Often, our dreams our ambitions are being realized, but without us knowing it. Achieving our goals is seldom easy or quick, and the process advances in small, incremental steps. The question of why Yosef’s dreams did not materialize immediately is fundamentally mistaken – because they did materialize immediately. The process was put into place already then, during Yosef’s youth, but building a capable, effective leader does not happen overnight.
Parashat Miketz begins with Pharaoh’s two dreams, the first featuring seven lean cows devouring seven fat cows, and the second involving seven lean sheaves of grain devouring seven robust sheaves. Yosef prophetically informed Pharaoh that the two dreams foretold seven years of surplus that would be followed by seven years of harsh drought. He then told the king that God showed him this dream twice to indicate that these events would imminently begin to unfold (41:32).
Rav Yechiel Michel Mushkin, in his work Meikhal Mayim Chayim, raises the interesting question of why this theory – that a repetitious dream suggests its imminent fulfillment – did not also apply to Yosef’s own dreams. In his youth Yosef had seen two visions foretelling his ultimate rise to leadership – the vision of his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowing to his, and the vision of the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing to him. Seemingly, as in the case of Pharaoh’s dreams, these two visions both conveyed the same message. Yet, whereas regarding Pharaoh’s dreams the repetition indicated that the dreams would soon begin to unfold, the fulfillment of Yosef’s dreams took many years to occur. How do we explain this discrepancy?
Rav Mushkin answers (“al derekh derush”) by drawing a comparison to two people who have jobs to complete. They both work diligently and skillfully, but one completes his job in three days, while the other completes his assignment in three years. The reason for this discrepancy is that the first man is a tailor who was hired to prepare a suit, while the other is a builder contracted to construct a magnificent palace.
The question of why Yosef’s dreams did not materialize immediately is fundamentally mistaken – because they did materialize immediately. The process was put into place already then, during Yosef’s youth, but building a capable, effective leader does not happen overnight. Several commentators noted that Yosef’s experiences as Potifar’s servant were vital for preparing him for his eventual leadership role by giving him knowledge about the Egyptian aristocracy. Likewise, the Meshekh Chokhma (end of Parashat Vayeshev) commented that Yosef was imprisoned together with Pharaoh’s royal servants so that he could learn from them about royal protocol and become an effective ruler. Surplus and drought can unfold rather quickly, but the development of character and skills can take many long years. And thus Yosef’s dreams were no different from Pharaoh’s; they, too, began to unfold immediately, though the process extended over a prolonged period.
Often, our dreams our ambitions are being realized, but without us knowing it. Achieving our goals is seldom easy or quick, and the process advances in small, incremental steps. Yosef’s dreams were being fulfilled even as he was hurled into a pit with snakes and scorpions, and even when his master’s wife accused him of assaulting her. As long we as never expect our dreams to be fulfilled in an instant, and acknowledge that great achievements can take many years to accomplish, we will be able to recognize and feel gratified over how they are realized each and every day of our lives, as we inch ever closer toward the ambitious goals we should be setting for ourselves.