Parsha Miketz - Parsha Stumpers

פרשת מקץ

Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

1. Rashi (41:2,4) writes what the simanim in Pharoah's dreams meant. Why is Rashi telling us this here and not by Yosef's interpretations?
2. Rashi (41:8) differentiates between the dreams of Pharoah and those of Nevuchadnetzer. Nevuchadnetzer not only did not understand the meaning of his dreams, but also did not even remember his dreams. Why the difference?
3. Both Yosef and Pharoah had double dreams. Why?
4. The mefarshim explain that Yosef knew that the years of plenty and famine would happen very soon because Pharoah dreamed them one right after another. But what about Yosef's own dreams? He also had two dreams (seemingly one right after another) but his dreams did not come to reality until many years later?
5. Rashi (41:55) comments that Yosef made everyone in Mitzrayim get bris millah and move from their houses in order for the brothers to feel comfortable when they came down to Mitzrayim – a land where everyone had bris millah and everyone felt like a stranger after recently moving. Why would Yosef want to do this? As nice as it is to feel comfortable, is there not also a benefit to keeping distance when it comes to mingling among goyim?
6. The brothers exclaimed out of frustration, “What is this that Hashem is doing to us?” when they found that their money had been returned to them. Yet, we do not find such an expression when Shimon was taken to jail or when Yosef demanded them bring Binyamin to them, etc. Why only by this event?
7. When the brothers were trying to convince Yaakov to send Binyamin down with them, Reuvain spoke up and said that he could be trusted with Binyamin and if he does not take good care of him, then Yaakov could kill his two sons. What in the world was Reuvain thinking? Did he really believe that such talk would make Yaakov feel safe sending Binyamin with him?
8. When the brothers returned from Mitzrayim and realized that they were given back their money, they told Yaakov. However, Yaakov never seems to have reacted or responded with what they should do. Why?
9. The passuk (44:8) records that after Yosef accused the brothers of stealing his magic goblet, the brothers responded that if they were even willing to return the money that was given back to them “accidentally” when they could have gotten away with it, then certainly they would not actively steal something from Yosef. Rashi comments that this is actually one of ten kal v'chomeir's found in the Torah. What exactly is the kal v'chomeir though? Perhaps a magic goblet is something that would be worth taking since it seemingly gave Yosef power to know things about the shevatim that perhaps they would not want him to know. For example, we know that despite Yaakov avinu and his family not stealing anything from Lavan's house, Rachel stole his teraphim because she knew that Lavan would be able to use them to see where they ran to if she left them there (according to one explanation in Rashi there). So, what is the kal v'chomeir here?