Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 41:7/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״א:ז׳
אוְטַעַם וַיִּקַץ פַּרְעֹה וְגוֹ' הִנֵּה חֲלוֹם שָׁלֵם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"א:ז'). וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי יִרְמֹז כִּי עָמַד עַל מִטָּתוֹ מֵקִיץ מְחַשֵּׁב בַּחֲלוֹמוֹ, אוּלַי יִרְאֶה עוֹד דָּבָר פַּעַם שְׁלִישִׁית, וְכַאֲשֶׁר עָמַד בַּבֹּקֶר וְלֹא חָלַם עוֹד נִפְעַם רוּחוֹ, וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיְהִי בַבֹּקֶר וַתִּפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ". אֲבָל בִּנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר אָמַר "וַתִּתְפָּעֶם רוּחוֹ וּשְׁנָתוֹ נִהְיְתָה עָלָיו" (דניאל ב א), כִּי גַּם בַּלַּיְלָה לֹא שָׁכַב לִבּוֹ. וְהִזְכִּיר "וַיִּקַץ פַּרְעֹה" מִן הָעִנְיָן הַנִּזְכָּר בְּסֵפֶר הַשֵּׁנָה, כִּי חֲלוֹם שֶׁיַּחֲלֹם אַחֲרָיו חֲלוֹם אַחֵר מֵעִנְיָן אַחֵר בִּשְׁנָתוֹ אֵינֶנּוּ מִתְקַיֵּם, עַל כֵּן אָמַר כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵקִיץ נִהְיָה הַחֲלוֹם וְחָשַׁב בּוֹ עַד הַבֹּקֶר, אוּלַי יִשְׁתַּלֵּשׁ חֲלוֹמוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁנָה. וְהִנֵּה פַּרְעֹה עַצְמוֹ הִכִּיר כִּי עִנְיָן אֶחָד הוּא, וּלְכָךְ הִזְכִּיר "וְהִנֵּה חֲלוֹם", וְכָךְ אָמַר "חֲלוֹם חָלַמְתִּי וּפֹתֵר אֵין אֹתוֹ" וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר חֲלוֹמוֹת, וְזֶה טַעַם "וָאֵרֶא בַּחֲלוֹמִי", אֲבָל הַכָּתוּב הִזְכִּיר "וְאֵין פּוֹתֵר אוֹתָם לְפַרְעֹה", לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵין פּוֹתֵר אֲפִלּוּ הָאֶחָד מֵהֶם:
1AND PHARAOH AWOKE, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS A DREAM. The meaning thereof is that “there was a complete dream before him.” Thus the language of Rashi.In my opinion35 the verse alludes to the fact that Pharaoh lay awake, thinking about his dream, wondering whether he will see yet a third manifestation, and when he arose in the morning and had not dreamed again, his spirit was disturbed. This is the meaning of the verse, And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled.36 In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, however, it says, And his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him,37 for even the night brought no rest to his mind. The verse mentions, And Pharaoh awoke, in order to indicate a matter stated in the Book of Sleep,38 fell down,” thus indicating that books dealing with this topic were prevalent even in Talmudic times. i.e., that a dream which is followed in the same sleep by another dream with different content is not fulfilled. Therefore the verse says that when he awoke it was a dream fit for fulfillment. Yet he thought about it till morning, that perhaps he will have his dream a third time in the manner in which it had been repeated. But Pharaoh himself realized that the two dreams had the same content. This is why the verse states, And behold, it was a dream. So, likewise, did Pharaoh state it: I have dreamed ‘a dream,’ and none can interpret it,39 and he did not refer to the plural form, “dreams.” This is also the sense of the verse, And I saw in my dream.40 Scripture however states, But none could interpret ‘them’ to Pharaoh,41 meaning that none could interpret even one of them.