“You shall be
[appointed] over my household, and through your command all my people shall be
nourished. Only [with] the throne will
I be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Look, I have appointed you over the entire
land of Egypt." And Pharaoh
removed his ring from his hand and placed it on Yosef's hand, and he attired
him [with] raiment of fine linen, and he placed the golden chain around his
neck. And he had him ride in his
chariot of second rank, and they called out before him, "[This is] the
king's patron," appointing him over the entire land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Yosef, "I am
Pharaoh, and besides you, no one may lift his hand or his foot in the entire
land of Egypt." And Pharaoh named
Yosef Tzapenat Pa'neach, and he gave him Asenat the daughter of Potiphera, the
governor of On, for a wife, and Yosef went forth over the land of Egypt.”
(Beresheit
41:40-45)
These passages describe
the final step in Yosef’s ascension to power in Egypt. The Torah’s narrative of Yosef’s story
begins in Parshat VaYeshev. The Torah
tells us that Yosef was favored by his father but hated by his brothers. He dreamed that some day he would be the
leader of his brothers and that even his father would acknowledge his position within
the family. His brothers plotted to put
an end to Yosef’s visions of glory and sold him into slavery in Egypt. The Torah describes in some detail the
vicissitudes of Yosef’s fate in Egypt.
He rises from a lowly slave to become the household manager of a
powerful and influential officer. He
was then thrown into jail. But even in
jail he prospers and is appointed to a position of responsibility. However, the parasha ends with Yosef’s hopes
of redemption dashed. Now suddenly,
Yosef experiences a complete reversal of fate and is appointed to a position of
power second only to Paroh.
Our parasha opens with this final chapter of Yosef’s
ascension. Paroh has two disturbing
dreams. His advisors cannot provide him
with an acceptable interpretation. Paroh’s
butler had been imprisoned with Yosef.
In prison, Yosef provided the butler with an accurate interpretation of
a dream. Yosef told the butler that his
dream foretold his release from prison and his reappointment to Paroh’s
court. This interpretation was correct
in every detail. The butler relates the
incident to Paroh and the king summons Yosef to interpret his dreams.
Yosef tells Paroh that
his dreams foretell seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of
incomparable famine. The dreams are intended as a forewarning. Paroh is to use
the years of plenty to plan and prepare for the years of famine. Through these preparations Porah can save
his land from destruction. Paroh is
impressed with Yosef’s ability and wisdom. He appoints Yosef as his prime
minister and places the future of Egypt in his hands. Yosef is to supervise the preparation for the famine. During the famine he is responsible for the
distribution of food.
Surely, the story of
Yosef is a wonderful and exciting adventure.
But we must wonder why the Torah provides so much detail. Would it not have been sufficient for the
Torah to tell us that Yosef was sold into slavery and to continue with a
description of the circumstances of his rescue and appointment as steward of
Egypt? Instead, the Torah provides a
remarkably detailed account of the vicissitudes of his fate. These details seem superfluous.
In order to understand
the purpose and message of this detailed account, some of the elements must be
explored and analyzed. As mentioned
earlier, Yosef was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. However, he did not long toil as a lowly
slave. He was purchased by Potifar – an
influential member of Paroh’s household or government. Potifar’s exact position is the subject of
debate. According to Rashi, Potifar was
in charge of butchering and providing meat to Paroh’s household.[1] Unkelus disagrees. He suggests that he was Paroh’s executioner. Nachmanides prefers Unkelus’ position.[2] However, he does not provide an explanation for
this preference.
Yosef rose to a position
of prominence in the household of Potifar. Potifar placed Yosef in charge of
the affairs of the household and gave him complete responsibility and authority
over these affairs. Potifar’s wife was
attracted to Yosef. She attempted to
seduce him. Yosef rejected her
advances. But eventually, she attempted
to force herself upon him. Yosef fled
from her. She accused Yosef of attempting to seduce her. Her husband placed Yosef in jail.
It is notable that
Potifar placed Yosef in jail. This was
a rather tempered response. Yosef was
accused of seducing Potifar’s wife.
Yosef was his servant. It seems
that he was remarkably lenient in his response. Nachmanides offers a number of possible explanations for this response. He suggests that Potifar’s great love and
admiration for Yosef may have influenced his decision to spare him. He also suggests that Potifar may have
suspected that his wife was not completely truthful in her characterization of
her encounter with Yosef. As result of
either or both of these considerations, he decided to spare Yosef and imprison
him rather than seek his death.[3]
The Torah tells us that
he placed Yosef in the “beit ha’sohar
– the place in which the prisoners of the king were imprisoned.” Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra is concerned with
the term beit ha’sohar. The term is unusual and has does not have an
obvious meaning. He explains that
actually the term is derived from the Egyptian language. Therefore, the Torah explains the meaning of
the term. The Torah tells us that it is
the prison in which the prisoners of the king are placed.[4]
Nachmanides
disagrees. He explains that beit ha’sohar is a Hebrew term and he explains its
origins. It means “prison”. However, the Torah adds that Potifar did not
place Yosef in the prison provided for typical crimes. Instead, he was placed in a special prison
reserved for prisoners of the king.[5] According to this interpretation of the
passage, the Torah is telling us that although Yosef was placed in prison, he
was not treated as a common criminal.
He was not placed among the general body of prisoners. Instead, he was placed in a special
institution reserved for the prisoners of the king. As we shall see, this apparent nuance of fate had important ramifications.
We can now understand
Nachmanides’ preference for Unkelus’ interpretation of Potifar’s position. According to this interpretation, Potifar
was Paroh’s executioner. In this position
he was in charge of Paroh’s personal prison.
When he was faced with the decision of how to punish Yosef, he had the
authority to place Yosef in the special prison under his authority. In other words, were Potifar not Paroh’s
executioner, he would have handed Yosef over to the civil authorities. They would have placed Yosef in a common
prison. But because of his position,
Potifar had the option of placing Yosef in this special prison reserved for the
prisoners of the king. Potifar took
advantage of this option and placed Yosef in the prison under his control.
There is a deeper message
in Nachmanides’ position. He seems to
maintain that every trial and travail Yosef experienced was actually the seed,
or antecedent, to his eventual ascension and redemption. Yosef was sold into slavery in Egypt. He was ripped away from is home and his
father. Yet, this tragedy was also the
antecedent to his eventual emergence as one of the most powerful political
leaders of his era.
Yosef was condemned to
prison for an alleged crime he had not committed. This was another tragedy.
But again, this tragedy was an antecedent to his eventual rise to
power. Potifar respected Yosef. He had the authority to place Yosef in the
king’s prison. He exercised this
authority. As a result, Yosef came into
contact with the individual who would eventually recommend him to Paroh and
propel him into prominence.
Nachmanides provides
another example of an apparent tragedy serving as an antecedent to Yosef’s
ascension. In prison Yosef came into
contact with Paroh’s butler. He
interpreted the butler’s dream and foretold his release and reappointment to
Paroh’s household. He asked the butler
to remember him and, upon his release, to use his influence to rescue him. What measures did Yosef hope would be taken
by the butler? Nachmanides offers a number
of possibilities. Perhaps Yosef hoped
the butler would recommend him to Paroh as a servant. Perhaps the butler would ask Paroh to allow him to take Yosef as
his own servant.[6] Yosef did not have lofty aspirations. He only hoped to be freed from prison and
restored to servitude. However, the
butler forgot about Yosef and did not make any effort to free him. Again, Yosef experienced a tragedy.
Yet, this tragedy led
directly to Yosef’s ascension. Our
parasha opens with Paroh dreaming two disturbing dreams. He does not receive an acceptable
interpretation of these dreams. Now,
the butler remembers Yosef and his uncanny skill in interpreting dreams. He recommends him to Paroh at this crucial
moment. Yosef’s interpretation of these
dreams leads to his appointment as Paroh’s minister.
In summary, according to
Nachmanides, each tragedy experienced by Yosef was also the seed, or
antecedent, to Yosef’s redemption.
These tragedies did not represent Hashem’s abandonment of Yosef. Instead, each was a step in a complicated
series of events that would lead to Yosef’s ascension. The apparent significance of each of these
tragedies was misleading.
Superficially, they were expressions of Hashem’s abandonment. But within
the overall design of Hashem’s providence, each served a role in bringing about
Yosef’s emergence as a powerful leader and as savior of Bnai Yisrael.
[1] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 37:36.
[2] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 37:36.
[3] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 39:19.
[4] Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer Beresheit, 39:20.
[5] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 39:20.
[6] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 40:14.