Joseph's Dream

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Prophetic Dreams of Joseph

TANAKH

Joseph's dreams foreshadow his future rise to power in Egypt and his brothers' eventual submission to him, highlighting divine orchestration. The book of Genesis recounts Joseph's prophetic dreams and their eventual fulfillment, emphasizing the divine plan in his journey from a shepherd to a ruler in Egypt.

Once Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers; and they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright; then your sheaves gathered around and bowed low to my sheaf.” His brothers answered, “Do you mean to reign over us? Do you mean to rule over us?” And they hated him even more for his talk about his dreams. He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: And this time, the sun, the moon…

Genesis 37:5-10

The Mystical Meaning of Joseph's Dream

COMMENTARY

Joseph's dream is not just a family story but a profound mystical vision with spiritual and messianic significance. In his 18th-century commentary on the Pesach Haggadah, Marbeh Lesaper, Rabbi Yedidiah Tiah Weil explains how the eleven stars in Joseph's dream are interpreted as symbols of spiritual elements like the eleven types of incense and verses combating impurity.

Who knows eleven? The eleven stars in Joseph’s dream represent the eleventh favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God brought us close to Mount Sinai. God brought the Israelites to Mount Sinai in order to weaken the forces of impurity which surrounded them. Had they not sinned by worshipping the golden calf, the power of purity would have spread forth throughout the world. There are eleven husks of impurity associated with the children of Esau. Parallel to them there are eleven types of incense used in the temple, and eleven verses that begin with a nun and end with a nun…

Marbeh Lesaper on Pesach Haggadah, Nirtzah, Echad Mi Yodea 1:14

Divine Orchestration in Joseph's Dreams

MIDRASH

Joseph's dreams, which initially led to his suffering, were divinely orchestrated to ultimately bring about his rise to power and healing. Midrash Tanchuma offers a narrative that highlights the divine orchestration in Joseph's life, showing how God uses the same means for both challenge and elevation.

R. Joshua the son of Levi declared: Observe that the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the ways of man. A man cuts himself with a knife and heals himself with plaster, but the Holy One, blessed be He, heals with the very thing with which he wounds, as is said: For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds (Jer. 30:17). Joseph was sold because of a dream, as is said: Behold the dreamer cometh … come, let us go and sell him to the Ishmaelites (Gen…

Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 9:7

Joseph's Economic Mastery Revealed

COMMENTARY

Joseph is portrayed as the world's first economist, who not only interprets dreams but also devises and implements a strategic economic plan to manage an impending famine. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, in his essay collection, explores Joseph's rise from prisoner to prime minister as part of a divine plan, highlighting his role in saving Egypt and his family.

Not only does he interpret the dreams, he becomes, in effect, the world’s first economist, inventing the theory of trade cycles: The dreams portend seven years of plenty followed by seven of scarcity. Having diagnosed the problem, Joseph immediately proceeds to solve it: store surplus grain in the years of plenty, then use these reserves in the years of famine. Pharaoh invites him to implement the strategy, giving him control of the Egyptian economy. Joseph moves from prisoner to prime minister in one effortless leap.

Covenant and Conversation; Genesis; The Book of the Beginnings, Miketz, Between Freedom and Providence 3

Jacob's Protective Rebuke

MIDRASH

Jacob's rebuke of Joseph was a strategic move to protect him from his brothers' envy, influenced by divine guidance to ensure the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg's early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, offers a rich tapestry of Jewish folklore and biblical stories, providing a deeper understanding of the narratives.

Jacob wrote the dream in a book, recording all the circumstances, the day, the hour, and the place, for the holy spirit cautioned him, "Take heed, these things will surely come to pass." But when Joseph repeated his dream to his brethren, in the presence of his father, Jacob rebuked him, saying, "I and thy brethren, that has some sense, but I and thy mother, that is inconceivable, for thy mother is dead." These words of Jacob called forth a reproof from God. He said, "Thus thy descendants will in time to come seek to hinder Jeremiah in delivering his prophecies…

Legends of the Jews 2:1:13

Jacob's Doubt and the Resurrection of the Dead

JEWISH THOUGHT

Jacob's doubt about Joseph's dreams led him to contemplate the possibility of the resurrection of the dead occurring in his days. Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel's 17th-century work explores Jacob's reaction to Joseph's dream and its implications for the belief in the future resurrection of the dead.

1.2. In the Yalkut Parashat Vayera, about Yosef's dream repeated to his father in the words of Jacob in Genesis 37:
מה החלום הזה אשר חלמת הבוא נבוא אני ואמך ואחיך להשתחות לך ארצה
Are we to come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow down before you to the ground?”
(Genesis 37:10)
They say from this:
היה יעקב אבינו סבור, שתחית המתים מגעת בימיו, שנאמר: הבא נבא אני ואמך ואחיך רחל מתה, ואת אומר אני ואמך
Our father, Jacob, imagined that the resurrection of the dead would arrive in his days…

On Resurrection of the Dead 1:2:1

The Power of Dream Interpretation

COMMENTARY

Joseph's insistence on interpreting dreams himself is based on the belief that the first interpretation often becomes reality. The 18th-century commentary Or HaChaim by Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar explores this Talmudic principle and its application to Joseph's divinely inspired interpretations.

The second reason Joseph said נא, is also related to a statement in the Talmud on the next folio. We are told there that most dreams follow the mouth, i.e. the interpreter [I have explained this on page 301. Ed.]. This is why Joseph was anxious that they should tell their dreams to him rather than to someone else in order that his interpretation would be fulfilled. He said: ספרו נא, "please tell now!" Although we have mentioned that there were twenty four interpreters in Jersualem each one of whom was able to give a different yet true…

Or HaChaim on Genesis 40:8:5

Joseph's Divine Mission

MUSAR

Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams was not just a clever act but a divinely inspired mission to fulfill God's will. In the 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz delves into the deeper, spiritual motivations behind Joseph's actions.

What I have explained so far may also help to answer a very serious question concerning Joseph's conduct when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream. Having explained the meaning of the dream, Joseph next volunteered a piece of advice to Pharaoh (41,33) which he introduced with the words: ועתה ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם, "Now let Pharaoh appoint a wise and understanding man, etc." What business did Joseph – a slave and a prisoner to boot – have to offer gratuitous advice to Pharaoh? Clearly Joseph had aspirations to attain a position of authority in order to be able to further Divine plans and to replace…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Vayeshev, Miketz, Vayigash, Torah Ohr 111

The Long Road to Fulfillment

COMMENTARY

Joseph’s dreams took 22 years to be fulfilled, while other biblical dreams were realized immediately. Chizkuni, a 13th-century Torah commentary, explores the delayed fulfillment of Joseph's dreams, contrasting with the immediate fulfillment of Pharaoh's dream of impending famine.

ועל השנות החלום, “and concerning the repetition of the dream (in a different guises);” you might ask that the dreams of Joseph that the Torah recorded for us are also repetitions, (and were not fulfilled immediately) but took 22 years to be fulfilled? Joseph’s dreams did not occur during the same night so that their interpretation was not subject to the same rules.

Chizkuni, Genesis 41:32:1

The Prophetic Dreams of Joseph

COMMENTARY

Joseph's actions were driven by his belief in the prophetic nature of his dreams, which explains his seemingly harsh behavior towards his family. Ramban, a 13th-century Spanish commentator, offers a unique perspective on Joseph's actions in Egypt, suggesting they were orchestrated to fulfill his prophetic dreams.

AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS WHICH HE DREAMED OF THEM. [That is, he remembered the dreams which he dreamed] concerning them, and now knew that they had been fulfilled, for they had bowed down to him. This is the language of Rashi.
In my opinion, the matter is the reverse. Scripture states that when Joseph saw his brothers bowing down to him, he remembered all the dreams which he had dreamed concerning them and he knew that in this instance, not one of the dreams had been fulfilled. He knew that it was inherent in their interpretation that according to the first dream…

Ramban on Genesis 42:9:1

Divine Interpretation of Dreams

COMMENTARY

Joseph's humility and recognition of divine providence underscore that the interpretations of dreams are a matter for God alone. Rabbeinu Bachya's commentary on Genesis 40:8 explains Joseph's response to Pharaoh's courtiers, emphasizing his belief in divine providence and his humility.

הלא לאלו-הים פתרונים, ”are not the interpretations a matter for G’d?” Joseph meant that future events foreshadowed by dreams are something known only to G’d who is the One who sends the dream to the person whom He wants to warn through a dream. He is the only One who can reveal the future, make peace and initiate evil (Isaiah 45,7). Joseph wanted to reassure the two courtiers that they would neither profit nor suffer any harm by revealing their dreams to him, seeing it was G’d who would determine their future.

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 40:8:1

The Power of Dream Interpretation

TALMUD

Joseph's belief that the first interpretation of a dream often becomes true highlights the critical importance of who interprets the dream and when. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Berakhot discusses Joseph's insistence on interpreting dreams himself, emphasizing the significance of the timing and the interpreter.

With regard to Joseph’s interpretation of these dreams, the Gemara asks, it is written: “The baker saw that the interpretation was good” (Genesis 40:16); from where did the baker know that the interpretation was good? Rabbi Elazar said: This teaches that each of them was shown his dream and the interpretation of the other’s dream. That is how he knew that it was the correct interpretation.

Berakhot 55b:18

The Politics of Joseph's Dreams

COMMENTARY

Joseph's political behavior and the disdain it generated among his father and brothers ultimately led to his exile. In a contemporary essay on the Torah, Rabbi Francis Nataf explains that Joseph's dreams, which reflected a haughtiness toward his family, motivated his brothers' plot to harm him.

Yosef ’s father and brothers seem to view his political antics with a certain amount of disdain. His actions appear to grate against the fundamental spirit of Yaakov and his family. Thus, the brothers plot against Yosef because of his dreams of lording over his family and not because of the potentially more damaging tale bearing (Bereshit 37:19–20). More than anything else then, it is Yosef ’s political behavior that eventually brings about his exile.

Redeeming Relevance; Genesis 6:49

Joseph's Strategic Dream Fulfillment

CHASIDUT

Joseph's actions were strategic to ensure his dreams were fulfilled without causing his brothers to recognize him and harbor ill will. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, in his Chasidic commentary Kedushat Levi, offers a mystical and ethical interpretation of Joseph's interactions with his brothers in Egypt.

Genesis 42,5-6. “Joseph’s brothers arrived (in Egypt) ‎and bowed down, and prostrated themselves to him.” ‎‎(The ruler in charge of grain sales) ‎וירא יוסף את אחיו ויכירם ‏ויתנכר אליהם‎, “When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized ‎them and he acted as if he was a stranger to them.” We need ‎to understand what the Torah intended to teach us by writing ‎that Joseph acted as a stranger to them, when this would have ‎become apparent as soon as we read about their dialogue.‎
I believe the line is introduced by the Torah to teach us that ‎the Torah considers Joseph’s conduct at this…

Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Miketz 4

Divine Plans and Human Actions

MIDRASH

Joseph's dreams were not just personal visions but part of a divine plan that would unfold despite his brothers' intentions. Midrash Tanchuma explains God's perspective on the tension between Joseph and his brothers, highlighting the contrast between human actions and divine plans.

(Gen. 37:19-20:) HERE COMES THIS DREAMER. SO COME NOW, AND LET US KILL HIM…. < AND WE SHALL SEE WHAT WILL BECOME OF HIS DREAMS >. R. Isaac said: This Scripture cries out for exposition. Who said (in vs. 20): AND WE SHALL SEE < WHAT WILL BECOME OF HIS DREAMS >? Actually they had said (at the beginning of the verse): COME, AND LET US KILL HIM. So the Holy Spirit says: Let us observe them. They said (ibid.): COME, AND LET US KILL HIM; and he said (in vs. 7): NOW LOOK, YOUR SHEAVES GATHERED AROUND…

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayeshev 13:8

The Envy of Joseph's Brothers

SECOND TEMPLE

Joseph's dreams and his father's favoritism sparked intense envy and hatred among his brothers, leading to pivotal events in Jewish history. Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish-Roman historian, recounts the story of Joseph, highlighting themes of providence and redemption.

How Joseph, The Youngest Of Jacob's Sons, Was Envied By His Brethren, When Certain Dreams Had Foreshown His Future Happiness.
1. It happened that Jacob came to so great happiness as rarely any other person had arrived at. He was richer than the rest of the inhabitants of that country; and was at once envied and admired for such virtuous sons, for they were deficient in nothing, but were of great souls, both for laboring with their hands and enduring of toil; and shrewd also in understanding…

The Antiquities of the Jews 2:2:1

The Power of Dream Interpretation

KABBALAH

The interpretation of a dream can shape its outcome, as seen in Joseph's experience with the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. The Zohar, a central text of Jewish mysticism, explores the power of dream interpretation and its impact on destiny.

Now observe the words: ME HE RESTORED UNTO MINE OFFICE, AND HIM HE HANGED. From this we learn that a dream is determined by its interpretation, since the pronoun “he” can refer only to Joseph, indicating that it was Joseph who restored the one to his office, and hanged the other, through the medium of his interpretation.

Zohar, Miketz 3:31

The Fulfillment of Joseph's Dream

COMMENTARY

Joseph's dream of eleven stars, understood to represent his brothers, bowing to him is eventually fulfilled when all of his brothers, including Benjamin, come to Egypt during a famine. Tze'enah Ure'enah, a 17th-century compilation of rabbinic commentaries and teachings originally written in Yiddish, provides a detailed narrative of this fulfillment.

“They threw themselves on the ground before him” [44:14]. The brothers fell before Joseph and also Benjamin. Now the dream was fulfilled that eleven stars would bow down and with Benjamin there were eleven brothers, in comparison with the eleven stars.

Tze'enah Ure'enah, Miketz 106

Joseph Recounting His Dreams, Rembrandt, early 1640s

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