Genesis-Chapter-40
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Remember the following truth from our beloved
Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
“The Dreams in the Prison”..
Introduction:
Genesis Chapter 40 finds Joseph still confined to the king's prison, yet his
spiritual clarity remains undiminished. This chapter serves as the crucial link
between Joseph’s hidden life as a servant and his future public role as a
leader. It highlights how the gift of interpretation is not a tool for personal
ambition, but a Divine responsibility to be exercised even in the darkest
circumstances.
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Let
us read Genesis Chapter 40, verses 1 to 23: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Below this chapter you
will find my commentary for this study.
1 “And
it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the Pharaoh of Egypt and
his baker offended their lord the Pharaoh of
My Commentary on Verses 1
to 23:
Verses
1-4: (The
Fallen Officers). Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker offend their lord and are placed in
the same prison as Joseph. The captain of the guard appoints Joseph to minister
to them. This detail reminds us that Joseph’s excellence as a servant did not
falter because of his wrongful imprisonment; he continued to execute his duties
with diligence.
Verses
5-8: (The
Melancholy of the Unexplained). Both officers dream distinct dreams in a single
night and are visibly troubled. Joseph notices their sadness, demonstrating his
empathy and attentiveness to others despite his own plight. His declaration, “Do
not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray
you,” immediately shifts the focus away from human magic to Divine sovereignty.
Verses
9-15: (The
Verses 16-19: (The Baker’s Dream and its
Grim Reality). Encouraged by the positive interpretation, the baker shares his
dream of three baskets of white bread on his head, with birds eating out of the
topmost basket. Joseph remains fearlessly honest to the Divine message,
interpreting the three baskets as three days until the baker is hanged and
birds eat his flesh. Joseph demonstrates that a true channel of truth cannot
alter the message for the sake of comfort.
Verses
20-23: (The
Birthday and the Human Forgetfulness). On the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, the interpretations are fulfilled precisely: the butler is
restored, and the baker is hanged. The chapter concludes with a sobering
reflection on human nature: “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but
forgot him”. Joseph is left to wait, proving that deliverance does not come
through human gratitude, but on the Almighty’s precise timeline.
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My Closing Message:
Chapter 40 teaches us the profound difficulty of waiting upon the Divine will
when human promises fail. Joseph did everything right, he served faithfully,
interpreted truly, and showed compassion yet he was still forgotten in the
dungeon. This narrative invites us to reflect on the nature of patience,
showing that even when we are eclipsed by the forgetfulness of men, we are
never forgotten by יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheynu.
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