There are three themes in this
parasha that I want to describe and interpret. The themes are dreams, hunger, and anger. Dreams set the context for all of the events. The story of Yaakov and Yosef’s lives are seen through the lens of dreams. Yaakov’s journey started with a dream. God spoke to him in Lavan;s house in a dream. He saw the angels again during his return journey. Yosef’s dreams led to his enslavement. In jail, he encountered the dreams of fellow prisoners. Now, the
parasha opens with Pharaoh’s dreams and Yosef’s interpretation. Dreams form the broader context for understanding Yosef’s relationship to himself, to his brothers, to his father and to God. His story is a story of that inner life, which is why, perhaps, the external reality of famine is the event that dominates this dramatic part of Yosef’s life. Everything occurring on the outside reflects the deeper inner reality. The outer starvation points to the famine churning deeply inside of him.