Questions on Parshas Mikeitz to think about and discuss:

1. Almost every year the Shabbos of Chanuka is Parshas Mikeitz. Are there any allusions to how connect them?
2. Paro is not satisfied with his advisors’ interpretations of his dreams and then accepts Yosef’s. How did he know that Yosef’s interpretation was the true one?
3. What day in the year was Yosef released from prison?
4. What do we know about the wife of Yosef, Osnas?
5. Yosef allowed the brothers to return home to bring Binyomin and chose one of the brothers to remain as hostage. Who was this and why take him more than any other brother?
6. How did Yosef know the Egyptian language as when speaking to Paro we do not find he used an interpreter?
7. For how many years was Yosef second in command to Paro?
8. How could Paro simply upgrade a servant from prison to second-in-command?
9. Why didn’t other people also store away produce knowing about the upcoming years of famine so that they would not be reliant on Yosef?
10. Why did Paro need two dreams? Why express the same message through cows and stalks and why these order?
11. How long was Yosef in prison for?
12. Why does the Torah repeat the details of Paro’s dreams with slight changes?
13. What is the significance of the years of plentiful and famine being for seven years? Already after two years we find how people were desperate for food?
14. Rashi (41:55) brings that Yosef made all the Egyptians who came for food have bris mila. Why?
15. Why did ten brothers come to Mitzrayim to get food and not just one or two?
16. (42:5) Rashi brings that the ten brothers split up when entering Mitzrayim, each entering a different gate. Why?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. At the end of Parshas Mikeitz, in addition to listing the usual number of pesukim, it unusually adds the number of words in an unusual manner. It says 2000 and 25 words. The Bnei Yisosschor sees in this an allusion to chanuka. The minimal requirement is for one candle on each of the eight nights of chanuka. Ner, candle, has the gematria of 250 for the eight nights equals 2000. The 25 alludes to chanuka happening on the 25^th day of Kislev. The Shiltei Geborim (Shabbos) brings an allusion to (Mikeitz, 43:16) וטבח טבח והכן that means slaughtering meat and preparing it. On Chanuka there is an inyan to have festive meals and thank Hashem for the miracles. In this phrase the last letters spell חנוכה and the gematria of the other letters is 36 alluding the 36 candles lit during chanuka. If you take the gematria of the first two words you get 44 alluding to the 36 chanuka lights plus the eight shamoshim.
2. Paro’s advisors interpreted his dreams as having to do with his personal life – e.g. he would have seven daughters and then they would die. However, Yosef’s interpretation was based on the king representing his whole country. (Sifsei Chachomim to Rashi, 41:8) Additionally, true words have certain ring of recognition to them (see Gemora Sota 19b). Chazal also say that Paro with the dream also saw the interpretation which he then forgot. However, when the correct interpretation was said then he remembered that this was indeed what he had seen.
3. Yosef was released from prison on Rosh Hashana. (Gemora Rosh Hashana 10b)
4. Osnas, was the daughter of Dena conceived from Shechem. (Pirkei DeReb Eliezer Chapter 38) However, when the brothers threatened to kill her, Yaakov hung a Kemiya around her neck stating: “Whoever marries this girl marries someone from Yakov’s family.” (Maseches Sofrim) and placed her outside under a bush, into the safe-keeping as it were, of Hashem Himself. She was eventually taken down to Egypt and adopted by Potifar.
5. (42:24) Shimon was taken. Rashi (ibid) explains it was to separate Shimon from Levi since together they were lethal as seen with the city of Shechem. Why pick Shimon more than Levi? Since Shimon had thrown Yosef into the pit.
6. The Angel Gavriel came and taught Yosef all seventy languages (Gemora Sota 36b). This was in addition to Loshon Hakodesh that Yosef already spoke.
7. Yosef was appointed when he was 30 years old (41:45). He lived until 110 (50:26). This means that he was in this position for 80 years.
8. The Gemora Sota 36b brings that the advisers of Paro asked Paro this and he said that they would test him to see if he was someone special. The test was to see if he spoke all seventy languages. The Malach Gavriel taught him and with Hashem’s help he spoke all seventy languages.
9. Other people did. However, Hashem made a special miracle that only the produce stored by Yosef kept while all the other’s went off.
10. The Ramban (41:2) brings that the cows symbolise ploughing of fields while the stalks allude to the time of harvesting both signifying the years of plentiful.
11. Paro appointed Yosef when he was thirty and he was sold by the brothers when he was seventeen. He also worked for Potifar before he was imprisoned. The Seder Olam brings that Yosef was in Potifar’s house for one year and in prison for twelve years. Others learn that he was in Potifar’s house for ten years and three years in prison.
14. Yosef knew that the Jews would come to settle there. He did not want them in the future to be embarrassed doing bris mila. By making everyone have it then this would safeguard it being done also by the Jews.
15. Perhaps they reasoned that it would make more of an impact when lots of people came to ask then if one simply came and said he was representing many others.
16. They came to look for Yosef and therefore spread out. Rashi brings so that they should not come altogether and look threatening.

Chakira:

• What happened to the produce during the years of famine – did all the planted produce fail to even grow OR did they grow but afterwards the produce was destroyed in different ways?