Our parsha begins with, “It happened at the end of two years to the day: And Pharaoh was dreaming…” The two years refers to Yosef’s imprisonment, which was extended for an extra two years. What is the Torah teaching us by relating that Pharaoh was dreaming at the end of these two years?
The midrash on the pasuk above quotes a pasuk in Iyov (28:3), which states, “[Hashem] sets an end to the darkness,” and explains that this refers to Yosef, teaching us that “[Hashem] fixed an amount of time for Yosef, for how many years he would exist in darkness in the prison; once that limit—that ending point, arrived, Pharaoh dreamed a dream (ultimately setting in motion Yosef’s release)” (Bereishit Rabbah, 89:1).
The Midrash Tanchuma (Mikeitz, 1) elaborates on this concept of ends and limits, “Every single thing that Hashem utters is alloted a limit, an ending point: To the sun He gave a limit, as it states (Tehillim, 19:7), “The end of the heavens is its source.” To the heavens He gave a limit, as it states (Devarim 4:32), “From one end of heaven to the other end of heaven.” To the earth He gave a limit, as it states, “Creator of the end of the earth.” To the exodus from Mitzrayim He gave a limit, as it states (Shemot 12:41), “At the end of 430 years … all the legions of Hashem left the land of Mitzrayim.” To darkness He gave a limit, as it states, “He sets a limit to the darkness.” And even regarding Yosef’s imprisonment, He set a limit, as it states, “It happened at the end of two years to the day…”
We can perhaps learn from here that the same way the sun, heaven, earth, as well as national tribulations and exiles—such as Mitzrayim—all carry a predetermined and inevitable ending point, so too, even the very personal, individual challenges such as Yosef’s imprisonment, also have a predetermined, definite end. While darkness, pain and difficult circumstances may sometimes seem to drag on for an extended period of time (much like Yosef’s years of imprisonment), thus potentially causing a feeling of despair, nevertheless, it carries with it a preordained limit; there’s an end to it, and it will cease when Hashem arranged for it to—it’s just a matter of when that limit is reached. This might be alluded to in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah, 55) which says, “At the time that [Hashem] dispatches challenges and pain upon a person, they make it (the suffering) take an oath that it will not visit [the person any earlier] than on such and such a day, and that it will not leave [him any later] than on such and such a day.”
Rav Yaakov Galinsky brings a personal account of when he and his friends were sent to the ice-frigid and backbreaking laborious conditions of Siberia. Upon arrival, and after engaging in hours of terrible labor, despite the crisis, shock and air of despair that surrounded their midst, he and his friends gathered together to encourage each other. One of his friends, Hertzel Drogochiner got up to speak and quoted the pasuk, “Why do you say Yaakov, and declare Yisrael,—‘My way is hidden from Hashem …?’ Did you not know? Did you not hear? Hashem is the eternal God, the Creator of the ends of the earth…” (Yeshayah 40:27-28).
Hertzel explained, “A person thinks that Hashem is hiding His face from him. So we tell him in response, ‘Hashem is the Creator of the world.’ But how does this help this person? How is this response comforting to him? When a person experiences challenges and suffering there’s a dual pain. Besides the natural distress and pain, there is also an emotional and mental anguish, wherein he thinks it will never end. Who knows how long this will continue? Will it ever end? He might even justify these negative thoughts, thinking that since Hashem is infinite as He is the ‘eternal God,’ so too the difficulties he brings are also endless. Therefore, we say to this person: Even though Hashem is the eternal God—limitless and infinite; nevertheless, He is the Creator of the ends of the earth—He created the world and everything that occurs in the world has an end, a limit. ‘He puts an end to the darkness,’ and soon we too will emerge from the darkness to light” (Vehigadta, Mikeitz).
Perhaps then, the Torah, by telling us Pharaoh was dreaming at the end of two years, may be teaching us this encouraging idea, namely, that challenges, pain and exiles—both on an individual and national level—have a set limit; they will end.
We can suggest that there may be an additional, deeper idea here. When Pharaoh finds out about Yosef’s dream-interpreting abilities, the pasuk says that Pharoah “summoned Yosef, and they rushed him from the dungeon.” What’s the necessity to teach us that Yosef was “rushed” out? The Seforno comments that this episode of Yosef’s release is representative of all of Hashem’s salvations which happen instantly, like it states (Tehillim, 81), “In an instant I will subdue their foes,” and like we see from the exodus from Mitzrayim where the pasuk states, “They were driven from Mitzrayim for they could not delay.” And also regarding the future, it states (Malachi 3:1) “Suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come.”
We perhaps see from the Seforno that both our personal and national salvations occur instantly, without any delay. The Chafetz Chaim seems to echo this idea, stating, “When the end of a given period of time arrives, Hashem does not delay for even a split moment like we see from Yosef where they rushed him out; and so too in the future, regarding which it states, “Though it may tarry, await it, for it will surely come; it will not delay” (Chavakuk, 2:3). When the time comes to be redeemed through the arrival of Mashiach, he won’t delay for even a split moment, but rather will “suddenly come” and quickly rush us out from galut to our holy Land.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz delves into the Seforno’s comment, by explaining that the Seforno is teaching us that salvation that stems from man vastly differs from salvation that stems from Hashem. When man orders and attempts to cause someone’s salvation, the salvation itself may not occur yet, for there may be a process—sometimes quite a long one—until the person is finally attended to and rescued. By Hashem however, once a person’s allotted time of challenges and pain is up, Hashem’s salvation occurs immediately, without any delay whatsoever. This is what the original pasuk above and the midrash’s application of the pasuk in Iyov is teaching us: “It happened at the end of two years to the day”—once the end of the darkness arrived, then, “And Pharaoh was dreaming”—the salvation arrived immediately.
Rav Levovitz continues, that the Seforno is teaching us that the same will occur in the future by the final geula—the redemption from this long exile we are in. For one might think, it’s already been so long we are in this galut; what difference does it make if this galut of thousands of years continues just a few more moments past its deadline? However, Hashem’s salvation doesn’t work like that. The decree regarding the darkness of this lengthy galut has an extremely precise and exact limit, to a hairsbreadth. Once that limit arrives, then “Suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come” (Daas Torah, Mikeitz).
Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik derives a powerful insight from our pasuk and midrash by first prefacing that everything in the world has a cause and its effect. However, as he explains, one might make a mistake in how to view the cause and the effect. For example, if a merchant acquires a certain merchandise and profits greatly from it, it might seem that his acquiring the merchandise caused the effect of gaining profit. Truthfully, however, Hashem already decreed that this person should gain wealth, and thus, Hashem is the cause. The effect is that now this merchant lands upon the merchandise!
Says Rav Soloveitchik, one might think Pharaoh’s dreams caused the effect of Yosef’s release. In truth, however, this is not so, and actually, it’s quite the opposite. Once the predetermined decree of Yosef’s end of imprisonment arrived, this caused Pharaoh to dream (setting in motion Yosef’s release)! Yosef’s Divinely ordained release was the cause; Pharaoh’s dreams which brought it to fruition was merely the effect. This is what our pasuk and midrash is teaching us: “It happened at the end of two years to the day,” once Yosef’s end of imprisonment arrived; then, “And Pharaoh was dreaming,” this caused Pharaoh to dream.; “[Hashem] sets an end to the darkness,” once that end arrived for Yosef; then, “Pharaoh was dreaming” (Bet Halevi, Mikeitz).
We can perhaps learn from Rav Soloveitchik that even if alleviation and deliverance from difficult situations seem bleak and one sees little or no possibility of salvation, this has no impact on our salvation, for since it was already decreed when our salvation should arrive, Hashem causes it, and whatever method is used to bring it about is not the cause but only the effect.
Perhaps then, the Torah saying that Pharaoh was dreaming after two years can teach us that not only does darkness and pain have an end, but that Hashem’s decree carries a precise, specific and exact limit, and thus, despite how bleak and hopeless the situation may seem, once that predetermined time is up, the challenges and difficulties will vanish in an instant, without any prolonging of them whatsoever.
Binyamin is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon.
