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    Dreams & deeds – Mikketz

    Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream, by James Tissot

    The dreams of Joseph and Pharaoh are quite different.

    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.

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