Joseph: the opportunist.
After being sold twice, once on the suggestion of Judah to the Midianites and the second time to Potiphar, Joseph has grown into a man who knows his strengths.
As we know from last week’s Parashat, Joseph rises within the house of Potiphar while getting to know the political do’s and dont’s in Egypt. After all, he’s within the household of the Pharao’s courtier.
It is therefore interesting to see how Joseph “sells” himself to the Pharao when getting the chance to explain Pharao’s dream. And I write dream, because seeing both dreams as one dream, was perhaps the most genius step Joseph took.
But was it Joseph made that assumption? Was it his mistake, or was it HaShem’s divine intervention?
Joseph uses HaShem’s name and words freely in what we can call a foreign country. He refuses his master’s wife with the words: “How can I do this great wrong and sin against God?” - thereby closing the argument forever. And, if anyone is troubled or even angry at his interpretations, Joseph answers with: “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
And so does Joseph again, standing before the Pharaoh: “It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Four times does Joseph mention God’s name:
-What (1) God is about to do He has declared to Pharaoh…
-What (2) God is about to do He has shown to Pharaoh…
-It is because the thing is established by (3) God and (4) God will shortly bring
it to pass.
Joseph shows Pharaoh here who’s boss. Who’s the Doer, the Declarer, the Shower and the Bringer to Pass. But, he also immediately uses this moment to promote himself ever so cleverly. Joseph continues with: “Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt.”
Followed by what is to be done as far as overseeing the land, supervising the job, spelled out in careful detail.
Did Joseph make a political and shrewd move here? Did he count on two things: his knowledge and closeness to God and his knowledge of the details as to how to implement the harvesting, the saving and the distribution of the corn?
Ramban writes: “….It was not his own advice. Had they commissioned him to advice the king? It was merely part and parcel of the dream’s interpretation….”
With other words, Joseph spelled out the interpretation to its fullest describing the words as actionable words. In Haketav Vehakabbala it is written that this is also based on the words: “And Pharaoh awoke…”, which Joseph saw as “…awake to action.”
So unlike the interpretations of others before him, Joseph’s interpretation was immediately understood and especially liked by the Pharaoh. I couldn’t find any writings as to why Joseph took both Pharao’s dreams and interpreted as one. Which must also have contributed to Pharao liking Joseph’s explanation.
So did Joseph gamble his interpretation by making it into a speech loaded with actionable points? Ramban doesn’t think so. Ramban insists of thinking that Joseph was no magician and that any wisdom he displayed came from HaShem.
The speech paid off.
Pharaoh: “Fore as much as God has shown thee all this, there is none so discerning and wise as thou. Thou shalt be over my house.”
At this point there must have been a physical expression of relief with wonderment, for the Pharaoh repeats himself in stronger words: “See I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”
Abravanel closes the question as to why Joseph rolled the dice in front of Paraoh like a man who has nothing to lose, by stating: “This advice was prompted from beginning to end by HaShem. The prophet cannot keep back his prophecy and must unburden himself.”
Personally it does bother me that Joseph’s language of self-promotion stands so near to the use of HaShem’s name. He clearly was desperate enough to grab the opportunity to sell himself.
And speaking of opportunity, why did Joseph later not reveal himself? Why did he denounce his brothers? Was it vengeance that caused him to denounce his brothers at first?
Vengeance? Not. (Ibid) Joseph did comfort his brothers and kept stating to “fear not…”. And, according to Ramban, Joseph was lead by his past dreams. Even though he remembered clearly how his brothers had cast him into a pit and sold him, his dreams take prevalence.
Joseph also has to excuse himself while in a room for the first time with his brothers, in order not to reveal his tears. Still, he’s using the opportunity to put his brothers to the task.
Why?
Ramban thinks that Joseph realized that his past dreams had not been fulfilled. The part: “…where we were binding sheaves…”, meant that all of his brothers had first to bow down to him.
Basically, we see that what got his brothers so angry twenty years ago; that Joseph felt that the elder brothers should “serve” the younger, and later, made them throw Joseph in a pit and sell him literally down the river - had to be fulfilled. So Joseph did what he did to make his dreams come true. Isaac Arama in Akedat Yitzhak, thinks it’s preposterous to even think such a thing. The fulfilling of dreams is only up to HaShem.
In the end, Joseph does right by Pharaoh. And he certainly does right by his brothers after a grueling test. And meanwhile he does “OK” for himself.
Opportunist or not.
News:
