Literary Devices – Bereshit 41/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 41

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Structure

N. Leibowitz notes that Yosef's interpretation of Paroh's dream in verses 25-36 can be divided into three sections, each prefaced by a declaration that attributes the upcoming events to the hand of God:

• Verse 25: Attribution to God
• Verses 26-27: Numerical Interpretation (sevens, doubled dream)
• Verse 28: Attribution to God
• Verses 29-31: Content Interpretation (years of plenty / famine)
• Verse 32: Attribution to God
• Verses 33-36: Advice to Paroh

Secondary Literature – See Nechama Leibowitz, עיונים בספר בראשית (Jerusalem, 1992): 310-312, who analyzes this structure, noting how Yosef's anchoring of his whole speech with references to Hashem highlights how even in the foreign society of Egypt, Yosef managed to continuously see the hand of God.

Binary Structure

In his commentary on Bereshit,¹ Robert Alter points out that Yosef’s story is structured as a series of doublets (as was Yaakov’s story; see Literary Devices – Bereshit 32). Yosef and Paroh both have double dreams, the baker and butler present their dreams together, Yosef is thrown into a pit and then into prison, the brothers make two trips to Egypt, and their descent to Egypt parallels Yosef’s descent.

Key Words

"פקד"

• Though the root "פקד" appears only twice in the chapter, see the concordance that, with one exception, all appearances of the root (and the related noun פקיד) in Sefer Bereshit are found in the Yosef narratives,² suggesting that the word might play an important role.
• Secondary Literature – Professor Yonatan Grossman, in his article Leitwort (III) discusses the repetition of the root, noting that it takes various forms with different meanings:: “פקד” (to take account or remember), “הפקיד” (appoint), and “פקיד” (agent) . The various usages and different contexts³ underscore the theme of dual causality that is central to the story of Yosef, playing with the question: “Who is the ruler? Who is the agent?”  (God or man?) 

Symbolism

Clothing

• Clothes are an important symbol in the Yosef story, with their bestowal and removal perhaps reflecting a change in status. At the beginning of the story, Yosef is given a coat that represents Yaakov’s love, but his brothers later strip him of it. In Chapter 39, Yosef again loses his clothes when Potiphar’s wife pulls them off of him. He is given new clothes when he is taken from prison to appear before Paroh in this chapter, and again when he becomes Paroh’s viceroy. He later gives gifts of clothing to his brothers.
• Secondary Literature – For analysis of the meaning of clothing in the Yosef story, see Joseph and the Imagery of Clothing by Samuel Borodach, who suggests that in these stories clothing might reflect not just a change in status but also a change in character.

Pits

• Pits are symbolic in the story of Yosef, as are descents and ascents in general.  Yosef is thrown into a pit by his brothers, then rises to a position of power in Potiphar's house. He then descends again as he is thrown into jail (referred to as a pit in Bereshit 40:15) by Potiphar, only to be removed from the pit and rise gain and become viceroy to Paroh in this chapter.
• Secondary Literature –
• See The Prince and the Prison by R. Chanoch Waxman, who suggests that Yosef’s series of descents reflect the development of his character from a somewhat arrogant leader into a humble one.⁴
• See Robert Alter’s article Character in the Bible, as well as his chapter on characterization in The Art of Biblical Narrative, for exploration of how character is developed in Tanakh.

Repetition

• There are many techniques of repetition in Tanakh. In the case of Pharaoh’s dreams, Pharaoh’s telling of his dream closely parallels the narrative description of the dreams, with a few changes.  which generally seem to reflect his emotional experience of the dreams.
• See Yosef: Dreamer and Interpreter by R. Tamir Granot for analysis of the differences and how they relate to the development of plot in this chapter.

¹ R. Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary, (New York, 1996): 210.

² Together they appear ten times.

³ The root first appears in Bereshit 39:4-5, when Yosef is appointed to a position of authority in Potiphar’s house, and in the following chapter when Yosef is appointed to serve the butler and baker in jail (Bereshit 40:4). Later, it is used in the context of other people who will be given authority to collect grain and administer a plan for Egypt’s welfare (41:33-34). Finally, it describes Hashem’s taking account of the Children of Israel in the future (50:24-25). This mirrors the process by which Yosef comes to realize that Hashem is the One who takes account and Who directs the course of human experience.

⁴ Yosef begins, in Chapter 37, as his father’s favored son, or “headman”, and is then thrown into a pit by his brothers.  He then becomes Potiphar’s headman, a loss in status from his first position as favored among brothers, and is ultimately thrown by Potiphar into the pit of prison.  He then becomes the headman of prison, yet another degradation in status from his first two “headman” positions.
These three episodes portray a development in Yosef’s humility and leadership.  In Chapter 37 he speaks arrogantly to his brothers of his dreams.  In Potiphar’s house, though he demonstrates moral fiber by rejecting the advances of Mrs. Potiphar and mentions God once in that context, he also twice alludes to his own exalted position, retaining a measure of arrogance. Finally, in prison, he appears genuinely concerned with the emotional well being of the butler and baker (Bereshit 40: 7)  and mentions God without mentioning his own talents.  He emerges from the pit in Chapter 41, having finally morphed into a humble leader.