Save "Vayeishev 2020
"
Vayeishev 2020
(ה) וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֕א הַחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ (ז) וְ֠הִנֵּה אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מְאַלְּמִ֤ים אֲלֻמִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה קָ֥מָה אֲלֻמָּתִ֖י וְגַם־נִצָּ֑בָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה תְסֻבֶּ֙ינָה֙ אֲלֻמֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֖יןָ לַאֲלֻמָּתִֽי׃ (ח) וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ אֶחָ֔יו הֲמָלֹ֤ךְ תִּמְלֹךְ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ אִם־מָשׁ֥וֹל תִּמְשֹׁ֖ל בָּ֑נוּ וַיּוֹסִ֤פוּ עוֹד֙ שְׂנֹ֣א אֹת֔וֹ עַל־חֲלֹמֹתָ֖יו וְעַל־דְּבָרָֽיו׃ (ט) וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם עוֹד֙ חֲל֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֨ה חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי חֲלוֹם֙ ע֔וֹד וְהִנֵּ֧ה הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵ֗חַ וְאַחַ֤ד עָשָׂר֙ כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים מִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֖ים לִֽי׃ (י) וַיְסַפֵּ֣ר אֶל־אָבִיו֮ וְאֶל־אֶחָיו֒ וַיִּגְעַר־בּ֣וֹ אָבִ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֛ה הַחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָלָ֑מְתָּ הֲב֣וֹא נָב֗וֹא אֲנִי֙ וְאִמְּךָ֣ וְאַחֶ֔יךָ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֥ת לְךָ֖ אָֽרְצָה׃ (יא) וַיְקַנְאוּ־ב֖וֹ אֶחָ֑יו וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר׃
(5) Once Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers; and they hated him even more. (6) He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed: (7) 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.” (8) 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. (9) He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: And this time, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” (10) And when he told it to his father and brothers, his father berated him. “What,” he said to him, “is this dream you have dreamed? Are we to come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow low to you to the ground?” (11) So his brothers were wrought up at him, and his father kept the matter in mind.
(א) מאלמים אלמים. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ מְאַסְּרִין אֱסָרִין – עֳמְרִין, וְכֵן נֹשֵׂא אֲלֻמֹּתָיו (תהלים קכ"ו), וְכָמוֹהוּ בִּלְשׁוֹן מִשְׁנָה וְהָאֲלֻמּוֹת נוֹטֵל וּמַכְרִיז: (ב) קמה אלמתי. נִזְקְפָה: (ג) וגם נצבה. לַעֲמֹד עַל עָמְדָהּ בִּזְקִיפָה:
(1) מאלמים אלמים — Understand it as the Targum renders it: were binding bundles i.e. sheaves. Similar is (Psalms 126:6) “bearing (אלומותיו) its sheaves”. Similarly in Mishnaic Hebrew we have (Bava Metzia 22b) “and he takes (האלומות) the sheaves and makes public proclamation”. (2) קמה אלמתי means it raised itself erect. (3) וגם נצבה means remaining erect in its place.
There is no explanation in Rash of the dream that Joseph has the third time. Does Rashi interpret the meaning of the first dream?
(א) קמה אלומתי וגם נצבה והנה תסובינה אלומותיכם ענין החלום באלומות כי הראוהו שעל ידי אלומות ותבואה ישתחוו לו וענין תסובינה כי יקיפו אותו כמלך עתיד לכידור אשר עבדיו יחנו סביב לו:

(1) Behold my sheaf rose. the matter ofthis dream showed him that they would bow to him on account of grain. Your sheaves surrounded it. Like a king encamped in the field with his servants encamped around him.

Joseph told the dream to his father and not the first dream, because he himself understood its interpretation that the sun hints to his father. This dream he told to his father while his brothers were present. The reason that his father rebuked him was to make his others sons forget their anger against Joseph. When he says "what is this dream that you have dreamt?" he means to say why are you telling me a dream which is meaningless - they are a waste of words.

Alternatively, the rebuke was how dared you have dreamed such a dream - it is just arrogance and youth that such thought should arriver in your heart.

"Should I and your mother come?" your mother is already dead. Jacob did not know that these words related to Bilha who raised him as her child. Our Rabbis have learned from here that there is no dream without wasted ideas in it....

והנה אנחנו מאלמים אלומים. ב״ר אמר ר׳ אחא עתידים אתם להעלים עלי דברים לפני אבא לומר חיה רעה אכלתהו ומאן קאים לי משתוקיתא דאימא עכ״ל ולפי פשוטו אפשר לומר כמשז״ל חיה רעה אכלתהו על אשת פוטיפר. והנה רחל אמנו ע״ה בהיותה אהובה ליעקב מאד והיא גם היא אהבתהו מאד וזה לה שבע שנים מיוחדת ליעקב אע״ה ובתוקף תאותה כבשה יצרה ושתקה כשהכניסו לאה במקומה ומסרה הסימנים שלא לביישה וזכות זה עמד ליוסף הצדיק ע״ה בנה שהיה לו כח לכבוש יצרו ונמנע מלחטוא באשת פוטיפר וז״ש עתידים אתם לומר חיה רעה אכלתהו והיינו על אשת פוטיפר ומאן קאים לי לכבוש יצרי מחיה רעה זו משתוקיתא דאימא שכבשה יצרה במותר לה עי״ז ה׳ עזרתה לי שכבשתי יצרי וניצולתי.

In Bereishit Rabbah: Said Rebbi Acha: In the future you will make lies (להעלים= אלומים) and say in front of our father "a wild animal has eaten him"; and who saved me from this? The silence of my mother.

According to the words of the sages , the term "a wild animal" refers to the attempts of the wife of Potiphar to seduce Joseph (which failed). [The strength of Joseph in refusing her] stems from Rachel our matriarch who loved and was beloved by Jacob. The seven years that she should have had with Jacob in her own desire for him were conquered when she placed Leah in her place and handed her the "simanim" (signs) in order not to embarress her. This merit was given to Joseph who had the strength to conquer his own desires and didn't sin with the wife of Potiphar. This is the meaning of the Medrash.....

Joseph saw in his dream how their sheaves bowed to his. However he adds something into the dream that his sheaf stood up and continued standing (Gen 37:7). Why does he need to add this bit?

However, it is known that the word "stand up" refers to someone who is prepared for kingship. [We see this] when Saul says to David, "I know that you will surely rule, and the kingship will stand in your hands" (Samuel I 24:20).

Joseph saw in the bowing of the sheaves that he had control over his brothers, but NOT ruling over them. He therefore mentions the idea of his sheaf standing up to show that his dream shows this potential for kingship. It is for this reason that they were angry with him.

They said that his dream was intrinsically contradictory - lets take it as a given that you will have control over us, but who said that you will rule over us!