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Miketz
Pasuk:
Bereishit 41, 12
"With
us there was a lad, a Hebrew, a slave
of the chief executioner.
We told him [about our dreams],
and he interpreted our dreams,
he interpreted each man's dream accordingly."
(Metsudah translation.)
Before looking at Rashi, ask
yourself the following questions: -
Who is talking here,
i.e. - What is the
speaker's 'station' - his job, status, position in Egypt?
- what is being said
i.e. - Of what is Paroh
being made aware?
- What 'case' is being made
to Paroh, what suggestion?
- and why?
i.e. - What is the
motivation for this little speech?
- Is the speaker acting at
all with self-interest?
- and why now?
i.e.
- What has just happened? (None of Paroh's sorcerers and
wise men
had been able to explain his dreams.)
...and is Paroh more or less likely
to want to listen to this advice now,
after so many failed attempts
to explain his dreams?
- Do you think the Sar Hamashkim (Chief
Wine Butler)
only just remembered Yosef,
or is it possible he had remembered earlier
but had been waiting for 'the right
moment' to speak up?
- why do you think he had not
remembered Yosef before now,
or, not decided to mention
Yosef before now?
(Remember, we definitely know that he had
forgotten Yosef because the
Torah says so!
Can you find the pasuk where we are
told this?)
- How high a personal risk do you
think it is for the Sar Hamashkim
to mention Yosef at this point?
- Was this a good time for Yosef to
be remembered?
(look at this from different points of view)
- Look at the bigger picture: how
was this the right time
in terms of Hashem's plan for the Jewish People?
(...and if you can answer that you deserve a salt beef sandwich!)
-
Is there anything in what is said that seems at all strange
and in need of an explanation?
- look at how the Sar Hamashkim
refers to Yosef
- does the way he describes Yosef
tell us anything about
what is going through his mind?
- As you analyse
the pasuk, keep in mind:
~ who it is that is speaking?
- what is his status and
relationship to Paroh?
- if he can speak openly like this
to Paroh and offer him advice
(especially regarding a young Jewish slave!)
does he not have a very close association with Paroh
and the privilege of 'Paroh's ear'?
~ who it is that is
being spoken to?
- The most powerful and feared man
in the Middle Eastern world,
perhaps the whole world;
~ who
it is that is being spoken about?
- A "young, Jewish
slave"!
-Surely, neither has any real
concept of the other, and they
would certainly never expect to meet each other!!
(...and, should they meet, how naturally and lucidly
would they be able to communicate with each other?
- think about this question when you learn the pesukim that
tell us of when Yosef and Paroh meet.)
- If you have
thought of a question on this pasuk try to think of your own answer
before looking at Rashi. Perhaps you have thought of Rashi's
explanation by yourself. . .or perhaps you have thought of a different
answer. . .
. . .or perhaps you have thought of a different question altogether!
Are you ready to learn
the Rashi?
>
GO TO RASHI >
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