Both Yosef’s and Pharaoh’s dreams involved grain, but a significant difference between them reflects the fundamental disparity between what they each represent.
Yosef’s dream began with a scene of toil: he and his brothers were working the fields, binding sheaves of grain. Pharaoh’s dream, on the other hand, involved no labor: ears of grain grew from the ground spontaneously.
The contrast between their dreams highlights the difference between those who draw sustenance from kedushah, holiness, and those who are sustained by kelipah, unholy sources.
Deriving nourishment from unholy sources involves little or no effort. As Bnei Yisrael told Moshe, “We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge,” which, Rashi explains, means not that the Egyptians provided them with food at no cost, but that their lives in Egypt were free from mitzvah obligations. They referred to their food as “free of charge,” because nourishment from Egypt, an allusion to all things unholy, comes easily, without effort or toil.
Conversely, when one’s life is nurtured exclusively by kedushah, everything is earned through hard work. This is, in fact, G‑d’s means of granting us the greatest degree of delight, for ultimately, things that come without effort are not truly enjoyable. In the words of the Talmud Yerushalmi, “One who eats from the food of another is ashamed to look at his benefactor’s face.” The blessings we enjoy most are those we’ve earned, not those that are handed to us for free.
It is therefore only natural that the dreams of Yosef—representing the good and holy—began with toil and labor, while the dreams of Pharaoh—representing the unholy—were of growth that did not involve labor.
One who follows the demanding path of Yosef, however, can rest assured that his successes will follow the pattern of Yosef’s dreams: though his beginnings may be humble, he will ultimately reach great heights, like Yosef’s dreams, which progressed from the plant kingdom on earth to the celestial beings on high.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 3, pp. 807–808, 820
1. Bamidbar 11:5.
2. See Rashi ad loc.
3. Orlah 1:3.
