Parshat Vayeshev
November 30, 2002

Yosef’s rise to greatness is marked by six dreams, in which Hashem communicates through cryptic images. Yosef develops into an insightful interpreter of others’ dreams. The brothers regard Yosef’s own dreams, as projections of Yosef’s offensive inner desires, as our Sages teach:
“A person is shown in his dreams only what his heart thinks about” (Berachot 55b).

Note Yosef’s urgency, conveyed by the repetition of "behold":

And Yosef dreamed a dream which he told (VAYAGED) to his brothers, and they continued to hate him even more. And he said to them, “Hear, please, this dream I have dreamed. And behold (VEHINEH) we are binding sheaves (ALUMIM) in the midst of the field, and behold my sheaf (ALUMATI) arises and it also stands up, and behold your sheaves surround and bow to my sheaf.” And his brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed rule over us?! And they continued further to hate him for his dreams and for his words (Bereishit 37:5-8).

The need for grain will bring the brothers to bow before Yosef. Radak (R. David Kimchi, c. 1160-c. 1235), Ramban and Abravanel (Don Yitzchak Abravanel, 1437-1508) point out an interesting detail that eventually comes to light years later: this dream foretells that grain will be the family’s salvation.

Why does Yosef tell his brothers his dream? Malbim (R. Meir Leib ben Yechiel Michael, 1809-1877) answers simply  because the dream features them. Chizkuni (R. Chizkiya ben Manoach, mid 13th Century) argues, on the other hand, that Yosef tells them so everyone will subsequently know that his rise to prominence was with Divine assistance. Some commentaries approach this question psychologically: Radak says Yosef was motivated by spite, while Sforno (R. Ovadia ben Yaakov Sforno, c. 1470-c.1550) sees only youthful naiveté.
…and behold my sheaf arises and it also stands up (37:7).

Why two verbs (kamah – nitzavah)? Malbim observes, that first the family will be compelled to show him obeisance, but thereafter they will willingly accede to his rule. Sforno says these verbs suggest that his rule will be long and stable. Yosef, in fact, ruled for 80 years, longer than any monarch in the book of Kings!

And he dreamed again another dream, and he related (VAYESAPER) it to his brothers, and he said, “Behold I have dreamed another dream, and behold the sun and the moon and eleven stars are bowing to me.” And he related (VAYESAPER) it to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow to you to the ground?” (9-10).

Radak says the repetition of dreams shows they are prophetic. Malbim again sees a progression: first only the brothers, and then Yaakov and the whole family, will bow.

Although the two dreams have the same theme, there are some important differences between them:

• Yosef told (VAYAGED) his first dream, but he related (VAYESAPER) the second dream (twice!).
• Yosef relates both dreams without providing interpretation, presumably because the meaning is obvious. However, the brothers are the interpreters of the first dream, while Yaakov is the interpreter of the second.
• In the first dream, Yosef is represented by a sheaf, while Yosef himself is a figure in the second dream.

Characteristically, Malbim sees a difference between the two verbs for "telling": LE’HAGID means to convey information that concerns the listener and which he needs to know, while LE’SAPER means to tell a story which has no personal connection to the listener. Accordingly, Yosef does not relate his two dreams in the same way. At first, Yosef assumes his brothers love him; he is oblivious to their hatred. He tells them his first dream, providing them with a glimpse into their own future, and thinking they would be happy for him. But, the brothers consider his friendly speech arrogant, and Yosef realizes he has angered them. So, he tells them the second dream as a story unrelated to them. He implies it is so far-fetched that it must not be true, nor was the first one. However, Yosef makes the mistake of repeating his account to his father in his brothers’ presence. Yaakov is torn: should he interpret the dreams favorably, or should he try to prevent jealousy among his sons? He rebukes Yosef, suggesting it is outlandish that a father and mother will bow to their son, and for the brothers, who are more numerous and greater [even in the dream  they are stars, while Yosef is himself], to bow.

But, Yaakov knows the power of dreams. Many years before, Yaakov, too, dreamed of a ladder set up on the earth and whose top reaches heavenward (28:12).

Now, Yosef’s two dreams of earth and heaven represent a bifurcation of his father’s one dream. While Yaakov’s vision can thoroughly synthesize both the earthly and spiritual realms, Yosef’s two different dreams must be combined to achieve this synthesis, with only himself and his brothers as the common image.

Yosef believes that the only way to achieve this combination is by ruling over his brothers. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), noting different forms of the word for "sheaf" (ALUMAH) in the first dream, says that each brother ties his individual small sheaf to assemble large sheaves (ALUMIM), but Yosef’s (ALUMATI) is recognized as superior and the others assume a submissive role.

During this festival of Chanukah with its themes of disunity among the Jewish People and the difficulties of maintaining a life of spirituality in a material world  it is important to remember that Yosef’s vision will unite the disparate elements in his family.

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