Rabbi Forman: The events that are taking place in this week's parsha seem to be the reverse of the events which happened when Joseph was thrown into the pit, both chronologically and in their significance. Everything that happened then, is happening in reverse now..
- "Yefot Toar": the beautiful cows symbolize Rachel and Yosef!
(יז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֶל־יוֹסֵ֑ף בַּחֲלֹמִ֕י הִנְנִ֥י עֹמֵ֖ד עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃ (יח) וְהִנֵּ֣ה מִן־הַיְאֹ֗ר עֹלֹת֙ שֶׁ֣בַע פָּר֔וֹת בְּרִיא֥וֹת בָּשָׂ֖ר וִיפֹ֣ת תֹּ֑אַר וַתִּרְעֶ֖ינָה בָּאָֽחוּ׃
(17) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, (18) when out of the Nile came up seven sturdy and well-formed cows and grazed in the reed grass.
וַיִּמְצָא יוֹסֵף, וַיְהִי מֵאָז (בראשית לט, ד ה), תָּנֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהַצַּדִּיקִים הוֹלְכִים הַשְּׁכִינָה הוֹלֶכֶת עֲלֵיהֶם, שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה עָשָׂה שָׁם, שֵׁשׁ בַּבַּיִת, וְשֵׁשׁ בַּשָּׂדֶה, (בראשית לט, ו): וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ בְּיַד יוֹסֵף, (בראשית לט, ו): כִּי אִם הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא אוֹכֵל, לָשׁוֹן נָקִי. (בראשית לט, ו): וַיְהִי יוֹסֵף יְפֵה תֹאַר וִיפֵה מַרְאֶה, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק זְרוֹק חֻטְרָא לְאַרְעָא וְעַל עִקָּרֵיהּ נָפִיק, לְפִי שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית כט, יז): וְרָחֵל הָיְתָה יְפַת תֹּאַר וגו' לְפִיכָךְ וַיְהִי יוֹסֵף וגו'.
Yosef Shepherding with his brothers
In Pharaoh's dream:
באחו. בָּאֲגַם, מריש"ק בְּלַעַז, כְּמוֹ יִשְׂגֶּא אָחוּ (איוב ח'):
באחו IN THE REED-GRASS — in the marshy land. old French marais; English, marsh. Similar is (Job 8:11) “Can reed-grass (אחו) grow?”
וְהָא מִן נַהֲרָא סָלְקָן שְׁבַע תּוֹרָן שַׁפִּירָן לְמֶחֱזֵי וּפַטִּימָן בְּשָׂר וְרָעְיָן בְּאַחֲוָה:
...and they shepherded in achva "brotherhood"
Yosef shepherds with his brothers at the very beginning of the Yosef story!
(ב) אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם׃
(2) This, then, is the line of Jacob:
At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.
At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.
...The other cows are " the sons of Leah" cows...!
(יט) וְהִנֵּ֞ה שֶֽׁבַע־פָּר֤וֹת אֲחֵרוֹת֙ עֹל֣וֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ן דַּלּ֨וֹת וְרָע֥וֹת תֹּ֛אַר מְאֹ֖ד וְרַקּ֣וֹת בָּשָׂ֑ר לֹֽא־רָאִ֧יתִי כָהֵ֛נָּה בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לָרֹֽעַ׃
(19) Presently there followed them seven other cows, scrawny, ill-formed, and emaciated—never had I seen their likes for ugliness in all the land of Egypt!
(יז) וְעֵינֵ֥י לֵאָ֖ה רַכּ֑וֹת וְרָחֵל֙ הָֽיְתָ֔ה יְפַת־תֹּ֖אַר וִיפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה׃
(17) Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
- The "Leah cows" cause the "Rachel cows" to disappear, and nothing changes for the Leah cows! ( like the brothers sold Yosef...and go on as if it did not happen!)
(כ) וַתֹּאכַ֙לְנָה֙ הַפָּר֔וֹת הָרַקּ֖וֹת וְהָרָע֑וֹת אֵ֣ת שֶׁ֧בַע הַפָּר֛וֹת הָרִאשֹׁנ֖וֹת הַבְּרִיאֹֽת׃
(20) And the seven lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven cows, the sturdy ones;
- If the cows represent the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel, why are there 7 and 7?
Seven years for Leah
(יח) וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶת־רָחֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֶֽעֱבׇדְךָ֙ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים בְּרָחֵ֥ל בִּתְּךָ֖ הַקְּטַנָּֽה׃
(18) Jacob loved Rachel; so he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
Seven Years for Rachel
(כז) מַלֵּ֖א שְׁבֻ֣עַ זֹ֑את וְנִתְּנָ֨ה לְךָ֜ גַּם־אֶת־זֹ֗את בַּעֲבֹדָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲבֹ֣ד עִמָּדִ֔י ע֖וֹד שֶֽׁבַע־שָׁנִ֥ים אֲחֵרֽוֹת׃ (כח) וַיַּ֤עַשׂ יַעֲקֹב֙ כֵּ֔ן וַיְמַלֵּ֖א שְׁבֻ֣עַ זֹ֑את וַיִּתֶּן־ל֛וֹ אֶת־רָחֵ֥ל בִּתּ֖וֹ ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
(27) Wait until the bridal week of this one is over and we will give you that one too, provided you serve me another seven years.” (28) Jacob did so; he waited out the bridal week of the one, and then he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife.—
...Yosef realizes, the cows are not my brothers and I, they are YEARS. The dream is telling me about my past life- the years that my father worked for rachel adn for leah. When my brothers and I shepherded in the field together, we were the fruits of those years working together. And when they sold me...those YEARS my father worked for Rachel vanished, the fruits of that labor (Yosef), vanished. One set of years (Leah's children) swallowed the other set of years (Rachel's children).
But this dream is not just about me. The cows are Years. My life is about my past, but your life is about Egypy pharaoh- so the dream is 7 years of plenty and famine.
God speaks to Yosef, and the key to understanding the dream is Yosef first seeing his own past in the dream to be able to connect the dots for Pharaoh's present.
But this dream is not just about me. The cows are Years. My life is about my past, but your life is about Egypy pharaoh- so the dream is 7 years of plenty and famine.
God speaks to Yosef, and the key to understanding the dream is Yosef first seeing his own past in the dream to be able to connect the dots for Pharaoh's present.
- 9 years later...the brothers show up in front of Yosef.
(ט) וַיִּזְכֹּ֣ר יוֹסֵ֔ף אֵ֚ת הַחֲלֹמ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלַ֖ם לָהֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ מְרַגְּלִ֣ים אַתֶּ֔ם לִרְא֛וֹת אֶת־עֶרְוַ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ בָּאתֶֽם׃
(9) Recalling the dreams that he had dreamed about them, Joseph said to them, “You are spies, you have come to see the land in its nakedness.”
We normally read this as Joseph recalling his dreams of the bundles bowing down..but according to R' Forman's interpretation, Joseph recalls PHARAOH's dream, despite his anger at his brothers:
My job as the cows which are "yefat toar" is to sustain the skinny cows. My brothers. That's my job. They are suffering, I need to sustain them, that's what I was sent for.
My job as the cows which are "yefat toar" is to sustain the skinny cows. My brothers. That's my job. They are suffering, I need to sustain them, that's what I was sent for.
II. Halacha- Three Steps back, Three Steps Forward ( from Hadar's DeVaSh Magazine- click to access)
A. Three steps forward before the Amidah
In Sefer Ha-Rokei’ah, Rabbi Elazar of Worms makes a connection between three places in the Tanakh where the word va-yigash, he (approached), appears:
B. Three steps back and three steps forward?
You might have seen people before the Amidah taking three steps back and three steps forward. There’s nothing wrong with doing it this way, and it often makes sense where space is limited. But the Mishnah Berurah (Orah Hayyim 95:3) comments that the three steps backward are not necessary. You can just take three steps forward immediately, without first stepping back.
C. What about after the Amidah?
According to the Talmud (Yoma 53b), we should take three steps backward after the Amidah and then stay paused for at least a moment before stepping forward. The Talmud compares this situation to a student leaving their teacher, saying that it would be disrespectful to immediately move on to the next thing after departing. Similarly, since the Amidah is like standing before God, we should remain in our place for a moment after taking three steps back when it’s over.
A. Three steps forward before the Amidah
In Sefer Ha-Rokei’ah, Rabbi Elazar of Worms makes a connection between three places in the Tanakh where the word va-yigash, he (approached), appears:
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When Avraham pleads with God not to destroy the city of Sedom (Bereishit 18:23)
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When Yehudah approaches Yosef, here in the very beginning of our parashah (Bereishit 44:18)
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When Eliyahu confronts the prophets of Ba'al (Melakhim Alef 18:36)
B. Three steps back and three steps forward?
You might have seen people before the Amidah taking three steps back and three steps forward. There’s nothing wrong with doing it this way, and it often makes sense where space is limited. But the Mishnah Berurah (Orah Hayyim 95:3) comments that the three steps backward are not necessary. You can just take three steps forward immediately, without first stepping back.
C. What about after the Amidah?
According to the Talmud (Yoma 53b), we should take three steps backward after the Amidah and then stay paused for at least a moment before stepping forward. The Talmud compares this situation to a student leaving their teacher, saying that it would be disrespectful to immediately move on to the next thing after departing. Similarly, since the Amidah is like standing before God, we should remain in our place for a moment after taking three steps back when it’s over.