Different Dreamers

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed, and behold he stood on the river.                      Genesis 41:1

          My father noted the contrast between Pharaoh’s dream and that of Jacob [Genesis 28:12-13]:

And he dreamed, and there was a ladder set up and the earth and the top of it reached heaven, and there were angels of God ascending and descending the ladder. And behold, the Eternal stood above it …

The ancient Egyptians considered the River Nile to be a divinity, yet Pharaoh saw himself standing on the Nile. Pharaoh considered himself to be above his god.

Jacob, on the other hand, saw his God as being above him and as master of everything [our Sages’ tradition is that the width of the ladder was the width of the earth]. It is Jacob’s approach which leads him to accept the divine will.

          The difference in approach of Pharaoh and of Jacob led to rather different responses to their respective dreams. Pharaoh awakened after his first dream and was able to return to his sleep [apparently without difficulty, as we read in 41:5]. Jacob, upon awakening from his dream was afraid and in awe [28:16-17]. For one who stands above his god, that god is ultimately powerless and meaningless. It is Jacob’s awareness of his being subservient to his God which gives meaning to their relationship.