וַיְהִי בַבֹּקֶר וַתִפָעֶם רוּחוֹ וַיִשְלַח וַיִקְרָא אֶת־כ ל־חַרְ טֻמֵי מִצְרַיִם וְאֶת־כ ל־חֲכָמֶיהָ
And it was in the morning, and his spirit was worried; And [thus] he called all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men... (Parshas Miketz, Bereishis 41:8)
Seems a bit odd on Pharaoh's part to call at once all of the magicians and all of wise men of Egypt for the task of interpreting his dream. What caused him to make such a drastic move?
Well let’s see what the Torah says right before this action: וַתִפָעֶם רוּחוֹ. Rashi explains that the word וַתִפָעֶם comes from the word “bell” (פעמון), as these words share the same root. The dibble in a bell moves restlessly back and forth inside the bell. Thus, the expression וַתִפָעֶם רוּחוֹ means, “and Pharoh’s spirit was restless like a bell”. Hence, it’s the lack of calmness that made Pharaoh make such a strange move.
We should learn from here an important lesson: First calm down, and only then make a decision.
Menucha
