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.

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,¹ 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 contexts² 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?) 

Character Titles

¹ Together they appear ten times.

² 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.