Mikeitz - Your Weekly Mission - By Rabbi Laibl Wolf

Mikeitz (Sat. 16th Dec./4th Tevet)
Endings and Dramatic Endings
Your Weekly Mission - By Rabbi Laibl Wolf
Two Hebrew words mean ‘end’ - ‘keitz’ and ‘sof’.The former is used for dramatic endings. Joseph dramatically ends his imprisonment just when Pharaoh ends his dream state. Meaning, dreams and reality are reflections of each other.
Notes:
• The name of this week’s Parsha, Mikeitz, means at the end of a time frame - in this case, at the end of two further years of Joseph’s imprisonment in an Egyptian. dungeon.
• Although not uncommon, the more usual term for end is ‘sof’. ‘Keitz’ always implies a dramatic finale.
• Pharaoh dreams and seeks their interpretation. Disappointed in his court advisors’ interpretations, he hears of a young Jewish prisoner’s gifts of dream interpretation and suddenly Joseph is freed from prison.
• Pharaoh awakens from his dreams. The word for awakening is remarkably similar to the word Keitz. It is Vayikatz - he awoke. It would seem that two seemingly unrelated events, Pharaoh’s dreams and Joseph’s freedom, are both unexpected and therefore connected - through the same word.
• The Torah is hinting that dreams and reality are interrelated. What we dream about reflects our life in the waking state, and how we conduct our lives becomes reflected back to us in our dreams. This is Josef’s expertise - to explain one in context of the other.
• What do you dream about and why?