Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 41:15/אור החיים על בראשית מ״א:ט״ו

אוּפוֹתֵר אֵין אוֹתוֹ. פֵּרוּשׁ, שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ פּוֹתְרִים, אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה צוֹדֵק הַחֲלוֹם עַל פִּי הַפּוֹתְרִים, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וּפוֹתֵר אֵין אוֹתוֹ, וְהַכַּוָּנָה בָּזֶה שֶׁיִּפְתּוֹר פִּתְרוֹן שֶׁיִּצְטַדֵּק עִם הַחֲלוֹם.
1 ופותר אין אותו "and no one can interpret it." This means that there were numerous interpreters but none that he considered satisfactory to him. He did not consider the interpretations to be appropriate to his dream.
בוַאֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי וְגוֹ׳ – צָרִיךְ לָדַעַת אָמְרוֹ לֵאמֹר. עוֹד אָמְרוֹ תִּשְׁמַע, פְּשִׁיטָא שֶׁלֹּא יִפְתּוֹר קוֹדֶם שֶׁיִּשְׁמַע, וְהָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר ״שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלֶיךָ פּוֹתֵר חֲלוֹם״.
2ואני שמעתי עליך, "and I have heard concerning you, etc." Here too the word לאמור needs explaining. Besides, why did Pharaoh have to say תשמע "you will hear the dream?" Isn't it obvious that Joseph could not be expected to interpret a dream he had not been told yet?"
גאָכֵן הַכַּוָּנָה הִיא שֶׁנִּתְחַכֵּם פַּרְעֹה לְחַיֵּב יוֹסֵף לִפְתּוֹר הַחֲלוֹם מִבְּלִי תֵּת אֲמַתְלָאוֹת, וּבָא בְּטַעֲנָה לוֹמַר כִּי הוּא יוֹסֵף פִּיו הֱעִידוֹ כִּי הוּא פּוֹתֵר חֲלוֹמוֹת, וּמֵעַתָּה לֹא יִמָּנַע מֵחֲלֻקָּה, אוֹ יִפְתּוֹר חֲלוֹמוֹ שֶׁל פַּרְעֹה, אוֹ יִתְחַיֵּב עַל אֲשֶׁר רִמָּה בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהוּא פּוֹתֵר וְאֵין בְּפִיהוּ נְכוֹנָה. וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וַאֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר פֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁאַתָּה אוֹמֵר תִּשְׁמַע חֲלוֹם לִפְתּוֹר אוֹתוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכֵּן הָיָה אַחַר הָאֱמֶת שֶׁאָמַר לְשַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים וְשַׂר הָאוֹפִים (בראשית מ:ז) ״סַפְּרוּ נָא לִי״ וְגוֹ׳, וּמִן הַסְּתָם שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים הוֹדִיעַ הַדְּבָרִים כְּמוֹת שֶׁהֵם לְפַרְעֹה, אוֹ פַּרְעֹה בָּחַן כִּי לֹא יַגִּידוּ שָׂרָיו חֲלוֹמוֹת לְנַעַר עִבְרִי עֶבֶד אִם לֹא שֶׁשָּׁאַל הוּא לְהַגִּידוֹ. וּמֵעַתָּה יִתְחַיֵּב לִפְתּוֹר חֲלוֹמוֹ שֶׁל פַּרְעֹה לְצַדֵּק דְּבָרָיו.
3Actually, the Torah described that Pharaoh was very clever, trying to commit Joseph to interpret the dream by not giving him any excuses not to do so. He told him that he had been told that Joseph himself had described himself as an interpreter of dreams. Now he either had to interpret Pharaoh's dream or admit that he was a swindler and had interpreted dreams incorrectly. When Pharaoh said to Joseph: "I have heard it said about you that you listen to a dream and interpret it," he meant that this was what Joseph himself had claimed. Pharaoh was partially correct; Joseph had indeed invited the chief butler and the chief of the bakers to "tell" him their dreams so that he could interpret them (40,7). It may be assumed that the chief butler reported the events to Pharaoh faithfully. It is also possible that Pharaoh surmised that his senior ministers would not have volunteered to tell a Hebrew slave their dreams unless they had been invited to do so. Now Joseph had to interpret Pharaoh's dream in order to justify his reputation.