We wonder at Yosef’s unsolicited advice. Pharaoh had asked him to interpret his dreams: no more, no less. What prompted Yosef to advise the monarch on how to implement a solution to the dream’s formidable message? Horav Eli Munk, zl, feels that Yosef believed in the portent of his dreams; thus, he felt that now – finally – the long-awaited realization of his dreams had finally arrived. This was a unique opportunity for him to seize the moment and offer some unsolicited advice. He might be presenting himself as presumptuous, but it was worth the gamble. While this might be true, it is inconsistent with Yosef’s behavior throughout his tenure in prison. During this time, Yosef seems to have taken the passive approach, by allowing things to materialize at G-d’s pace.
The Ksav V’Hakabbalah explains that, indeed, “Let Pharaoh seek a discerning and wise man,” is an inherent component of the dream’s interpretation, without which the dream’s solution would remain unfinished business. When we read the account of the dreams, we note that the Torah mentions that Pharaoh woke up twice, once after each dream. Likewise, when Pharaoh related the dream, he repeated the fact that he woke up twice. Why did Pharaoh’s waking up twice warrant mention? Obviously, he woke up after the dream.
Apparently, Yosef saw a powerful message in the fact that Pharaoh “woke up.” The dream was telling Pharaoh, “You must remain awake! There is no time for sleeping.” Thus, Pharaoh was in need of an astute advisor who would be on top of things and not allow for sleeping to occur.
How sadly true this is for so many of us. We receive a Divine message, an idea, an inspiration, but rather than acting upon it immediately, we return to our slumber. So much potential for success has been “slept away,” because we did not take the message seriously, or we were just too tired to respond sensibly. Yosef was not just rendering advice, he was interpreting the underlying message of the dream.
