Miketz                                                                                            Farber

When Joseph was stuck in prison, Pharaoh had a series of dreams that would prove prophetic.  We now know that Pharaoh’s response to his dreams altered the histories of two nations:  after seven years of plenty, Egypt was well prepared for the famine that would wrack the land; and of course, Pharaoh’s elevation of Joseph was an important step in the prehistory of what would become the Jewish people.  Of course, it is the intervention of an unlikely figure--the ex-con royal cupbearer--that brought about Joseph’s audience with Pharaoh.  It’s interesting to note, however, that the cupbearer’s message may have failed--and by looking at his statement to Pharaoh, we can learn how we as Jews should approach our king, Hashem.

 The cupbearer obviously approaches Pharaoh with an ulterior motive.  As a recently reinstated ex-convict, he is looking for his own political security.  His concern for his own safety is why he never actually talks directly to Pharaoh:  if we parse the text closely, we see that the Torah phrasing is, “Vayomer sar hamashkim et Paroh”--“The royal cupbearer spoke at Pharaoh”--rather than using the more common “el,” or “to.”  It seems clear from this phrasing that the cupbearer (whose name the Torah never even bothers to mention) is not given the opportunity to speak directly to Pharaoh; rather, his statement regarding Joseph is eventually relayed to Pharaoh.

 On the other hand, Joseph, once he is given an audience with the king, does not shy away from the spotlight:  he speaks, at length and with great presumptuousness, directly to Pharaoh.  This is something we mimic in our davening:  one of Judaism’s core beliefs is our relationship with God.  Unlike many other religions, we believe that every person has the right to a conversation directly with the Almighty, with no intermediary.

 The cupbearer begins his statement with a plea of guilt: “Chata’ai ani mazkir,” “I recall my crimes.”  It’s unclear what crime he is referring to here--his original crime against Pharaoh that landed him in prison, or his neglect of the oath he made in prison to remember Joseph--but either way, he feels the need to belittle himself before approaching Pharaoh.  This is not what Joseph does:  Joseph’s initial statement is that God will be the one interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, not Joseph.  In addition to demonstrating Joseph’s piety, this gives Joseph’s stature with Pharaoh some added weight.  Not only is he not a common criminal, like the cupbearer, but he actually speaks with the backing of pretty much the very best reference one can have.

 This is something we have carried into our davening.  Our most important daily prayer, the Amidah, begins with a listing of our references:  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It’s as though we are saying to God, “It’s worth listening to my prayer; after all, remember how great my forefathers were.”

 The results are striking.  We know, of course, that Joseph’s statements to Pharaoh worked:  he was appointed chancellor of the burgeoning empire, and under his leadership, Egypt became the dominant power of the day.  Our prayers to Hashem have also been, on balance, successful:  as a nation, we are still here, outlasting Egypt and every other political power that has risen against us.  Conversely, the cupbearer’s entreaty didn’t do anything special.  Over the course of the Joseph saga, he is never heard from again: he may have received his wish, kept his head down and lived out his life in relative obscurity; he may have been imprisoned again at some point; he may have even been executed.  But, most importantly, we know that he never rises to anything larger than his current position.

 The lessons for us are obvious.  If there’s something we want, we must approach the problem head-on, directly with the ones who can help us.  Moreover, we mustn’t debase ourselves:  as Jews, we come from a long line of important people.  Their strength lives through us, and if we own up to it, we can continue to positively influence the world in great ways, just as Joseph did.