After the events recounted in the previous chapter, about Joseph's master - Potiphar, who put him into the prison for ten years, because the master's wife complained about Joseph. The Midrash explains: Joseph stayed in prison ten years because he spoke evil gossip on his ten brothers to his father; from that we must know that every one who speaks evil gossip will be punished by HaShem.

Parshat Miketz starts by telling us that after two years, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a dream (seven thin cows, eating seven fat cows).

And the question is: after two years of what? The Midrash explains; Joseph stayed in prison for an extra two years because he asked the drink servant, who was with him in prison, to request the king to release him, when he should have trusted only in HaShem to release him. So those two years came before Pharaoh's dream.

Joseph deserved punishment because a person at his level should have been completely confident in HaShem, and he should have taken an example from his father Jacob, his grandfather Yitzchak, and his great-grandfather Abraham, who all trust only in HaShem.

According to the sources, Joseph requested from the drink servant to make mention of him to the king Pharaoh. Because Joseph heard among the people in the prison that king Pharaoh is not of Egyptian extract, but rather an extract of Ishmaels, who captured and ruled over the Egyptians. Ishmaels came from Yishmael the son of Abraham and Hagar, that brings to Joseph the idea that he is a relative of Pharaoh, and maybe that can help him to get out of prison. And specifically hence, he is punished more.

We must learn that we should trust only in HaShem.

Pharaoh was busy congratulating himself that Heaven had revealed that he was the most powerful ruler of his day, and a famine was due to begin in another seven years' time.

The Egyptians, however, felt that Heaven had imparted this important information to their king only because they, themselves, were deserving of divine protection.

Joseph realized that Pharaoh and the Egyptian people were both mistaken. Neither the sovereign nor his people were deserving of HaShem's intervention in order to spare them.

Proof of that is, Pharaoh had strange dreams. Usually according to laws of nature, the strong overcome the weak, and in the dreams of Pharaoh we see the opposite; seven thin cows eat seven fat cows, the weak overcoming the strong. That is why the magicians of Egypt cound not decipher the dreams, which were the opposite of the laws of nature.

From the dreams of Pharaoh, and the dreams of the drink servant and the baker servant, Joseph understood that it was all part of HaShem's plan, to free him from prison and elevate him to the position of viceroy of all Egypt
Therefore Joseph says to Pharaoh: "Es Asher HaElokim Asah Hegid L’Pharaoh" (What HaShem is about to do he hath declare unto Pharaoh).
That's was the reason that a specific agent was needed to supervise the storing of grain in anticipation of the famine. The events that unfolded were for the benefit of Klal Yisroel, and not for Paroah and the Egypians.

This Parsha is usually read during the Chanukah holiday, where we see the contradiction of the laws of nature again. The Makabim, that were weak and few, overcome the Greeks that were many and stronger.

Chazal tell us: "Maaseh Avos, Siman L’banim", events in the lives of our forefathers foreshadow what will happen to us, their descendants. When the time comes for us to be redeemed from the prison of golus, we, too, will be transformed swiftly from lowly, despised foreigners to royal princes.

The Torah mentions Pharaoh's Dreams two times: First, when Pharaoh was actually dreaming. And second, when he tells it to Joseph. However, Pharaoh changes the words from his original dream, and Joseph corrects him exactly the way Pharaoh saw it in his dream.

Pharaoh was amazed seeing that Joseph not only corrected his dreams, and explains the meaning of them, but also gives him instructions how to avoid the famine which his dream predicted.

Its seems odd that someone who had started that day as a lowly prisoner should be so presumptuous as to give advice to the ruler of mighty Egypt. At this point Pharaoh himself starts to believe in supreme power, and therefore he said to Joseph: "for as much as G-d hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou.”

We see here a change in Pharaoh's thinking, now believing in supreme power, therefore he called Joseph discreet (as a prophet) and wise. Discreet, because he knew Pharaoh’s dream and wise, because he knew how to interpret and solve the dream.

In the Bible we usually find, wisdom comes before discretion, like is written in Torah:
• "Chahamim u-nivonim" (Deuteronomy 1, 33).
• "Am chaham venavon" (Deuteronomy 4, 6)
The chacham (wise) comes from learning books, and rabbinic teachers, and the navon (discreet), comes from himself when he becomes chacham. But a person, who is considered to be discreet before wisdom, has, of course a supreme power.

We learn from this Parasha two important lessons:
1- We shall not speak evil gossip.
2. We shall trust only in HaShem

The connection between this Parsha and Chanukah:
CHazal tells us:
• “Shenasayim Yamim” Smol Ner Tadlik Yamin Mezuzah (We begin the Chanukah lighting from the left side face to the Mezuza)
• Joseph suffered but trusted in HaShem, and eventually he became viceroy of the king.
• The Maccabim suffered from the Greeks, but trusted in HaShem. They overcome them and became kings.
• Joseph gave his brother Binyamin five times as many portions than he gave his other brothers (in the Torah, the Hebrew word for times is Yadot - hands) . And we find in the special prayer of Hanukah - Al Hanisim, 5 Yadot, hands:
1. Strong into the hand of week. Gebarim B’yad Chalashim
2. The many into the hand of few. Rabim B’yad M’etim
3. The guilty into the hand of the upright. T’mayim B’yad T’horim
4. The impure into the hand of the pure. Reshoyim B’yad Tzadikim
5. Tyrants into the hand of the devotees of thy teaching. Zadim B’yad oskay Sorosecha
• “Chamesh Yades” (in initial) Chodesh Milah Shabbos.
The Greeks forbid the Jewish People from observing three Mitzvoth: Chodesh, Brit Mila and Shabbat:
• In Parashat Miketz there are 2025 words. Ner in numerology is 250 x 8 days of Hanukah holiday + 25 is the date of Hanukah, total is 2025.
• We find a hint of Hanukah in Genesis; first chapter of the creation of the world: the 25th word is ohr means light (25 of kislev is the date of Hanuka).
• We find in Parashat Masei, that the 25th journey is located in Hashmona, (the city of the Macabim).
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukah.