The entire saga of Joseph and his brothers—recounted in this week’s parsha— led to the Jewish nation’s stay in Egypt that ultimately resulted in their enslavement and subsequent exodus. If one is to view the story that unfolds in this light—that it represents the seeds that were sown for the eventual Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and all subsequent events such as the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the conquest of Israel etc.—we can appreciate the name of this week’s parsha—Miketz.
Literally, the word means “at the end.” And it is a reference to the end of the two years Joseph languished in prison after interpreting the dream of the Pharaoh’s butler.
On a deeper plane, however, it has been pointed out that the term Miketz-at the end” alludes to the very end, the exodus from Egypt and the ultimate end, the Messianic Age.
At first glance, this explanation appears far-fetched. What is the connection between the end of Joseph’s two years in prison, followed by Pharaoh’s dreams that Joseph interpreted, and the Exodus from Egypt and the future Redemption?
In light of the statement made at the beginning of this essay, however, one can readily see the connection: Joseph’s freedom and his success at interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, led to his meteoric rise to power and his ability to bring his father Jacob and all his progeny to Egypt, the end result of which was the Egyptian bondage and the Exodus. Hence the seeds of Redemption were already sown in the beginning of this week’s parsha. And since, our Sages tell us, the Exodus from Egypt was the paradigm for all future periods of Redemption, it follows that the word “Miketz-in the end” and the ensuing narrative represented the potential for all future periods of liberation.
There is still a need to explain the conceptual relationship between Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and the Exodus that resulted from it many years later.
A dream is a world in which reality is obscured. A dream has therefore been employed in Biblical and Talmudic literature as a metaphor for the phenomenon of exile, where the reality of G-d’s existence is anything.
A dream is also a mindset that allows for one to be in two worlds simultaneously. Likewise, exile is a state of mind that allows for inconsistencies.
If dreams are a metaphor for the exile phenomenon, Pharaoh’s dream represented exile at its worst. The fat cows or stalks are devoured by the meager ones. This is a metaphor for the way the inferior ideas dominate the more spiritual and lofty ones, so much so that one does not even recognize the existence of the latter; just as in Pharaoh’s dream, one could not tell that there were ever fat cows or stalks. This is exile at its lowest point.
And as we read in the Torah, none of Pharaoh’s advisors could interpret his dream. In context this alludes to the fact that the predictions for disaster and hopelessness were so dire, no one could imagine that G-d could ever bring such darkness, or that if He did, that there would ever be a way out of it.
Only Joseph was able to view the dream in a completely different light. Joseph, notwithstanding the negative way he interpreted the dream—as a prediction that there would be seven years of utter famine that would make everyone forget the seven years of plenty—Joseph proceeded with a plan that reversed everything. Moreover, not only did his plan—of storing grain—save Egypt, it actually transformed Egypt into the most vibrant economy of the entire world, because everyone had to come to Egypt to purchase grain, as is recounted in the Torah.
This “Joseph” way of interpreting the dream, is indeed the seed that leads to “miketz-the end.” When one releases the “Joseph” of their soul out of their own internal prison and allows it to do what he does best—interpret dreams, i.e. break out of the constraints of exile—one can then transform even the darkest period of exile into “the end”—the ultimate and final Redemption.
Chanukah always coincides with the parsha of Miketz. And Chanukah’s message is indeed similar. The light of Chanukah must be lit after dark. The significance of this law is that the entire objective of Chanukah lights is to illuminate the darkness of the world.
Indeed, the word “shnatayim—two years” that appears in this parsha’s first verse after the word miketz-the end—is an acronym that alludes to Chanukah: “Shemnoeh neirot tadlik, yemin mezuzah-light eight candles; on the right is the Mezuzah.” This is a reference to the practice of placing the Menorah on the left side of the door opposite the Mezuzah.
But, the deeper connection is that while the Mezuzah is a force that strengthens the “right”—the forces of goodness that are referred to symbolically, in rabbinic literature, as being on the right—the Chanukah light is what takes the “left”—symbolic of the negative forces—and transforms them into positive. And all this follows the word miketz-the end.
Which leads us to another hint: Our Sages also inform us that even after the “end of days,” in the Messianic Age, when all other Holidays will no longer be significant, Chanukah will still stand out as a great Holiday. Thus, the allusion to Chanukah follows the word “the end” to indicate that even after the end of days, Chanukah will still shine brightly.