Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 37:6/אור החיים על בראשית ל״ז:ו׳
אשִׁמְעוּ נָא הַחֲלוֹם. טַעַם אָמְרוֹ ״נָא״. לְמָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ, אָמַר לָהֶם ״נָא״ לְשׁוֹן בַּקָּשָׁה:
1 שמעו נא החלום, please listen to the dream, etc. He had to add the word נא, please, because at first they had refused to listen.
באוֹ יִרְצֶה עַל דֶּרֶךְ אָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ברכות נו.) כִּי עִקַּר פִּתְרוֹן הַחֲלוֹם הוּא דַּוְקָא בְּיוֹמוֹ וְלֹא בְּיוֹם אַחֵר, וְלָזֶה מִתְעַנִּין תַּעֲנִית חֲלוֹם אֲפִלּוּ בְּשַׁבָּת וְאֵינוֹ נִדְחֶה לְיוֹם אַחֵר. לָזֶה אָמַר נָא פֵּרוּשׁ, עַתָּה, וְלֹא תְאַחֲרוּ לִזְמַן אַחֵר כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְקַיֵּם. גַּם יְכַוֵּן לוֹמַר לָהֶם לְבַל יַחְשְׁבוּ אוֹתוֹ כִּי כְּבָר הָלַךְ לְרַחֲמָיו וִידִידָיו וְסִפֵּר לָהֶם הַחֲלוֹם וּפִתְרוֹנוֹ לְטוֹבָה הִגִּידוּ, וּכְפִי זֶה בָּטְלָה מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ הַטּוֹבָה שֶׁחָשַׁב לְקָרֵב לִבְבוֹת אֶחָיו כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בַּפָּסוּק שֶׁלִּפְנֵי זֶה, כִּי אֵין הוֹכָחָה שֶׁבְּחֶזְקַת אוֹהֲבִים הֵם כִּי כְּבָר קָדַם עִקַּר הַפִּתְרוֹן וּפְתָרוּהוּ לְטוֹבָה, אוֹת לָזֶה לֹא חָשׁ לָבוֹא אֶצְלָם שֶׁהֲגַם שֶׁיִּפְתְּרוּהוּ לְרָעָה כְּבָר נִתְקַיֵּם כַּפִּתְרוֹן הָרִאשׁוֹן, לָזֶה אָמַר ״נָא״. וְאִם תֹּאמַר וַהֲלֹא אָמְרוּ בְּהָרוֹאֶה (ברכות נה.) אָמַר רַבִּי בְּנָאָה, פַּעַם אַחַת חָלַמְתִּי חֲלוֹם אֶחָד וְהָלַכְתִּי אֵצֶל עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה פּוֹתְרֵי חֲלוֹם שֶׁהָיוּ בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וּמַה שֶׁפָּתַר לִי זֶה לֹא פָּתַר לִי זֶה, וְכֻלָּם נִתְקַיְּמוּ בִּי, עַד כָּאן. אוּלַי דַּוְקָא שֶׁאֵין הַפִּתְרוֹנִים סוֹתְרִים, אֲבָל אִם הֵם סוֹתְרִים אֵין פּוֹתֵר שֵׁנִי מוֹצִיא מִפִּתְרוֹן רִאשׁוֹן. וְחָשׁ יוֹסֵף שֶׁיָּדוּנוּ אוֹתוֹ בָּזֶה, וְאָמַר שִׁמְעוּ נָא פֵּרוּשׁ, עַתָּה הוּא מְסַפֵּר הַדָּבָר וְלֹא קֹדֶם סִפְּרוֹ לְזוּלַת.
2Alternatively, in accordance with Berachot 56, dreams should preferably be interpreted on the day following (the same day) the night they have been dreamt. This is the reason that one may fast even on the Sabbath if one has had a bad dream. Joseph therefore insisted that the brothers hear him out at once. Any delay might result in the dream not being fulfilled. He may also have wanted to prove to them that he had not told any of his friends about this dream expecting them to give him a positive interpretation, but had instead come to his brothers first. Had he first told his friends of his dream the brothers would not have believed that he wanted to convince them that he wanted to be on good terms with them. According to Berachot 55 Rabbi Banah once told his dream to 24 different interpreters and received 24 different interpretations, each one of which proved correct. It is possible that this was so because none contradicted any of the other interpretations. When contradictory interpretations are received the more recent interpretation cannot cancel out a previous one. Joseph may have wanted to convince the brothers of his תמימות, his sincerity, by offering them a chance to come up with a negative interpretation of his dream which his friends could not later on nullify. He did this by urging them to listen to his dream immediately.
גהַחֲלוֹם הַזֶּה. אָמְרוֹ הֵ״א הַיְדִיעָה, לֶהֱיוֹת שֶׁכְּבָר הִגִּיד לָהֶם שֶׁחֲלוֹם חָלַם וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ הַחֲלוֹם, וְחָזַר לוֹמַר: שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַחֲלוֹם הַזֶּה שֶׁהִגַּדְתִּי לָכֶם שֶׁחָלַמְתִּי.
3החלום הזה, "this dream." The use of the definitive article ה in front of the word חלום indicates that he had already told them that he had had a dream without revealing any details about it. Now he repeated: "please listen to the dream which I have dreamed."