Mikeitz - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn together for Sunday. It's the first Torah reading of Paras Mikates chapter 41. Last week's Torah reading, we read about the story of Yoseph while being imprisoned. The butler and the baker had a dream. Yoseph interpreted the dream. The butler was returned to his position. The baker was hanged. And Yoseph requested of the butler that he mention him to Pharaoh. But as the last verse of the Torah reading tells us, the butler immediately forgot about Yoseph and mentioned nothing to Pharaoh. This week we begin verse one. And it was at the end of two full years since that episode that we finished off in last week's reading. Pharaoh has a dream and he was standing by the Nile River like the explains at the end. Anytime you find a terminology you use the skates means the end ali on the river the Nile river all other rivers in the world are not called by the name can also mean like a area of where water gives you a gathering of water besides the Nile River why was the Nile River called because the entire land of Egypt were made like man-made rivers, man-made lakes, and when the Nile River would come up and overflow, the would then fill those and then give put water into those man-made lakes because it doesn't regularly rain in Egypt like other places. So therefore, the Nile River had to give water to all the places. So what they created was canals and different lakes that then when the water of the river of the Nile would overflow would go into those canals and from there they would be able to water the different fields and all the other agriculture that was there. The interesting thing on the word mikates which means end the end of what and seemingly the two last week's Torah reading and the beginning of this week's Torah reading is a two-year span. What's the connection between the two dreams just because they had a dream? But as we know the word mikates in fact the Evanzra want to say was at the beginning of the two years and now starting a new subject. But the Rebi explains that the word mikates means the end but as well it tells us the beginning of a new era and a new chapter coming into Yoseph's life. While these last two years were the hardest for Yseph because since he first put his trust in the butler that he would take him out of exile and it was a terrible suffering after 10 years of still being in prison and however it brought about his ultimate redemption and that he should be the viceroy of Egypt. So too in the exile that we're currently while it may be very tough as we know right before it gets light is the darkest time of the night. So too, the end is the toughest time, but it's also the beginning of the dawn that will come, the coming of Msiah. Verse two, and here is this from the when seven good-looking, robust cows, good-looking cows are coming out of and they were robust and they started grazing in the marsh. They came out of the Nile River and they were grazing. This was a sign. They were good-looking. This was a sign for the days of satiation that people are nice to one another. That a person's not jealous of another person's there's no envy because since there's so much there's no reason for you to be envious of another individual. What does the word mean in the swamp? We see other places the word talks about the grass and the swamp and the marsh that was there. Verse three. Then another seven cows came after them from the river. However, those cows were they were ugly and scrawny and they stood next to the good-looking cows that were on the bank of the Nile River says scrawny looking from very thin no meat on them. Verse four, the ugly scrawny cows ate ate the seven good-looking cows, the robust cows, the healthy ones, empower them, meaning the weak ones ate the uh heavy ones. This was a sign that the entire years of satiation would be forgotten of in the time of hunger. the same way that when the skinny cows ate the big cows, there was nothing. You're not able to tell any difference from them. Verse five, and he fell back asleep and he had a dream a second time and there were seven ears of grain coming healthy and good-looking growing in one single stock is healthy and good-looking. That means in the actual stalk they were growing among stock they were nice goodlooking full shish and the French shinish six and then seven ears of grain sprouted after them they were gaunt and parched they were battered by the they were came after they were battered by the east wind sprouted after them means that they were dry. They were battered banged out. It looks like there was nothing left of them. Like a lentil. That's where the door bangs on the ant lentil from it stopping. When you have the door keep on closing, what stops it from going past the door post is there's a lentil hanging from the top which is called a mash because it keeps on getting banged on. What does it mean that it was the wind? The east wind dries it out which is called bisha in old French. Verse seven. And the gaunt then swallowed up the seven healthy full heirs. The healthy ones awoke and was a dream which means shinish the good ones. And this was the end of the dream. Pharaoh did not have any other dreams. of now he had a complete dream in front of him and now at this point he needed people to interpret it. Verse eight was in the morning and his spirit was agitated and he called all the wise men all the magicians of Egypt all its wise men told him his dream nobody was able to explain it. Nobody had a interpretation that he found satisfying. What does it mean? He was agitated. His spirit was like ringing like a bell banging around. He couldn't find peace soulless within himself. However, similarly when he had a dream over there, the verse says that his ver that is that his spirit was agitated but with a double tough. Over there he had two reasons to be a agitated. Number one, he forgot the dream and also not knowing what the interpretation was. But over here he not necessarily did he not know the interpretation. That's why as we're going to see none of them were finding good for him. These are the magicians were able to source with the dead. They use different bones through sorcery to be able to get what the bones were tell them would be. The word that's why it's called means bones in the Aramaic language. You find it in the Mishna home that's full of bones uses a terminology and its explanation means full of bones. The aim there was nobody there that was able to explain it or give an interpretation that Pharaoh should find satisfactory. What does it mean? They didn't have any interpretations. Nobody can come up with any good ideas. So Rashi explains they actually gave interpretations. The problem was par wouldn't accept them. They wouldn't listen to them. He would hear what they have to say but he felt it was not the right one. He wouldn't be accepting of it. For example, they gave other interpretations. They would tell him have seven daughters and you're going to vary seven daughters. And none of them did Pharaoh feel that this was the right thing, that this was the truth. Then the Torah continues verse 9. And then the butler spoke up the Pharaoh saying, "I remember I mention my discret my my transgressions today." Verse 11 verse 10 got angry at his servants and he put me in prison which was the prison of the chief butcher I was in prison and as well the baker verse 11 and we both had a dream the same night who I and him me and the baker both of us not only had a dream but we also dreamt our interpretation explains a dream that was befitting the interpretation that we got that means the vision of the dream fit and matched the interpretation something we that was similar to it and we were able to explain it and there with us in prison was n a young man I a Hebrew. He was a servant to the chief butcher. We told him about our dreams and he interpreted our dreams each of us according to his dream and its details. He said verse 11 explains a I'm sorry verse 12. Rashi explains why does he go through he says a youth a Jew and so on evil are cursed should be the evils the wicked people even when they do a favor it's not complete meaning because if you notice how he talks about in a very denigrating way he says it was a youth he was a Hebrew he was a Jew like for example says a youth he was foolish and even if he tells the interpretation He's not worthy of any appointed position that you should give him. He was a Hebrew. He doesn't speak our language. He's a servant. It says in the ethics and the laws of Egypt that a servant can never be a king. Shouldn't we minister clothing? That means even if you want to appoint him to any ministerial position because he's going to tell you the interpretation, you can't because he's a servant. He explained the dreams exactly according to our dream and exactly what it should mean and close to what it was matched the interpretation verse 13 knew exactly what he interpreted for interpreted for us that's the way it was that's what transpired I was reinstated to my post and him the baker you hanged Rashi returned to my post. What does it mean? Who returned him to his post? Like we mentioned before like you said is the one the same power that got angry at us. This is a shortened language doesn't say who because he doesn't have to interpret and explain who is the one that put him back to his post. Who's the one that's able to give him back his post? Only Pharaoh is the only one. Rashi adds and says this is usually when the verse is right shorthand. When you're try we're able to figure out who is the one that put him back to the position. The Torah doesn't have to tell you that verse. Verse 14. Par and par sent for Yoseph. They called Yseph. They hurried him out of the dungeon. They gave him a haircut. They changed his clothes and they brought him to par. What does it mean from the pit? From the prison because it's made like a pit in the ground. Anytime there's a pit that we find in the verse, let's say a pit of water means like a hole in the ground. something that's below ground level. Even if there's no water in it, they'll still call it call it a pit. Why did they give him a haircut? They covered a malas out of respect for the king. Verse 15. In fact, this concludes the Torah reading for Sunday Pares Mikates.