Miketz | The Heart of a King vs. The Heart of a Parent (Melakhim I 3:15 - 4:1)

This Haftora is read very rarely. Parashat Miketz is usually read on the Shabbat which falls during Channuka, with the Haftora  taken from Sefer Zekharia.

1. a. A King's Dream

The connection between the parasha and haftora is to be found in the very first words, "And Shlomo awoke and behold, it was a dream..."  This is an exact replica of the wording used in the parasha: "And Paroah awoke and behold, it was a dream..." (41:7) But the similarity ends here. In contrast to the parasha, which expounds at length as to the circumstances and content of the dream and its interpretation, this opening verse of the haftora represents the conclusion of the previously described prophetic dream which is not read as part of the haftora.

But already this one verse we discern a vast difference between the two circumstances.  Paroah awakens from his dream greatly disturbed as he fails to understand its meaning. He summonses the Egyptian magicians to try and find an explanation for his double dream.  Shlomo, on the other hand, awakens in a peaceful and contented frame of mind; the meaning of his dream is clear and bodes well.  Thus one dreamer awakens confused and uneasy; the other awakens like a wise man who knows everything.

Paroah summons his servants, the magicians and the wise men in order to have them share his confusion and unease; Shlomo invites his subjects to join in his celebration: "And he made a feast for all his servants..."

1. b. A Parent's Fear

But the crux of the haftora – the story of Shlomo's wise verdict concerning the two women – seems at first glance far removed from any connection with the parasha.  The following may help to explain: Shlomo's extraordinary wisdom finds expression here in his ability to discern the innermost feelings of a mother.  He understands that a mother who loves and cares for her son wants him to experience only good, even if he will not be with her.  She prefers that he be handed over to another woman – so long as he will not have to endure any torture. Shlomo's solution may well have been based on our parasha.  Yaakov displays a deep-seated concern for Binyamin's safety, and obstinately refuses to send him to Egypt together with his brothers, "lest disaster befall him."  But his refusal to send Binyamin the second time is inexplicable: if he sends him now, it is indeed possible that some disaster may befall him.  But if he does not send him, disaster is inevitable.  Shimon is already being held hostage in Egypt, and the viceroy has threatened that he will not be released until Binyamin is presented to him.

The heart of this father (and Yaakov serves Binyanim as father and mother together) prefers the situation of a son alive – even if he is far away in Egypt; even if he is in prison – to the remote possibility of something happening to another son on the road.

1. c. From Wisdom to Royalty

Yosef and Shlomo were both widely recognized for their unique wisdom.  This was not merely theoretical, abstract knowledge, but rather a wisdom which came down to the level of practical reality, providing solutions for situations of confusion and distress – whether on the national (Yosef) or individual (Shlomo) level.  Indeed, one momentary revelation of rare wisdom can be enough to demonstrate royalty; someone who has divine wisdom within him is worthy of ruling.  And so we read in the parasha, "And Paroah said to Yosef: Since God has shown you all of this there is no one more knowledgeable and wise than you. You will be appointed over my house and by your word shall all my people be ruled" (41:39-40). And in the haftora we read, "And all of Israel heard the judgment... and they feared the king for they saw that divine wisdom was within him to do justice.  So King Shlomo was king over all Israel."

(Translated by Kaeren Fish)