Every night when we go to sleep we can ask ourselves the same question: Are we going to dream? And generally if we dream and wake up many times, we don’t remember what the dreams are about!

Our tradition talks about Pharaoh’s dreams. He had just endured a night of terrible ones. And not only was this problematic, neither he nor any of his ministers understood what the dreams meant.

The only person able to interpret these dreams was a Hebrew prisoner in jail – “Joseph, the Dreamer”.

After hearing the dreams described, Joseph announces to Pharaoh: “EGYPT WILL ENJOY SEVEN YEARS OF ABUNDANCE, FOLLOWED BY SEVEN YEARS OF UNIVERSAL FAMINE.”

And, then, Joseph advises Pharaoh that he should appoint someone “navon and chacham” – “discerning and sage” to handle collection of food during the Seven Years of Abundance.

When I read this verse, I asked myself what happened with the humility of our ancestors?”

I remember Moses asking G-d to see His face, and now Joseph is telling Pharaoh that he should appoint someone “navon and chacham” – “discerning and sage” which, I can assure you, implies that Joseph is really saying: “Choose me for this new position in your court as I’m the only one who can help you!”

Another question that many commentators asked was: “Why did Joseph use both words: “discerning” and “sage” to talk about the same quality? Are not these words the same? Are not they referring to an intelligent person?

Now, our tradition states that each word of the Torah is necessary; and any apparent redundancy must be there to teach a specific lesson.

And this text is no exception.

Let’s look at how two philosophers – Ramban (Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman), and Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon) – interpreted the use of the dual-wording…

These important rabbis taught that the two different words refer, in fact, to two different kinds of knowledge!

Ramban comments that “discerning-navon” refers to one who knows “how to support the people of Egypt from his hand with bread and how to accumulate wealth for Pharaoh”. In other words, we can say that Ramban is speaking of social policy.

On the other hand, “sage-navon”, according to Rambam, refers to knowledge of “how to preserve the produce so that it should not rot.”

And, thus, the Torah’s use of both words is an attempt to teach us about two separate but important characteristics of a leader.

Like Joseph in Egypt, may we become fully-human; and… “discerning and sage”!

SHABBAT SHALOM!
Rabbi Marcelo Bater

[Added 1/28/09]