It opens with a simple question: "And Pharaoh was dreaming" – do not all people dream? What’s so special about his?

The answer, according to Rabbi Yoḥanan, is that a king’s dream pertains to the entire world. Think about the weight of that!

The text then delves into the specifics of Pharaoh's dream, focusing on the imagery of the Nile River. "And, behold, he stood al the Nile," which can also be interpreted as "over the Nile." The rabbis contrast this with how the righteous relate to God. The wicked, like Pharaoh, stand “over” their gods, while God stands “over” the righteous to protect them, as we see in Genesis 28:13, "Behold, the Lord stood over him" (referring to Jacob). It's a subtle but powerful distinction.

Then comes the description of the dream itself: seven beautiful, fat cows emerging from the Nile, followed by seven ugly, lean cows. What does it all mean?

Bereshit Rabbah suggests that the Nile itself is key. "And, behold, [there were coming up] from the Nile" – this was a hint to him. A hint that just as Egypt's bounty and famine both depend on the Nile, so too did the meaning of the dream flow from it.

And it gets even more interesting! The text connects the abundance of the good years to harmony and brotherhood. "And, behold, from the Nile" – when the years are good, the creatures become aḥim (אחים), brethren, with one another. "They grazed in the pasture [baaḥu]" – love (ahava) and fraternity (aḥva) come to the world. See how the rabbis are playing with the Hebrew language, drawing connections between seemingly disparate words? It's a classic midrashic technique.

The text finds support for this idea in other biblical verses, like Isaiah 30:23: "Your livestock will graze on that day on a broad plain [kar nirḥav]" – a satiated [kiri] slave, a satiated [kiri] master. And Psalms 72:3: "The mountains will bear peace [for the people]" – if the mountains have borne their produce, there is peace among the people. Abundance leads to peace and harmony.

But what about the bad years? The seven thin, blighted stalks? Here, Bereshit Rabbah offers a more somber interpretation. "And, behold, seven stalks, thin…" – when the years are bad, people’s bodies break out in sores. There’s a connection drawn here between the word for growing, tzomeḥot (צומחות), and the rabbinic Hebrew term tzemaḥim (צמחים), which can also mean sores. Scarcity and hardship manifest physically, impacting people's bodies.

So, what can we take away from all this? It's not just about interpreting a dream, is it? It’s about the interconnectedness of things. The Nile, the cows, the stalks, the prosperity, the famine, the relationships between people – everything is linked. It's a reminder that our well-being is often tied to the well-being of others and to the health of the world around us. And that sometimes, the most profound truths are hidden in the most unexpected places… like the dreams of a Pharaoh.