Yosef's two dreams
Selected commentaries explain why Joseph's brothers were angered by his dreams.
We read in our Parasha: (37:3-11) ’Israel loved Yosef more than any of his other sons..His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him and could not speak with him peaceably. Then Yosef had a dream and told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more.
"He said to them:’Please listen to this dream I had. There we were, binding sheaves in the midst of the field, when my sheaf stood up and remained upright. Then your sheaves formed a circle around my sheaf and prostrated themselves before it.'
His brothers said to him: ’Would you really seek to reign over us? Would you really seek to rule over us?’. They now hated him even more because of his dreams, and because of his talk."
"He had another dream and told it to his brothers. He said:’Look, I had another dream, and there were the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrating themselves before me.’"
"He told the dream to his father in his brothers’ presence. His father chided him. He said to him: ’What is this dream that you had! Will I, your mother, and your brothers indeed come and prostrate ourselves on the ground before you?!’"
"His brothers were jealous of him. But his father waited expectantly for the matter to unfold."
The Beit Halevi comments: "His brothers 'were jealous of him - after he told them his second dream - but after the first dream the Torah states: 'they hated him even more because of his dreams, and because of his talk’, whilst after the second dream, we read that ‘they were jealous of him.'
"The explanation is that in the first dream he was told that he would be greater than his brothers in wealth and in material success, and his brothers would have need for him for their bread and for their livelihood.
"This is why he was shown the dream of crops, and that his sheaf stood up, and their sheaves prostrated themselves before his sheaf, which alludes to livelihood and sustenance, that they would have need for him in regard to these.
However, in the second dream he was shown his superiority over them in spiritual matters, as we read: ’Behold, the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrate themselves before me’, the stars alluding to the manner in which the world is conducted, in the way of the twelve constellations, with him being the tzaddik, who is the centre and the foundation of the world.
Material wealth and success are not, in reality, attributes of the essence of a person, but only a relative measure compared to others - in reality, the rich man and the poor man are equal.
"However, in the spiritual attributes, in Torah and service of Hashem, whoever is greater than another, is elevated in his essence and, by his efforts, becomes a different person than he was.
"Therefore in the first dream, we read that the sheaves of the brothers prostrated themselves before ‘his sheaf’ - not ‘him’, indicating that he was not at a higher level than they were; the second dream, however, alluded to his spiritual superiority, as shown by the stars prostrating themselves ‘before him’.
This is why there is no mention of envy after the first dream, as the brothers had no desire to rule over anyone, the righteous never envying another’s greater material success - rather, they hated him for harboring thoughts that they would come to him for sustenance, and that he would rule over them.
"However, in the second dream which hinted at his spiritual superiority, there is no mention of hatred, as it is not relevant, only ‘envy’, which is a permitted envy of superior spiritual level."
Rav Moshe Sternbuch notes that Yosef related his first dream only to his brothers, but the second dream he related to his father, as well as to his brothers, and comments: "
The reason is simple: the first dream only related to his brothers, but the second dream concerned his father, as well.
Further, he related the second dream, first, to his brothers, who were angered by it, so he therefore also related to his father, that he, too, would prostrate himself before Yosef.
"He related the dream to his father in the presence of his brothers, to prove to them that it was a true dream, not a ‘day-dream’ that he made up, out of his hatred of them.
"In a different way, we can expound that the first dream - of sheaves - was of a material nature, and that they would have need of him; but the second dream - of the sun, the moon and the stars - was of spiritual matters, that he would be elevated above them all, this he related also to his father, because ‘a person is envious of everyone else, except a father of his son and his disciple."
Rav Yitzchak Karo, as is his wont, alerts us to several matters in our psukim, which require elucidation
The Rav notes: "The Torah relates, regarding the first dream, that Yosef said to his brothers, that he had a dream, with no details, but they immediately responded that his dream was nonsense, and therefore hated him.
"He persisted, imploring them to hear his dream of the sheaves, and they added to their hatred of him, for telling them, and for his words, for relating the dream of their subservience, with obvious relish, as is the way of one who repeats his tale.
"Yosef continued to relate his dream of the sheaves, in detail, thinking that perhaps his brothers had not paid proper heed to the import of his dream.
"This is why they hated him ‘for his dreams and for his words’, that he repeated relating his dream to them."
The Meshech Chochma adds: "We should note, that in relating his dream to his brothers, Yosef three times uses the word הנה: 'Behold' - which the Sifre notes refers to as alluding to ‘joyfully’ - indicating that each detail, in the three instances, gave him great joy to relate to his brothers.
"This is why the Torah says: ’and on his words’: that he said הנה on three occasions.’
Continues Rav Karo: "We might have thought that it was sufficient, for Yosef’s purpose, to have related the first dream, twice, without the need for the second dream.
"However, there was a need for the second dream, as well, with its changed scenario, as the first dream - of sheaves - alluded to the first time they descended as agricultural workers, reflected in the sheaves; but, subsequently, they came as important ministers, the brothers of the ruler, and therefore they were represented as stars."
The Be’er Mayim Chaim expounds: "'And Yosef had a dream, and he told his brothers':See how Yosef was showing them a smiling countenance, and speaking to them lovingly, for is it not known ( Brachot 55: ) that ‘all dreams go after the mouth’, that which the mouth says, is how the dream materializes.
"For. this reason, had Yosef not been at peace with his brothers, why would he relate his dream to one who hates him, who will surely solve it to his detriment.
"It is clear then, that Yosef felt that his brothers’ feelings for him, were as were his loving feelings for them
Therefore it angered them that he related his dream to them, something which - for the reason given above - should only be done to those who truly love you.
"But he implored them to listen, as initially he only said:’ I have dreamt a dream’, but now he ‘said to them’, but as they, because of their hatred of him, did not pay heed, but added to their hatred...so he implored them:’Hear..’.
"This was to allude to the dream only requiring to be heard, and not for them to solve it, as it was self-evident what the sheaves represented.
"The second dream, however, did require to be solved, which is why he said:’And he dreamt another dream’, ‘another’ denoting that it was different than the first one’, which is why he related it in the way of relating a story.
Perhaps his intention in so doing, was, that when they heard it, some fear might enter their hearts, musing that he was destined to rule over them, and they might change their hatred to love him a little - but, as we read, it had the opposite effect, as they adjudged that he wished to rule over them."
The Kli Yakar, on the words: 'My sheaf stood up and remained upright’, expounds: "Initially he would rule over them, and later reign, as there is no king without a nation, and they were at this time too few for a king to reign over them.
"However, the concept of ‘rule’ also applies to a few people.
The initial קימה: standing up, alludes to the initial step, as we find ( Devarim 22:26 ) ‘ויקום: Just as a man rises against his fellow man’..
"And then ‘remained upright’, alluding to kingship, meaning: not only this, but also this: even kingship he would have.
The brothers reversed the order, saying ’Would you really seek to reign over us?Would you really seek to rule over us?’, meaning: Not only will you not reign over us, but you will not even rule over us.
"They ( now ) hated him even more, because of his dreams, and because of his talk’: ‘Three ‘hatreds’ are mentioned: First, because of his tale-bearing to their father, which led to them not wishing to speak to him; the, as we read: when he dreamt, and told his brothers, without relating the content of his dream, imploring them ‘Listen’, which resulted in ‘they hated him even more’, for speaking to them when they had no wish to speak to him.
As this was a hatred within their hearts, Yosef did not sense it, and implored them:’Please listen to this dream I had - and related its contents - they spoke against their will, saying: ’Would you really seek to reign over us..’, and they therefore ‘hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his talk’ - not only for his dreams, but also for ‘his talk’, for speaking to them when they had no wish to speak to him.
"There is another interpretation of ‘for his talk’: Our Sages say ‘all dreams follow the mouth’, meaning: What a person says to himself before he goes to sleep, that is what he then sees in his dreams.
"The brothers therefore concluded, that he had thoughts that he merited to be king, in his heart, and this was why he then had this dream - and they hated him, both for his words, and for his thoughts - the words in his heart."
Rav Shlomo Kluger asks:’’Why did the brothers hate Yosef because of his dreams, what was his sin in regard to this? One either dreams, or does not dream at night!
"However, in the brothers’ minds the idea that Yosef would reign over them, was in the realms of fantasy, and therefore could only have come because of his day-dreams - and this is why they hated him ‘for his dreams’."
We are left with one important matter: How did Yaakov Avinu react to these events?
We read ( 37:10-11 ) that Yaakov ‘chided’ Yosef, when he related the second dream to his father, ‘in his brothers’ presence’. saying to him: ’Will I, your mother and your brothers indeed come and prostrate ourselves on the ground before you?!’ His brothers remained jealous of him. But his father שמר את הדבר: waited expectantly for the matter.’
Abarbanel elucidates: "We can expound that Yaakov did three things as if negating that which the dream seemed to say: First, saying: ‘Will I.. come and prostrate myself..before you’?!; second, referring to ‘your mother’ also doing so, and she not being alive at this time; and third, as to the brothers, who hated Yosef, how would they ‘come and prostrate themselves’ before him?!
"However, at the same time, ‘his father ‘waited expectantly-‘, as he thought in his heart that G-d had shown in this dream, what was to eventuate.
"The brothers had already left the world of hatred, and now thought that Yosef had perhaps not made up the dreams, and had a suspicion in their hearts, that the dreams had come from Hashem, and they therefore now ‘envied him’."
The Netziv adds: "The brothers now realized that it was not possible that the dreams were as a result of his day-dreams, that their father would, because of Yosef’s wisdom, crown him over him - his father - and therefore it had to be a true dream.
"As to his father: ‘He waited expectantly’, as it was not bad in his eyes, as no man has envy of his son.’
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