. Dreams are a fundamental part of the framework by which Divine Providence operates in this world. The Zohar (Parshat Bo) teaches that Divine Providence is not just a top-down system where Hashem decrees what will happen and we benefit (or suffer) accordingly. Every person’s soul has a wonderous inner quality (lit. סגולה) based on his or her moral stature and level of spiritual development. The way G-d has designed the world, our soul’s inner quality draws toward us the situations and events that correspond to our spiritual level and what we are meant to accomplish in life. If we change our ways, this inner segulah changes as well, which then manifests a different set of circumstances and responsibilities.

Dreams are a part of this system of Divine providence. When one receives a profound vision of the future in a dream, he or she is not meant to be a passive recipient, like an audience member enjoying a show. The dream is supposed to be transformative, to affect the soul’s inner quality and spur a rectification, the realization of previously potential, or some other spiritual advancement. But how can a person make sure the dream affects them to their very core, and is not forgotten the moment he or she awakens from slumber?

This is where the concept of dream interpretation comes into play. As our Sages taught, “A dream that has not been interpreted is like a letter left unread.” When someone else interprets a dream, its images become more intense and vivid and take deeper root in the dreamer’s consciousness. The impact on the soul becomes far stronger. Of course, dream interpretation is itself a skilled discipline, one that requires penetrating to the inner message of the dream and separating the “wheat” from the “chaff.” Not everyone is qualified to discern the points of the dreamer’s soul that are reflected in a dream. Even if one is qualified, there are many ways to ‘connect the dots’ and even a single dream can have 24 different interpretations, as our Sages teach. A positive interpretation of a dream will helps develop and manifest positive traits hidden in the soul of the dreamer, while a negative interpretation, on the other hand, will promote negative traits.

All of these concepts are true on the national level as well. The Jewish People have a hidden inner potential for spiritual greatness and leadership of humanity. All of history is the Divine effort – and ours as well – to spur on the realization of this inner quality. The Divine hand has many ways to advance this process, and one them is through dreams (as we see by Yosef and Daniel). Perhaps this is the meaning of the enigmatic phase in Tehillim 126 (recited before Birkat haMazon), describing the ultimate geulah, where David declares “When G-d restores the captivity of Zion, we were like dreamers. Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with songs of praise.” Why does David declare that we “were like dreamers,” in past tense, instead of “will be like dreamers” in future tense? Based on everything we have said, it seems that the answer is clear. G-d has put us in this long and dark galus so that Israel can realize its inner essence and develop its true potential. But we are still “dreaming” and have not yet reached the end of history. But eventually, the complete geulah will come, and the Jewish People, then awakened from the centuries of dreaming that brought them to that point, will look back and declare, “We have been like dreamers!.. The Lord has done great things with us!”

Food For Thought

Rabbi Ya’akov Sasson (Contemporary): The Shulchan Aruch (Chapter 288) states that a fast to offset a bad dream may even be observed on Shabbat, for this fast serves as one’s true enjoyment on that specific Shabbat…. Nevertheless, Rav Amram Gaon and Rabbeinu Klonimus write that nowadays, one should not fast on Shabbat to improve a bad dream since we are not experts in interpreting dreams to determine which dreams are good and which are bad. Although the Tur quotes their opinion, Maran Ha’Shulchan Aruch does not. Nonetheless, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l… quotes the opinion of Hagaon Rabbeinu Eliyahu Ha’Kohen who writes that “although one may observe a fast to improve a dream on Shabbat, it seems that this only applies to the times of our Sages when they were experts in interpreting dreams, as opposed to nowadays. There are dreams which seem bad but are, in fact, good….

Rabbeinu Mordechai Yaffeh (author of the Levush) writes in his Sefer Levush Ha’Ora (Parashat Vayeshev) that everyone knows that a vast majority of dreams are complete nonsense without even an ounce truth to them. Maran Ha’Chida writes (Ma’arechet Gimmel): “I know that a great person who was not concerned at all about dreams. He said that there was a certain Torah scholar who would spend most Shabbatot observing fasts for bad dreams. One Shabbat he came to ask me and I told him not to fast. He then stopped having bad dreams on Friday night.”

Indeed, Hagaon Rabbeinu Eliezer Papo writes (in his Sefer Peleh Yo’etz) on the topic of dreams that the best thing is not to be concerned about dreams at all, not to be scared of them, or tell them over to anyone since dreams are usually nonsense anyway. This is especially true in our times when there is almost no one who is revealed anything about the future in one’s dreams and one’s dreams are usually fueled by one’s imagination and thoughts.

Although this is generally the case, there is no iron-clad rule here and every situation should be individually probed. With regards to the above question about a “scary” dream, there are many dreams that have no actual meaning and just scare the person (i.e. nightmares). It seems from the Gemara (Yoma 22b) that a frightening dream (called “Siyuta” in Talmudic terminology) is a different type of dream that has no bearing on the future at all. This is especially true nowadays, as we have explained.

Ramban al-haTorah (42:9): But we have to ask, after Yosef had been in Egypt for many years, and held a senior position in the household of an important Egyptian nobleman – how could he not have sent a note to his father, to inform him and to comfort him? For the distance from Egypt to Chevron is [a journey of] about six days; even if it were a journey of a year, it would have been proper for him to notify him, out of respect for his father, who would have paid a huge ransom to redeem him. But [Yosef] saw that having his brothers prostrate themselves before him, along with his father and all of his descendants, could never happen while in their land. And so he awaited his arrival in Egypt, to behold his great prosperity there, and especially after he heard Pharaoh’s dream, which made it clear to him that all of them would come there and all of his dreams would be fulfilled… Were this not the case, Yosef would have been guilty of a grave transgression in causing anguish to his father and bringing prolonged bereavement and mourning upon him, for Shimon and for himself. Even if his intention would have been to cause some anguish to his brothers, how could he not show compassion to his elderly father? He did all of this in the proper time, so as to bring his dreams to realization, for he had known that they would come true.

Questions for Discussion

New Age philosophy makes a big deal about something called the Law of Attraction, which Wikipedia explains as follows: “[This is] the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s life. The belief is based on the ideas that people and their thoughts are made from “pure energy”, and that a process of like energy attracting like energy exists through which a person can improve their health, wealth, and personal relationships. There is no empirical scientific evidence supporting the law of attraction, and it is widely considered a pseudoscience.” Is Rav Kook’s theory of dreams akin to the Law of Attraction? Or is he saying something different? If so, how?
What are some dreams that the Jewish People have had and realized in the last century?
Do you think your dreams mean anything?
Other than Yosef and Daniel, where else do dreams figure in Tanach?

Pure Oil – Parshat Miketz

Printable PDF available here.

Rav Kook (Shemuot Re’iah)

Parshat Miketz provides a unique opportunity to explore the personality of Yosef, and his unique spiritual potential. There are also many connections between Yosef and Channukah,[1]and it is not a coincidence that Parshat Miketz falls out on Channukah every year.

Any correct perspective on the conflict between Yosef and his brothers must start with an understanding that this wasn’t a petty squabble motivated by jealousy. The root of the disagreement among the brothers was ideological. There were two approaches to Divine service in Ya’akov’s family, one championed by Yosef, the other by Judah. Each of them was the most prominent descendant of their respective mothers, and laid the foundation for the spiritual architecture of the Jewish people. As stated in Megilat Rut (4:11), “Like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the House of Israel.”

The fundamental divergence between Yosef and Yehuda was as follows. Yosef stressed the mission of the Jewish people as “a light unto the nations.” In order to fulfill this goal, Yosef felt that we must interact with the nations of the world and make a concerted effort to draw them toward the monotheistic teachings of Judaism. His rise to power of Egypt was more than a matter of politics or economics. It served a deeper spiritual purpose as well. His oversight of Pharaoh’s empire enabled him to introduce G-d consciousness into the pagan darkness of Egypt, which was the most powerful and influential empire in the world at that time. Indeed, when Yosef sends word to his father that he is still alive, he asks his brothers to report that “G-d has placed me a master over all of Egypt,” שמני אלקים לאדון על כל מצרים. These words contain a deeper level of meaning as well – “I have placed G-d as a Master over all of Egypt.”

Yehuda, on the other hand, was concerned about the inevitable negative influences that come from interacting with pagan cultures. He emphasized the separateness of particular sanctity of the Jewish people, as “a nation that dwells alone” (Bamidbar 23:9). Yehuda feared that Yosef’s philosophy of openness and integration would endanger Israel’s future.

These conflicting views are embodied by the contrast between the Mishkan and the Temple in Jerusalem. Until it was destroyed by Phillistines in the period of the Shoftim, the Mishkan stayed at Shiloh after the Jews entered and conquered the Land of Israel. Shiloh was in the territory of the tribe Yosef, so there must be a profound connection between the Mishkan and Yosef. The Mishkan was a temporary structure, and expresses the idea of Israel’s kedushah spreading outward. For this reason, the Talmud )Zevachim 118b) teaches that while the Mishkan was in Shiloh, korbanot could be eaten outside its walls, as long as the Mishkan was in sight. In fact, this is derived from a verse about Yosef, which describes him as בן פורת עלי עין.

The Mikdash, on the other hand, rested primarily in the territory of Yehuda. And korbanot in the Temple could only be eaten within the walls of the Temple or the city of Yerushalayim (depending on the type of korban). The Mikdash expresses the perspective of Yehuda, that one must build walls in order to protect the unique sanctity of the Jewish people.

The holiday of Chanukah commemorates a similar struggle, the conflict between Israel’s integration with the rest of humanity and the need to preserve our distinct sanctity. The Greeks demanded adoption of their customs, the prevalent culture of the day. We know about their persecution against Torah observance, but the midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 13:5) records a peculiar Greek decree from that period. They demanded that the Jews “write on the horn of the ox that you have no share in the G-d of Israel.” Some interpret this as a reference to the Golden Calf, but in light of our earlier discussion, it seems more likely that it alludes to Yosef, who is referred to as an “ox” in the blessing of Moshe (Devarim 33:17).[2]The Hellenists claimed that they were only calling on us to continue in Yosef’s path, which they misinterpreted as an endorsement of assimilation and a rejection of Jewish distinctiveness.

This is the same reason that, according to the Mishnah (Midot 2:3), the Greeks broke down certain walls in the Mikdash. (We reference this in Ma’oz Tzur, in the stanza ופרצו חומות מגדלי.) Specifically, the Greeks specifically broke down the soreg, the wall that delineated the area into which non-Jews were not allowed to proceed in the Temple. Unlike other oppressors throughout our history, the Greeks were not opposed to the existence of the Mikdash. Nor were they set on destroying it. They didn’t even want to physically exile us from our land. Instead, they were opposed to any concept of chosenness, of distinction between Israel and the nations, between pure and impure.

Thus, the conflict with the Greeks was not only a physical war, but a spiritual conflict as well. The Chashmonaim were Kohanim from the tribe of Levi, whose natural spiritual path aligns with the separation and exclusiveness of Yehuda. As kohanim, they drew on the special sanctity of priesthood that separated them from the rest of the Jewish people. As part of their victory over the Greeks, they discovered a single jar of oil that had remained tahor, with the seal of the High Priest intact. This jar of pure oil was a sign that the inner sanctity of Israel remained intact, undefiled by contact with Greece and its paganism.

[1]Certain connections are already apparent in Chazal – such as the Talmud’s discussion of the laws of Channukah, where a midrashic exposition of the Yosef story makes an abrupt appearance. Later commentators find many conceptual connections and allusions to Channukah in the Yosef story.

[2]And possibly in the blessings of Ya’akov as well. See Bereishit 49:6 with commentaries.

Food for Thought

Rav Shimshon Pincus (Chanukah Sichot, pg. 51): When Yehuda was born, his mother Leah said, “I thank Hashem.” She recognized that all comes from Hashem, and she gave Yehuda a name that reflects that fact. This was always Leah’s attitude. Thus we read (Bereishit 29:17) that Leah’s eyes were red, for she was always crying her heart out to Hashem. Likewise, Yehuda’s descendant, David, said of himself (Tehilim 22:7), “I am a worm, not a man.” Despite his great accomplishments, David took no credit for himself, for he recognized that all comes from Hashem. In contrast, Yosef attributed to a person greater control over his own spiritual standing. And, he taught that this requires a person to be perfect. In our parashah, both Yehuda and Yosef faced similar challenges. Yehuda seemingly failed his test (with Tamar), but he confessed and moved on with his life. Likewise, Yehuda’s descendants David and Menashe erred and repented. This was not Yosef’s view. He told Potiphar’s wife (paraphrasing 39:9), “If I fail, I shall be considered a sinner.” The Gemara teaches that Yaakov appeared to Yosef at that moment and told him that his place among the tribes would be forfeited forever if he failed his test. In contrast to Leah, Yosef’s mother Rachel is described as perfectly beautiful. Rachel’s descendant King Shaul also had to be perfect, and, for one sin, he forfeited his entire kingdom. Yosef’s brothers felt that Yosef’s approach was dangerously close to Greek philosophy. The Greeks, too, preached self- improvement and perfection, but this ultimately leads to denying G-d. Unlike the Greeks, Yosef’s focus was on spiritual improvement, but Yosef’s brothers felt that any philosophy that attributes undue importance to man’s accomplishments is heretical.

Rabbi Avraham Gordimer: Yosef was severed from his family at the young age of 17. Faced with a strange land and language, as well as a culture of idolatry and hedonism, Yosef pulled through with G-d’s help to become the leader of the Jewish nation and its spiritual protector. Confronted by hatred, enslavement, physical temptation, imprisonment and scorn, Yosef steadfastly kept faith and commitment under the most challenging of circumstances to emerge strong and eventually affirm his stature as the bearer of Yaakov’s mesorah… The Chashmonaim and their supporters were in a very similar position. The Jews at the time were spiritually stifled, having to observe mitzvos clandestinely, while the Greek values of hedone and idolatry were thrust in their faces, backed by military threat. The challenges and adversity to Torah ideology and commitment were immense, and Torah observance was banned and disparaged; despite this all, the Chashmonaim and their followers persevered and emerged victoriously. Just like Yosef’s salvation came about through natural means, but it was clear that Hashem was behind it all, the wars of Chanukah lacked revealed miracles; only the continual flame, representing the Shechinah – Hashem’s Presence – attested that G-d was working it all from behind the scenes and was the source of all that transpired. The realization that Hashem designs and manipulates nature compels our recitation of Hallel on Chanukah, and our perseverance in Torah and mitzvos in the face of the adversity of secular society should be inspired by Yosef and the Chashmonaim, as we commemorate and internalize the miracles “of those days in these (and all) times”.

Professor William Kolbrener: The Jewish Pride of the Hasmoneans got under the skin of the Greeks, just as claims to Jewish exceptionalism gets under the skin of anti-Semites and anti-Zionists today. Of course, for the latter, the state of Israel is the most egregious and unforgivable expression of Jewish exceptionalism. In the time of Antiochus, the Assyrian Greek descendants of Plato and Aristotle exploited their claim towards universalism – the ‘woke’ culture of the time – as part of a program to wipe out Jewish expressions of difference: no Torah learning, no circumcision, no celebration of the new month. The Greeks sought to strike at the heart of Jewish difference – the Jews’ stubborn refusal to give up tradition in the face of a not-really-so-enlightened, and certainly intolerant, enlightenment culture… On Hanukkah, we take a lesson from the courageous Maccabees, and express Jewish singularity and difference. More that, on Hanukkah, we acknowledge that being chosen is not an embarrassment, but a responsibility – so we come out of the closet and advertise the miracle of the Hanukkah lamp, a sign of our triumph over Greek universalist attempts to eradicate us, and our commitment to being guided by a higher ideal – in every aspect of our lives…

Where at other times, we may try to just blend in, on Hanukkah, we publicize the miracle, and proclaim our difference through the light of the lamps. Even the sober and rationalist Maimonides gets excited by Hanukkah – a holiday he describes with unusual emphasis as ‘very beloved.’ Indeed, Jews proclaim their difference, at this time of year, with special enthusiasm, refusing a ‘woke’ form of universalism which does not allow for Jewish distinctiveness – whether through Jewish practice and thought or in support for Israel. Hanukkah is Jewish Pride Week – a time to come out of the closet and be proud.

The Two Footsteps of the Messiah – Parshat Mikeitz

Translation (Ma’amarei ha’Reiah, pg. 94-99): [1]

God created in man a body and a soul, and corresponding to them, forces that strengthen and develop the body, as well as forces that strengthen and cultivate the soul. Ultimate wholeness is achieved when the body is strong and well developed, and the soul, vital and cultivated, leads all the faculties of the body in the service of the intellect. Such is God’s will in His world.

The same applies on the collective level of Israel. God ordained two faculties, one corresponding to the physical side, which aspires to material improvement of the nation, and a second devoted to the cultivation of spirituality. By virtue of the first aspect, Israel is comparable to all the nations of the world. It is only through the second Israel realizes its uniqueness. As it says: “The Lord leads it (Israel) alone”; “Among the nations it (Israel) shall not be reckoned.”[2] It is the Torah and unique sanctity of Israel that distinguish it from the nations.

Originally, these two faculties were assigned to the two tribes destined to rule Israel, Ephraim and Yehuda, which is another way of saying Yosef and Yehudah…. Just as in the beginning, Yosef was the provider sent by God to save many from starvation, who sustained Jacob and his sons materially when they came to Egypt looking for grain [so in future generations, the descendants of Yosef would develop the material side of Jewish national existence]. Yosef is paradigmatic in other ways as well. According to our sages, Yosef was “swallowed up by the nations”[3] and was also fluent in seventy languages.[4] This symbolizes commonality between Israel and all the nations of the world…. Yehudah on the other hand, symbolizes that which is distinctive about the Jewish People. The Psalmist says that “Yehudah became His sanctified one,”[5] but of Yosef he says, “Shiloh, a tent pitched among men.”[6]

… G-d’s intent was that David’s kingdom would be the collection of the material powers necessary for a great and mighty kingdom, coupled with spiritual excellence. Unfortunately, sins brought about that Israel rejected the Davidic dynasty, and the nation was divided in two. The ten tribes subsumed under Ephraim (which is in reality Yosef), and the two tribes subsumed under Yehudah. Were it not for this split, all would have been united under the auspices of Yehudah.

… By gathering together these two powers, both would benefit: The material would be rarefied and sanctified by its exposure to the unique sanctity of Israel, and the spiritual would be invigorated to enhance Israel. Eventually, the rays would light up the entire world… But it came about that throughout the Exile there is a see-saw effect of these two opposing forces. At times, there is exhibited a drive toward material, worldly success that flows primarily from the foundation of Yosef and Ephraim; other times there is a stirring of the spiritual drive for observance of Torah and spiritual development, for awe and love of God.

Since it is impossible for our nation to attain its lofty destiny other than by actualizing these two components—the universal symbolized by Yosef, and the distinctive symbolized by Yehudah — there arise in the nation proponents of each aspect. Those who would enhance spirituality prepare the way for Messiah son of David, whose focus is the final destiny. Truly the focus of life is spiritual attainment, except that the spiritual can only develop properly if it is accompanied by all the material acquisitions of which a full-bodied nation is in need. Those who redress the material, general aspects of life prepare the way for Messiah son of Yosef.

[1] This is an excerpt of Bezalel Naor’s annotated translation, available at https://www.machonso.org/uploads/images/13-D-10-lamentation.pdf

[2] Devarim 32:12

[3] See Gemara Sotah 36b

[4] Ibid.

[5] Tehillim 114:2

[6] Tehillim 78:60. This verse is referring to the Mishkan’s encampment in Shilo, which was located in the territory of Yosef.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion:

Rav Kook understand that Yehuda and Yosef represent different faculties within the nation, one of which focuses on the spiritual distinctiveness of the Jewish people and the other which builds up its material side. Are there any other differences that you can discern from the parshiot that we have been reading? See footnote for a hint. [7]
What could you do differently in your own life to better implement a partnership between the physical and spiritual?
According to Rav Kook, the Jewish nation only achieves true vitality when the proponents of the spiritual and material work together with a united vision. What happens when there is an unhealthy and uncalibrated emphasis on the physical to the exclusion of the spiritual, or vice versa?
Do you know anyone who epitomizes the talents and faculties that Rav Kook associates with Yehuda? With Yosef?
Rav Kook notes two primary characteristics of the ‘Yosef’ tendency within the Jewish people – it is oriented towards the physical and it is also more universal. What do you think this means? How exactly do our physical activities or endeavors lend a universal dimension to our relationship with the non-Jewish world?

About This Piece:

The excerpt above is from a speech that Rav Kook gave in Jaffa in 1904, at a memorial service for Theodore Herzl. The speech is famous for outlining his conception of secular Zionism’s role in the redemptive process. It is probably more famous for the controversy that it caused. Rav Kook was accused of asserting that Theodore Herzl was mashiach ben Yosef. It should be noted that he never makes this argument explicitly, and that we have writings from Rav Kook in which he laments that his speech was misunderstood.

[7] Two hints – (a) compare Yehuda’s encounter with Tamar to Yosef’s encounter with Potiphar’s wife, and (ii) compare the consequences in Sefer Shmuel for Shaul’s failures with the consequences for those of David.