Parshat Miketz: Yosef's Interpretation of Pharaoh's Dreams and Pharaoh's Irrational Response

This week's parsha begins with the dreams of Pharaoh. In his first dream Pharaoh saw seven healthy cows rise from the Nile only to be consumed by seven gaunt cows. After the first dream, he woke up, only to fall back asleep and have another dream in which seven healthy ears of grain were consumed by seven thin ears of grain. Pharaoh awoke troubled by his dreams and sought an interpretation from all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt, but no one could explain the meaning of the dreams. The Midrash explains that there were in fact many interpretations given, but Pharaoh was simply not satisfied with any of them. The Midrash writes (Breishit Rabbah)

פותרין היו אותו, אלא שלא היה קולן נכנס באזניו: שבע הפרות הטובות – שבע בנות אתה מוליד; שבע הרעות – שבע בנות אתה קובר. שבע השבלים הטובות – שבע איפרכיות אתה כובש; שבע השבלים הרעות – שבע איפרכיות מורדות בך

They did solve it, only none of them were satisfactory for him: the seven fine cows signified seven daughters that Pharaoh would give birth to. The seven gaunt cows signified the seven daughters that he would bury. The seven fine ears of grain represented seven nations that he would conquer. The seven thin ears of grain represented the seven nations that would rebel against him.

If this indeed was the case - that there were solutions offered to Pharaoh, only he refused to accept them, what did he see in Yosef's interpretation that convinced him that it was the correct one?

One must also question Pharaoh's reaction to Yosef's interpretation. We are told that once he heard Yosef's words he immediately appointed him viceroy of Egypt, placing the country's entire future in his hands. Writes Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel,

מה ראה פרעה שאומר לעבדיו: “הנמצא כזה איש אשר רוח אלהים בו”, ושאמר לו: “אין נבון וחכם כמוך”, ושעשאו אדון לכל ביתו ומושל בכל ארץ מצרים טרם ידע אם יצדקו דבריו וייצא הדבר לפועל כאשר פתר, אם לא? כי הנה שר המשקים לא עשה דבר כאשר פתר לו חלומו לטובה. ואולי לא יהיה הדבר כאשר פתר אותו לפרעה ולמה אם כן גידלו קודם שינסה הדבר, ונתן לו אשר מטובי הארץ?

What did Pharaoh see that he said to his servants, 'Could we find another like him - a man in whom is the spirit of God?' and that he said to him, 'there is no one as discerning and wise as you," and that he appointed him as master of his household and ruler over all of Egypt before he knew whether or not his words were justified and if his interpretation would come true? Even the chief butler did nothing after Yosef had favorably interpreted his dream for him. Perhaps this interpretation of Pharaoh's dream would not be fulfilled? Why did they then exalt him, before it could be tried out and give him from the best of the land?

How could Pharaoh have acted so rashly? Yosef was a prisoner who had been released on a temporary basis to answer a simple question, which he had answered to Pharaoh's satisfaction. Perhaps a pardon would have been in order, but why did Pharaoh immediately elevate an incarcerated foreigner to second in command of Egypt? Why not wait to see if his dream would play out before giving him such a promotion?

The Abarbanel answers all questions by explaining why Pharaoh favored Yosef's interpretation of his dreams over all others. He writes,

החולם חלום צודק יראה הענין כמו שהוא מושפע עליו מההשגחה האלוקית, אלא שהכח המדמה יגשים אותו השפע ויחקה אותו בחיקויים ובהמשלים, ולכן כשהפותר אומר לחולם את הנכון ואת האמת, מיד יזכור החולם וירגיש בנפשו שזהו מה שראה, כי זה בעצמו טבע השוכח איזה דבר - וכל שכן כשלא יעבור עליו זמן רב - שכאשר יזכיר לו אדם אחר אותו הדבר, מיד יזכור בעצמו שהוא מה ששכח.

One who is a positive that they have had an authentic dream will look at matters as he has been directed by Divine Providence. But his imaginative perception will translate this direction into pictures and symbols. As soon as the interpreter discovers their true and accurate meaning, the dreamer will immediately sense that this was what he saw. Memory acts in this manner, particularly, where a considerable time has not elapsed since the event. As soon as someone else reminds him he will himself recall that this was what he forgot

.

According to Abarbanel, Pharaoh knew the correct interpretation of the dream, but he had forgotten it - as if often the case with dreams, people tend to forget them altogether or at least parts of them. When Yosef gave his interpretation it recalled the memory of the dream's true meaning and Pharaoh knew without a doubt that it was the correct one. This explains why Pharaoh favored Yosef's interpretation over all others - when everyone else gave their interpretations no memories were triggered and Pharaoh knew that they were incorrect. This also explains why Pharaoh so hastily anointed Yosef as the second in command of Egypt - he did not need to wait to see if the dreams would come true because he knew that they would.