(א) וַיְהִ֕י מִקֵּ֖ץ שְׁנָתַ֣יִם יָמִ֑ים וּפַרְעֹ֣ה חֹלֵ֔ם וְהִנֵּ֖ה עֹמֵ֥ד עַל־הַיְאֹֽר׃ (ב) וְהִנֵּ֣ה מִן־הַיְאֹ֗ר עֹלֹת֙ שֶׁ֣בַע פָּר֔וֹת יְפ֥וֹת מַרְאֶ֖ה וּבְרִיאֹ֣ת בָּשָׂ֑ר וַתִּרְעֶ֖ינָה בָּאָֽחוּ׃ (ג) וְהִנֵּ֞ה שֶׁ֧בַע פָּר֣וֹת אֲחֵר֗וֹת עֹל֤וֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן֙ מִן־הַיְאֹ֔ר רָע֥וֹת מַרְאֶ֖ה וְדַקּ֣וֹת בָּשָׂ֑ר וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֛דְנָה אֵ֥צֶל הַפָּר֖וֹת עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃ (ד) וַתֹּאכַ֣לְנָה הַפָּר֗וֹת רָע֤וֹת הַמַּרְאֶה֙ וְדַקֹּ֣ת הַבָּשָׂ֔ר אֵ֚ת שֶׁ֣בַע הַפָּר֔וֹת יְפֹ֥ת הַמַּרְאֶ֖ה וְהַבְּרִיאֹ֑ת וַיִּיקַ֖ץ פַּרְעֹֽה׃
(1) After two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, (2) when out of the Nile there came up seven cows, handsome and sturdy, and they grazed in the reed grass. (3) But presently, seven other cows came up from the Nile close behind them, ugly and gaunt, and stood beside the cows on the bank of the Nile; (4) and the ugly gaunt cows ate up the seven handsome sturdy cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
(ה) וַיִּישָׁ֕ן וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֖ם שֵׁנִ֑ית וְהִנֵּ֣ה ׀ שֶׁ֣בַע שִׁבֳּלִ֗ים עֹל֛וֹת בְּקָנֶ֥ה אֶחָ֖ד בְּרִיא֥וֹת וְטֹבֽוֹת׃ (ו) וְהִנֵּה֙ שֶׁ֣בַע שִׁבֳּלִ֔ים דַּקּ֖וֹת וּשְׁדוּפֹ֣ת קָדִ֑ים צֹמְח֖וֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶֽן׃ (ז) וַתִּבְלַ֙עְנָה֙ הַשִּׁבֳּלִ֣ים הַדַּקּ֔וֹת אֵ֚ת שֶׁ֣בַע הַֽשִּׁבֳּלִ֔ים הַבְּרִיא֖וֹת וְהַמְּלֵא֑וֹת וַיִּיקַ֥ץ פַּרְעֹ֖ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה חֲלֽוֹם׃
(5) He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven ears of grain, solid and healthy, grew on a single stalk. (6) But close behind them sprouted seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind. (7) And the thin ears swallowed up the seven solid and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke: it was a dream!
לֹא רָאִיתִי כָהֵנָּה. לֹא קָרָה זֶה עַל דֶּרֶךְ רַעְיוֹנָךְ עַל מִשְׁכָּבָךְ סְלִיקוּ (דניאל ב:כט).
לא ראיתי כהנה, Pharaoh meant that such a dream as he had did not reflect anything that he might have thought about during the preceding day, as is usual for most dreams. For what he had seen in his dream was beyond anything he had ever experienced while awake. (compare Daniel 2,29). [the novelty of Seforno’s approach is that he does not understand the word כהנה as referring merely to the frightening appearance of the lean cows. Ed.]
וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי בָאוּ אֶל קִרְבֶּנָה. עַל דֶּרֶךְ "וַאֲכַלְתֶּם וְלֹא תִשְׂבָּעוּ" (ויקרא כו:כו), כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פַּת בְּסַלּוֹ לְמִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ (יומא עד.):
ולא נודע כי באו אל קרבנה, analogous to the warning in Leviticus 26,26 that even when the Israelites would have food, eating it would not satiate them. We also have a statement by our sages describing the effect of food on those who have it (in the fridge) as being different than for those who run out immediately after having eaten their last provisions. The latter cannot feel the effect of what they have eaten because they do not know where their next meal will come from. (Yoma 74)
הוּא הַדָּבָר. עִנְיַן הָרָעָב הוּא הַדָּבָר שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי שֶׁהִגִּיד לְפַרְעֹה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא תִּכָּרֵת הָאָרֶץ בָּרָעָב:
הוא הדבר, it is the forthcoming famine which I described as the advance information given by G’d to Pharaoh in order to ward off the danger that the famine would destroy Egypt.
הֶרְאָה אֶת פַּרְעֹה. שְׁנֵי הַשָּׂבָע לְהוֹדִיעוֹ בַּמֶּה יוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת עַמּוֹ מִן הָרָעָב.
הראה את פרעה, the years of plenty, to give you an idea of how to save your people from the devastating effects of the famine.
כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע פַּרְעֹה, וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיִּקְרָא אֶת יוֹסֵף. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, מִתּוֹךְ צָרָה, רְוָחָה. מִתּוֹךְ אֲפֵלָה, אוֹרָה. מִתּוֹךְ נִבּוּלָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים, רוֹמְמוּתָן. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, אִם נָבַלְתָּ בְהִתְנַשֵּׂא וְאִם זַמּוֹתָ יָד לְפֶה (משלי ל, לב).
When Pharaoh heard this: Pharaoh sent and called Joseph (ibid., v. 13). R. Joshua the son of Levi said: Out of adversity comes tranquility; out of darkness, light; and out of the degradation of the righteous, their exaltation. Hence Scripture states: If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast planned devices, lay thy hand upon thy mouth (Prov. 30:2).
The story of Joseph’s ascent begins with a moment of remembering. Pharaoh’s butler recalls Joseph, bringing him out of the dungeon to stand before the king. This act of remembering transforms Joseph’s fate and sets the stage for redemption. Similarly, Chanukah calls us to remember — not just the miracle of the oil, but the resilience of a people — our ancestors — who refused to let their light be extinguished. It is a holiday of rededication, a time to rekindle the flames of hope and purpose within us.
Ohr Somayach Institute
In a regular year where Miketz does occur during Chanukah, the haftara read is Zechariah 2:14-4:7. Zechariah is shown a vision of a menorah made entirely of gold, complete with a reservoir, tubes to bring it oil and two olive trees to bear olives.
A complete self-supporting system.
The symbolism is that [God provides a system which supports us continuously.
The question was the degree to which Jews would adopt Greek culture; the sport, the pagan gods, the logic and philosophy, the worship of the body, the mythology, the systematic thinking. Greek culture was an attractive culture and Jews were adopting it unquestioned. The Maccabees came to fight not only the Greeks but Hellenistic Jews only too ready to adopt the Greek lifestyle. This was a battle for the soul of Judaism....
Joseph is the Jew who lived steeped in foreign culture and remained true to his religion. Joseph is the person who knows how to take “Greece” absorbing what it offers him, but still retaining his Jewish identity. He knows what to take and what not to take. He is critically selective. He knows how to adopt those aspects of a foreign culture that are beneficial to a person, to a society and he can identify and reject those aspects that are antagonistic, and corrosive to the Jewish way of life.
In a way, Joseph always remained an enigma to his brothers. His brothers remained rugged sheep farming Canaanites. Joseph never fully became part of the family (see 50:15-21). He is treated with a certain distance and wariness by his brothers. He tragically remains an outsider. But for us, who live in a world of other cultures, Joseph’s message is crucial. His path is a difficult one to tread but tread it we must if we are to create a harmony between our faith and the culture of the Western world. We have to know what to adopt and what to leave aside. In that way, we too may live up to the legacy of Joseph.