Dreams & deeds – Mikketz
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream, by James Tissot
One of the big differences is that Joseph dreams of being at work, binding sheaves; Pharaoh dreams of things becoming available without apparent effort.
One could of course say that that’s a natural reflection of who the dreamers are. Joseph is a servant boy who knows he has to work for his living, whilst Pharaoh is a king who takes things for granted and doesn’t bother to investigate how the results come about.
But maybe it’s more than this: Joseph knows the rabbinic maxim in Pir’kei Avot (5:23), L’fum tza’ara agra – “according to the pain is the gain”.
A person can never feel satisfied without the sweat of their own brow.
