Pharaoh's Peace
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

December 13, 2015, Israel

It came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.  

And behold, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, of handsome appearance and robust flesh, and they pastured in the marshland.  

And behold, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, of ugly appearance and lean of flesh, and they stood beside the cows on the Nile bank

And the cows of ugly appearance and lean of flesh devoured the seven cows that were of handsome appearance and healthy; then Pharaoh awoke.

And he fell asleep and dreamed again, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, healthy and good

And behold, seven ears of grain, thin and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them.

And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears of grain; then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, a dream.

Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called all the necromancers of Egypt and all its sages, and Pharaoh related to them his dream, but no one interpreted them for Pharaoh.

Pharaoh woke up in a cold sweat. He had a bad dream, a recurring dream. He tried to sleep but it did not help. He called his trusted advisers and dream interpreters but it left him even more troubled. Seven fat cows, consumed by seven skinny emaciated cows, seven healthy stalks of grain consumed by seven poor ones..what does it mean? One adviser said you will have seven children and all shall die. Pharaoh's spirit was perturbed.

The greatest blessing in life is Peace. That is why the Aharonic priestly blessing ends with the blessing of Peace. He who has peace lacks nothing but the richest man in the world who lacks peace is still a deeply troubled man. Sleepless nights, a tormented soul. No rest for he with a troubled soul.

So Pharaoh hears of Joseph, a foreigner, a Hebrew, languishing in prison, and rushes him from the dungeon. The Torah stresses how fast this process took. Usually to get someone out of prison is a long process, but Pharaoh was troubled. They cut through all the red tape.

Joseph is presented before the great Pharaoh. and Pharaoh says I have heard about you that you can hear a dream and give its meaning.

Joseph answers....God will restore your peace. And Pharaoh, like a patient, begins...In my dream I am standing on the Ye'or...

Joseph interprets the dream, there will be seven years of plenty, great prosperity in all the land of Egypt, great news. But these will be followed by seven years of famine, and the famine will be so bad that it will be as if there seven years of plenty never were. The good times will be totally forgotten. The prosperity will be totally erased.

The dream has been interpreted, but that is not enough. No, just having this information is not enough to restore the peace of Pharaoh, to allow him a good night's sleep. That is never enough. What is needed is action, action to rectify the situation.

Many people are aware of a situation. They will meet in a coffee house and discuss, complain, till the cows come home, but they will take no action.

Many will write on Facebook, many will cry out "Whoa is me, poor me" but what they forget is that after Joseph gave his interpretation of the dream he also advocated action. Without missing a beat he said...and now Pharaoh should appoint a wise man, and many government officials, and they should be stationed throughout the land, and gather up the food during the years of plenty.

Having the interpretation of the dream is not enough. Having knowledge of what will come to pass is not enough. What separates leaders from the rest of us is the taking of action, at once! Many master politicians make their homes in coffee shops. There they preach and sermonize over a good strong cup of coffee. The "Parliament" meets and decides what is best for the country. But of course none of this makes any difference and no one is listening or taking note of the proceedings. The coffee is consumed and everyone goes home.

Action, decisive action, not self-pity. Joseph interpreted the dream, gave practical advice that involved everyone, and took charge of the situation himself. Thus he prevented the people from starving and he said the kingdom of Pharaoh.

To restore your sense of peace, action will be required.

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