Miketz: Chapter 3

"His spirit was troubled"

Synopsis

This passage deals with Pharaoh's troubled spirit, caused by his inability to interpret his dream. The rabbis compare Pharaoh's state of mind to that of Nevuchnetzar during the Babylonian captivity. Rabbi Yitzchak maintains that kings and other heads of state are occasionally granted glimpses of the hidden world usually only provided to the prophets of Israel.

Relevance

Each night our soul ascends to higher realms, where it receives dream messages that can influence us in our spiritual endeavors. Depending on our actions and interactions during the previous day, these messages can advance or hinder our efforts. Positive actions arouse prophetic messages of truth, while negative behavior invokes deceitful messages and disingenuous dreams. Here we receive assistance in making positive use of our sleep, so that our dreams can provide reliable glimpses of the future.

Daniel Dreams Hands Morning Nebuchadnezzar Pharaoh, The

27. "And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled (Heb. vatipaem)." HE ASKS, What does vatipaem mean? Rabbi Yosi said, It has already been explained. Of Pharaoh, it is written, vatipaem, and of Nebuchadnezzar, it is written, "his spirit was troubled (Heb. vatitpaem)" Is it possible to find different translations to correspond to the two Hebrew words?) (Daniel 2:1). Pharaoh is described as vatipaem because he comprehended the dream but not its interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar, on the other hand, saw the dream and its interpretation, but forgot everything. IT IS THEREFORE WRITTEN VATITPAEM (WITH AN EXTRA TET).

27. וַיְהִי בַבֹּקֶר וַתִּפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיִּקְרָא אֶת כָּל חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם וְאֶת כָּל חֲכָמֶיהָ וגו.' וַתִּפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ. מַאי וַתִּפָּעֶם. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אֲמַר, הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ בְּפַרְעֹה כְּתִיב וַתִּפָּעֶם, וּבִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר כְּתִיב וַתִּתְפָּעֶם, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ דְּהָא בְּפַרְעֹה כְּתִיב וַתִּפָּעֶם, בְּגִין דַּהוָה יָדַע חֶלְמָא, וּפִשְׁרָא לָא הֲוָה יָדַע, אֲבָל נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, חָמָא חֶלְמָא, וְחָמָא פִּשְׁרָא, וְאִתְנְשֵׁי כֹּלָּא מִנֵּיהּ.

Dreams Nebuchadnezzar Samuel

28. But come and behold, "and his spirit was troubled (Heb. vatipaem)" corresponds to "And the spirit of Hashem began to move him (Heb. lefa'ahmo)" (Shoftim 13:25), for the spirit would appear and disappear, come and go, yet not settle upon him properly. It is therefore written, "And the spirit of Hashem began to move him," when THE SPIRIT just began TO INSPIRE HIM. Here also the spirit would appear and leave, then appear AGAIN, but would not settle upon him, so that he could understand. Of Nebuchadnezzar it is written, "and his spirit was troubled (Heb. vatitpaem)," for the inspiration, THE SPIRIT, was twice as strong, BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD NEITHER THE DREAM NOR ITS INTERPRETATION. THE SPIRITS would come and go, as it is written, "as on previous occasions (Heb. kefa'am befa'am, lit. 'as time to time')" (I Shmuel 3:10), now upon this and now upon that, but his mind was not settled.

28. אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, וַתִּפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ, כד"א לְפַעֲמוֹ, דַּהֲוָה אָתֵי רוּחָא וְאָזֵיל, וְאָתֵי וְאָזֵיל וְלָא הֲוָה מִתְיַישְׁבָא עִמֵּיהּ עֲדַיִין כִּדְקָא יָאוֹת, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב וַתָּחֶל רוּחַ יי' לְפַעֲמוֹ, דִּכְדֵין הֲוָה שֵׁירוּתָא, אוֹף הָכָא רוּחֵיהּ אִתְעַר בֵּיהּ, וְאָזֵיל וְאִתְעַר, וְלָא הֲוָה מִתְיַשְּׁבָא עִמֵּיהּ לְמִנְדַע. נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר וַתִּתְפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ, בְּאִתְעֲרוּתָא הֲוָה אִתְעַר עַל חַד תְּרֵין, וְאָזְלִין, וְתָיְיבִין, וְדָא הוּא כד"א כְּפַעַם בְּפַעַם, פַּעַם בְּהַאי, וּפַעַם בְּהַאי, וְלָא מִתְיַשְּׁבָא דַּעְתֵּיהּ וְרוּחֵיהּ.

Astrology Egypt

29. The verse, "and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt," refers to the sorcerers; "and all her wise men" refers to the astrologers. They all tried to understand, but could not.

29. וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיִּקְרָא אֶת כָּל חַרְטוּמֵי מִצְרַיִם, אִלֵּין חֳרָשִׁין. וְאֶת כָּל חֲכָמֶיהָ, אִלֵּין חַכִּימִין בְּטַיְירָא, וְכֻלְּהוּ הֲווֹ מִסְתַּכְּלָן לְמִנְדַע וְלֹא יָכִילוּ לְאַדְבָּקָא.

Grades Pharaoh, The Prophets

30. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Although we have learned that a man is shown only what is appropriate to his grade, this is not true for kings. They are shown supernal things that are different from those that other people ARE SHOWN. Because a king is of a superior grade than other men, that which he is shown is of a higher grade than the rest, as it is written, "What the Elohim are about to do He has declared to Pharaoh" (Beresheet 41:25). But to other men, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not reveal His works. He reveals them only to the prophets, the pious, and the wise men of the ages, as has already been explained.

30. אֲמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, אַף עַל גָּב דְּאִתְּמָר דְּלָא אַחְזְיָין לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ אֶלָּא בְּהַהוּא דַרְגָּא דִילֵיהּ, שָׁאנֵי לִמְלָכִים, דְּאַחְזְיָין לוֹן מִלִּין עִלָּאִין, וּמְשַׁנְיָין מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא אָחֳרָנִין, כְּמָה דְמַלְכָּא דַּרְגֵּיהּ עִלָּאָה עַל כָּל שְׁאָר אָחֳרָנִין, הָכֵי נָמֵי אַחֲזִיאוּ לֵיהּ בְּדַרְגָּא עִלָּאָה עַל כָּל שְׁאָר אָחֳרָנִין, כד"א אֶת אֲשֶׁר הָאֱלֹהִים עוֹשֶׂה הֶרְאָה אֶת פַּרְעֹה. אֲבָל לִשְׁאָר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא לָא גָלֵי לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, מַה דְּאִיהוּ עָבַד, בַּר לִנְבִיאֵי, אוֹ לַחֲסִידֵי, אוֹ לְחַכִּימֵי דָרָא, וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ.

Dreams Joseph

31. Come and behold, It is written, "He restored me to my office, and him he hanged" (Beresheet 41:13). From this, we understand that a dream follows its interpretation. Who is referred to in the phrase, "me he restored to my office?" It is Joseph. Also JOSEPH hanged him because of his interpretation of the dream, and so it is written, "And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was" (Ibid.).

31. תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב אוֹתִי הֵשִׁיב עַל כַּנִּי וְאוֹתוֹ תָּלָה, מִכָּאן דְּחֶלְמָא אָזֵיל בָּתַר פִּישְׁרָא, הֵשִׁיב עַל כַּנִּי מַאן, אֶלָּא דָּא יוֹסֵף. וְאוֹתוֹ תָלָה, בְּהַהוּא פִּישְׁרָא דְּקָא פָּשַׁר לֵיהּ, וּכְתִיב וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר פָּתַר לָנוּ כֵּן הָיָה.

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