Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayeshev Genesis 37:1-40:23

By Shlomo Riskin

Efrat, Israel - “Listen now to this dream which I have dreamed.” (Genesis 37:6)

Joseph dreams two dreams: in the first his brother’s eleven sheaves of grain bow down to his sheaf of grain, and in the second the sun, moon and eleven stars bow down to him. The format of these dreams and how they unfold in actuality is different however from the format of the other dream sequences in the Joseph stories; in the case of the dreams of the baker, butler and Pharoah, the elements of the dreams are symbolically interpreted and the content of the dreams come to pass fairly quickly; in the case of Joseph’s own dreams, on the other hand, the elements are never actually interpreted and one can argue that the dreams are never truly realized; the sun and the moon, probably Jacob and Rachel, actually never bow down to their son! And in the final blessings of Genesis, it is Judah - not Joseph - about whom father Jacob says, “To you shall your brothers give homage...the scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:8,10).

And why does the Bible need two dreams, each with different symbols, to tell the similar story of Joseph’s domination over his family? And - in a similar vein - why need the Festival of Hannukah, which always falls out calendrically around the time of the readings of these Torah portions, celebrate two miracles surrounding the same Hasmonean victory, the military victory of the few against the many and the small cruse of oil, sufficient for only one day, which lasted for eight days?! What need was there for this second miracle?

Rav Elhanan Samet explains that the Hebrew “histahavaya”, usually translated as “bowing down,” does not connote obeisance or acceptance of another’s domination as much as it connotes dependency; this is the Biblical meaning of Abraham’s “histahavaya” before the Hittites, upon whom he was dependent to procure a burial place for his beloved Sarah (Genesis 23:7), as well as Father Israel’s “histahavaya” at the head of the bed, expressing his dependency upon Joseph for his burial in Canaan (Genesis 47:31).

From this perspective, explains Rav Samet, the brothers were certainly dependent upon Joseph for their physical survival in the face of the world-wide famine which they suffered (hence, the “hishtahavaya” of their sheaves to his sheaf); and they were also dependent upon him for their spiritual survival once they arrived in Egypt. Had they not been enabled to live in a distinct “Jewish” community in Goshen - replete with a Yeshiva established by Judah in advance of their coming (Genesis 46:28, Rashi ad loc) - free to pursue their ancestral occupation of shepherding which left much time for meditation, prayer and the transmission of the tradition from parent to child - they may well have quickly assimilated into the idolatrous life-style of the Egyptian society. Indeed, the continuation of Jacob and Rachel’s covenant into the following generations was directly dependent upon the cultural milieu Joseph would establish for his family in Egypt!

Similarly, the first miracle of the Hasmonean victory established the physical survival of the Judean Commonwealth in Israel; the second miracle of the menorah reflected the spiritual victory of Judaism over Hellenism in the form of the symbolism, “For the candle is commandment, and the Torah is light,” the very message of the Hannukah menorah. Hence both dreams were necessary and were realized, and the two Hannukah miracles complemented each other in a similar manner to the two dreams.

I would venture to add an additional dimension to this interpretation. Joseph’s two dreams represent the two most dominant aspects of Joseph’s personality: his ability to be successful materially and professionally - his sheaves dominate those of his siblings and his success, as Grand-Vizier, overshadows theirs - as well as his expansion of “the family” - of Abraham from the land of Canaan into the international universe of the world-power Egypt. This came about as a result of his G-d given charisma, his quite considerable intellectual and political acumen, and his moral probity. This is also a necessary stage in the fulfillment of the Divine promise to Abraham, “Through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth,” and the ultimate accomplishment of our mission to “perfect the world in the Kingship of the Divine.”

But the brother who will succeed in eventually bringing about the universal acceptance of the spiritual mission of Israel, who will disseminate the Torah of Zion which will teach the world the message of a G-d of justice, compassion and peace, will be Judah and not Joseph. Joseph will succeed materially and will bring Israel to a position of respect in the most exalted halls of the community of nations; but Judah, the brother who represents Torah, will be the progenitor of King Messiah of world peace and redemption.

I believe that Joseph’s dreams are incomplete - indeed, they have everyone bowing to him rather than to G-d - and therefore they are never Biblically explained or truly realized outside of the Egyptian experience, where Joseph does achieve dominion. The ultimate achievement of the vision of Israel awaits a descendant of Judah. Similarly, the successful battle of Judea against Greek - Syrians remains incomplete unless they kindle the light of the menorah, and even the victory of lights is ultimately incomplete unless the menorah illuminates not only the Temple in Jerusalem but also the civilization of the world!

Shabbat Shalom and Hannukah Sameah.