Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mikketz 5772: Bedside Manner

Pharaoh has had two dreams that require interpretation. He calls upon his necromancers to explain the dreams, but they are unable to do so. Genesis 41:8 says that the necromancers and wise men were unable to interpret the dream **for Pharaoh**. Rashi asks why the Torah says that the royal experts were unable to solve the dream **for Pharaoh**. After all, isn't it already obvious that we are talking about Egypt's ruler? Why didn't the Torah simply say that the necromancers and wise men were unable to interpret the dream?

Rashi's answer is that the necromancers and wise men were in fact able to interpret the dream, but they were unable to get Pharaoh to accept their interpretation. Other people might have been able to accept their explanation, but Pharaoh either could not or would not.

Why such difficulty? Rashi says that Pharaoh's failure to accept the interpretation of the dreams was largely the fault of the experts. They were very capable when it came to divining the secret meanings of dreams, but they were rank amateurs when it came to communicating their findings.

Rashi says that the royal dream interpreters explained Pharaoh's dream in a way that upset him and caused him to shut down. They said, "Seven daughters you shall sire and seven daughters shall you bury." They understood that Egypt would face a period of contentment and then a period of tragedy. But the way they explained it rattled Pharaoh so much that he ignored what they had to say.

In other words, Pharaoh's necromancers and wise men were like skilled physicians who lack even the basic rudiments of beside manner. They were the scientists of their day, and for them, truth was all that mattered. They interpreted the dream correctly, and as far as they were concerned, it did not matter that their explanation caused Pharaoh such pain.

One oncologist might say to a patient, "You have an incurable form of cancer and about three months to live." Another oncologist, equally skilled but more sensitive, might say, "Your case is a challenging one, and I can make no promises. Nonetheless, the situation is not hopeless."

The former practitioner may be speaking the naked truth, but he has stripped his patient of any dignity and hope for a recovery. The latter physician has conveyed the seriousness of the situation in a compassionate manner that does not deny the gift of hope.

Joseph was able to get Pharaoh to accept his interpretation because he delivered it without causing the king undue emotional discomfort.

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