Parshat Miketz: Dreams and Destiny 

Melachim Aleph 3:15-4:1 

״חלום חלמתי ואיני יודע מה הוא.״

“I have dreamed a dream and I do not know what it means.” These words are part of the paragraph we recite in the Diaspora between the phrases of Birkat Kohanim. Generally these words are understood as a plea of Hashem to make our dreams comprehensible. 

As the backdrop to our Haftorah, we read about Shlomo HaMelech’s dream in which Hashem asks him to make a request. Shlomo asks to be blessed with wisdom to judge the nation with justice and discernment. Hashem approves and fulfills Shlomo’s petition and indeed, we consider Shlomo to be the wisest of all men. This week’s Haftorah begins with a continuation of this story. Shlomo displays his wisdom in the well-known incident with two women claiming the same child as their own. His brilliance establishes the monarchy and guides him through his forty-year reign.

In Parshas Mikeitz we read the continuation of the story of Yosef and his dreams. Yosef’s dreams were about his destiny to rule over his brothers, which he then shares with them to their great dismay. By strong contrast, Shlomo’s dream is not a prediction about his future rulership over Klal Yisroel but rather provides the opportunity to request the ability to rule his people justly. 

These stories are similar in that Yosef and Shlomo are two titanic figures whose dreams guide them to enormous success and to the pinnacle of leadership. These holy men understood that their dreams required them to strive for greatness. And they did.

Perhaps then our supplication in Birkat Kohanim should be understood not merely as an appeal for clarity of our dreams, but as a hope that we understand our innermost dreams and aspirations to best fulfill our potential. May we be zoche to profound dreams, appreciate their deepest meanings and climb the highest heights possible. May we see the fulfillment of our national dream, peace and harmony in our land.