V’hinei sheva paros acheiros olos achareihen min haye’or ra’os mareh v’dakos basar (41:3)

            There are numerous discrepancies between the Torah’s description of Pharaoh’s dream and the way in which he subsequently related it to Yosef. For example, although in the dream he saw seven cows of ugly “mareh” – appearance, he told Yosef that they had ugly “to’ar” – form. What is the difference between these seemingly synonymous words, and why did Pharaoh switch from one to the other?

The Torah praises Rochel (29:17) by noting that she was beautiful in her “to’ar” and her “mareh.” Rashi explains that these apparently equivalent phrases are not redundant. The term “to’ar” refers to the external beauty of a person’s physical face, while “mareh” describes the internal, spiritual shine which radiates forth from within, and the Torah emphasizes that both of them were present in Rochel.

Now that we understand the linguistic difference between these two words, we can appreciate why Pharaoh changed from one to the other. Egyptian society was so absorbed in the hedonistic pleasures of this world that they were buried with their possessions. They couldn’t imagine an afterlife consisting of anything but more of the same physical pleasures which they viewed as the pinnacle of happiness.

In light of this, Rabbi Mordechai Biser explains that in his dream, Pharaoh was shown a destruction which would permeate to the inner core of his corrupt society, yet precisely because he was so indulgent, he wasn’t able to grasp the hint. In his eyes, beauty was skin deep, and he was unable to describe the animals as anything but ugly in their external appearance.

            As Parshas Mikeitz is traditionally read on Chanuka, when we celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over our Greek oppressors, there must be some deeper connection between them and lesson that we can apply in our own lives. The Ramban writes that the Egyptian exile contained within it the roots of all of the other exiles which followed. Therefore, it isn’t surprising us to find that in the time of the Chanuka miracle, the Greeks were so completely absorbed in the worship of external beauty that they reached the point of outlawing the study of the internal and spiritual Torah.

As 21^st-century Americans, we can easily see how history repeats itself as the superficial values of the Egyptian and Greek cultures fill the streets which surround us and permeate the very air that we breathe. As we light our Chanuka menorahs and celebrate the miraculous triumph of our righteous ancestors over these false world-views, we should take a moment to internalize the deeper understanding that this wasn’t a simple military victory. Rather, the miracle of Chanuka symbolically represents the prevailing of the underlying spiritual philosophy for which the Maccabees stood, a philosophy of inner depth and spiritual beauty that we should strive to emulate and incorporate into our daily lives.

V’atah yeireh Paroh ish navon v’chacham vishiseihu al eretz Mitzrayim (41:33)

After Yosef was freed from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, he explained that they foretold seven years of abundance to be followed by seven years of famine. Therefore, he recommended the appointment of a wise advisor to oversee the project of storing for the famine during the years of plenty. As Pharaoh had only requested Yosef to interpret his dreams, why did he offer advice on how best to deal with the ramifications of his interpretation of the dreams, something which wasn’t at all requested of him?

            The Kehillas Moshe notes that the Gemora in Rosh Hashana (16a) teaches that the world is judged four times annually: on Pesach regarding grain, on Shavuos regarding fruits, on Sukkos regarding water, and on Rosh Hashana all people are judged individually. If so, Pharaoh’s dream, which concerned the future of the crops, should have been on Pesach when the world is judged on grain, yet the Gemora in Rosh Hashana (11a) teaches that this episode occurred on Rosh Hashana.

The timing of this episode indicated to Yosef that it wasn’t only relevant to the harvest, but also to the fate of some individual who was being judged on that day, regarding whom it was decreed that he was to ascend to a position of power. Based on this inference, Yosef felt compelled to propose a plan of action based on his interpretation of the dream which would make its timing appropriate. Specifically, he advised that Pharaoh appoint a wise man to oversee the storage project, as it was due to him that the dream occurred specifically on Rosh Hashana. As an introduction to his suggestion, Yosef hinted to this reasoning by saying “v’atah” (and now), meaning that because the dream took place today, therefore it is appropriate that I recommend the following.

Answers to the weekly Points to Ponder are now available!
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Parsha Points to Ponder (and sources which discuss them): 

1)     What was Yosef’s intention in accusing (42:9) his brothers of coming to spy out the land of Egypt, a charge which he knew was false? (Peh Kadosh)

2)     At the end of each parsha, a line appears in the Chumash stating how many total verses are in that parsha. Parshas Mikeitz is unique in that the line which is printed at the end of it states not only that it contains 146 verses, but also that it contains a total of 2025 words. As the word count appears at the end of no other parsha, why is it mentioned here? (Genuzos HaGra)

3)     On Chanuka we add a paragraph, known as “Al HaNissim,” to the Shemoneh Esrei prayers and to Birkas HaMazon in which we thank Hashem for the miracles which He performed at this time. In it, we mention that the Chashmonaim lit candles in the courtyard of the Temple. Why didn’t they light the menorah inside of the Temple where it is normally lit? (Derashos Chasam Sofer Vol. 1 pg. 67, Taima D’Kra, K’Motzei Shalal Rav Chanuka pg. 172-5)

4)     As all festivals are observed in the Diaspora for two days due to a doubt about the actual calendar date, why didn’t Chazal enact that Chanuka be celebrated for nine days for this reason? (Ha’aros Rav Eliyahu Mizrachi on the Smag Hilchos Chanuka, Pri Chodosh and Birkei Yosef Orach Chaim 670, Nefesh Yehonason, Derashos Chasam Sofer Vol. 1 pg. 67, Ma’adanei Asher 5770)