Shabbat Shalom. It's time once again for Shabbat Torah Study. Today's parshah is Mikeitz, Genesis 41:1-44:17.
In this parshah there is a lot of drama. Joseph, who proved himself an apt dream interpreter last week, gets a chance to analyze two very troubling dreams had by the pharaoh himself. In the pharaoh's first dream, seven head of strong cattle come up from the River Nile, followed by seven more who are weak. The weak eat the strong so that there is no trace of the strong remaining. In the second dream, a similar episode occurs involving stalks of corn. Joseph's interpretation through God is that Egypt will experience first a seven-year period of high production and prosperity, followed by seven years of famine.
In an interesting bit of his interpretation, Joseph tells the pharaoh that he had two similar dreams because it is God's way to assure pharaoh that the events alluded to in the dreams will most surely pass. In fact, repetition is a common device used in the Torah to indicate truth. The earliest example is when God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The common translation of this episode is, "For if you eat of it, you will surely die". The actual translation would read, "If you eat of it, dying you shall die". The repetition in the phrase indicates truth by way of emphasis. Accordingly, the 14 year period of feast and famine does happen in Egypt.
There is a running theme in this parshah is preparedness. Pharaoh's dreams are messages from God to be prepared for trouble, even when life is good. Essentially, it is a lesson about the necessity of foresight in a leader. The entire Egyptian Empire relies on the pharaoh to see beyond immediate circumstances. In this parshah, those who don't even attempt at foresight suffer.
When Joseph is first called before the pharaoh to interpret the dreams, the Torah takes time out to tell us that Joseph made sure to shave and bathe. As always, there are no wasted words in the Torah. This begins the theme of preparedness. To use one of our own colloquialisms, Joseph puts his best foot forward. By preparing himself physically, he also prepares himself mentally. Standing before the pharaoh, Joseph is confident but not arrogant, he is honest and he is polite.
Compare this to the scenes later in the parshah when Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to buy food. They are only concerned with their immediate problems, first their hunger and then Joseph's request to see their youngest brother. Because they show no foresight, because they are ill-prepared for everything, Joseph's brothers experience fear and loss.
This is a lesson we can easily apply to our own lives. Preparing ourselves, even in superficial, cosmetic ways, can help us enter a focused mindset. Thinking beyond our immediate conditions can save us a lot of grief in the future when those conditions change. Taking time to groom, dress and practice for a job interview can make the difference between employment and rejection. Mental preparation for the loss of a sick loved one can make the difference between strength in a time of need and incapacitation by grief. Life, in its good times and bad, happens. How well we face those changes in life is entirely up to us as individuals.