A Yearfor a Word – Why? 
In our classthis week on Miketz, we looked at the concept of memory and forgetting (pleasesee that class online).  
The classdeals with the concept of memory.  
The butlerforgets to mention Yosef.  
Pharaohforgets the dreams meaning. 
Yosef isreleased on Yom Ha-zikaron- Rosh Hashana - the day of memory.  
Yosefconnects to Pharaohs dream.  
But whywould a former slave interpreting a dream be placed in charge of the entirecountry? 
His brothersdon’t recognize Joseph.  
Herecognizes them.  
He remembersthe dream.  
How doesmemory zecher relate to zachar which relates to male ? And how do both relateto Binah which relates to female ? 
And how doesany of this relate to the candles of Hanukkah. 
 
 
 
We ended theclass with a question: Why are Yosef and Yaakov both punished with the loss ofa year for a word? 
Let us firstsee where these occur. 
This week,the Torah begins: וַיְהִ֕י מִקֵּ֖ץ שְׁנָתַ֣יִם יָמִ֑ים וּפַרְעֹ֣ה חֹלֵ֔ם וְהִנֵּ֖העֹמֵ֥ד עַל־הַיְאֹֽר׃ After two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he wasstanding by the Nile. 
Two yearsafter what? 
If we returnto the last verse of last week’s parasha, we see it was two years since the SarHaMashkim – the butler was released. The pasuk states: וְלֹֽא־זָכַ֧ר שַֽׂר־הַמַּשְׁקִ֛יםאֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵֽהוּ׃ {פ} Yet the chief cupbearer did not think ofJoseph; he forgot him. 
Rashicomments: Joseph’s request to the cupbearer, “But remember me when it is wellwith you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh…” isseen as a lapse in his faith. The Midrash interprets that because Joseph askedtwice—“remember me” and “make mention of me”—he was punished with twoadditional years in prison, one for each plea. 
Chizkunistates: “But the chief of the cupbearers did not remember Joseph. Since he didnot bring Joseph’s plight to Pharaoh’s attention as soon as he had beenreleased, he forgot him totally, erased him from his memory.” 
MidrashTanchuma disagrees, as we mentioned in the class. The butler tried each day toremind himself to tell Pharaoh, but no matter his reminders, he forgets, asHeaven ordained it as such that Joseph be punished for these two words. 
RegardingJoseph, we also see it suggested that his first 10 years in prison were midahkeneged midah – measure for measure – in his criticism of his 10 brothers. Andthen two more years for two words to the butler? 
Now we askedthe question in the class, isn’t Hishtadlut, human effort, required? And we aretold one request would have been sufficient. The double wording resulted in thepunishment. 
Next week,we will read in Vayigash where Jacob is introduced to Pharaoh, who asks whatwould seem to be a very strange question: How old are you? 
Jacobdescribes his life to Pharaoh, where the exchange uses 33 words to convey hishardships. The Midrash suggests that as a consequence of this negativeportrayal, 33 years were deducted from his life, resulting in his death at 147instead of 180, the age his father Isaac reached. 
MidrashTanchuma, Vayigash 9: “Because Jacob complained and said, ‘Few and evil havebeen the days of the years of my life,’ the years were deducted from his life.” 
Rashi: “Thedays of my life have been few and bad—therefore, he did not reach the years ofhis fathers.” 
Although thequestion we are hoping to answer is a year for a word, let us try to betterunderstand this exchange and why Yaakov is punished not only for his 25 wordsbut for the 8 describing the exchange. 
The Rambanand Rashbam explain that Yaakov looked extremely old, and his appearance struckPharaoh so much that he was aroused to ask how old Yaakov actually was. Yaakovanswered him that although he was very old, he looked even older due to themany difficulties that he underwent in his life. 
It stillremains difficult why Yaakov offered such a seemingly pessimistic answer. Myfirst thought was always, Pharaoh represents the Nachash with a snake and anevil eye prominent on his crown. Maybe this was Yaakov’s attempt to throw offthe evil eye or ayin harah. I had no source, but was happy when I saw that RavYonatan Gefen quotes Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, who suggests that Yaakov didnot want to arouse the jealousy of Pharaoh, so he emphasized the difficultiesof his life. If that was the case, then why was he punished? 
It seemsthat regardless of the reason for his answer, the Sages are critical of Yaakov.The Daat Zekeinim cite an astounding Midrash: 'At the time that Yaakovsaid, 'few and bad have been the days of my life', The Holy One said to him, 'Isaved you from Esav and Lavan, I returned Dina to you, and also Yosef, and youcomplain about your life that they were few and bad?! By your life, the numberof words from 'and [Pharaoh] said, until the 'days of their sojourns' so toowill be reduced from your years, that you will not live to the age of yourfather, Yitzchak'. Because Yitzchak lived for 180 years, and Yaakov only livedfor 147 years.' 
The 13thcentury French commentator, Hizkuni, has a more critical take on Jacob sitingthe same Midrash. Essentially, he calls him ungrateful.  
Is hesuggesting that Yaakov is a bitter man, and Hashem does not let him off thehook? Looking back on his life, does Jacob see only disappointment and regret?Can we even suggest that he is blind to the fact that he has survived all thistime, that his children are all alive, and with him? He has managed to acquireeverything he ever set his mind to: the birthright, the blessing, his belovedRachel, he’s gotten Joseph back. He has become wealthy, and now finds himselfin Egypt with a household numbering 70 souls, not including the wives! This isa man who has been supremely blessed in life. 
Are theRabbis asking that when he looks in the mirror, what does he see? Struggle,going all the way back to his uterine striving with his brother Esau. Hissuccess at acquiring the birthright and blessing has been accompanied by fearof retribution and probably guilt. He gets his beloved Rachel, but at the“expense” of being first tricked into marrying Leah. He builds a largehousehold, but one that has been mired in scheming, distrust, and discord. Hereceives a new name, Israel, but walks away with a limp to serve as a reminderfor the rest of his life. He has twelve sons and one daughter, but has togrieve for 22 years over the presumed death of his favorite, possibly realizingthat his playing favorites makes him at least partially responsible. 
In all this,let us not forget the words of our sages: Hashem is strict to a hairbreadthwith Saddikim. Chazal magnify the “mistakes” of the avot to teach. And whencriticism is offered on the Avot, it’s a lesson to us, because who are we toeven consider criticizing these angelic ancestors? 
As we noted,Jacob himself only used 25 words - the other 8 words comprised the Torah'sdescription of Pharaoh's initial question to Yaakov about his age. We cansuggest that it's understandable that Yaakov was penalized for his own negativeassessment of his life, but why should he be punished for Pharaoh's question? 
RavShmuelevitz explains that Yaakov looked so old because of his attitude towardshis sufferings. Had he not felt so negative about his life, then he would neverhave appeared so old, and he would never have aroused Pharaoh to immediatelyask his age. Thus, in the same way that he lost 25 years for his attitudetowards his pain, he even lost 8 years because that same attitude caused him tolook in such a way that caused Pharaoh to even ask the question. This teachesus that a person's internal attitude reflects on his outward appearance, and ifsuch an appearance transmits a negative message, then a person is heldresponsible for that. 
RabbiAbittan often told us that our face is in reshut harabim, the public domain,and a smile or a frown we have has an effect on all those around us. Thus, oneis not permitted to frown in public. 
A secondimportant point can be gleaned from a careful reading of God's criticism ofYaakov. God did not say that Yaakov did not endure any difficulties; rather, Hefocused on the four great difficulties that Yaakov faced in his life: Esav'sthreat to Yaakov, Yaakov's torrid time with Lavan, the episode of Dina'sabduction, and the disappearance of Yosef. God noted that ultimately, He savedYaakov from the threats of Esav and Lavan, and returned Dina and Yosef home. Itseems that the emphasis of the criticism of Yaakov was that he focused on thepain of those events when instead he should have stressed the fact that Godsaved him each time, despite the fact that he endured untold suffering in themidst of those episodes. 
Rav Gefenoffers this as a very powerful lesson to each and every one of us. Whendelivered from an ordeal, how does one relate to the past events: does he focuson the pain and suffering, or on the final, positive result? God's stern rebukeof Yaakov teaches us that each person has an obligation to focus on thepositive ending and not dwell on the pain. Moreover, Rabbi Shmuelevitz'sadditional observation makes an even more demanding requirement - that even ifa person underwent great suffering, he still has a responsibility to radiate ahappy expression. 
And with allthat, I still go back to why a year per word? 
Let's lookat a third example, which we read about in two weeks: 
In ParashatVayehi, it is noted that Joseph lived to be 110 years old, 10 years less thanthe ideal lifespan of 120. The Midrash attributes this reduction to the tentimes Joseph remained silent when his brothers referred to their father Jacobas “your servant” in his presence, without protesting. 
Let usrecall that when Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt, they referred to their fatheras “your servant, our father” (Genesis 44:24) in Joseph’s presence. AlthoughJoseph knew this was inappropriate, he did not correct them. 
We see thewords of Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 100:10: “Because Joseph heard his brotherssay ‘your servant, our father’ ten times and did not protest, ten years werededucted from his life.” 
And theGemarah in Sotah 13b: “Joseph died before his brothers because he conductedhimself with authority, and also because he heard them say ‘your servant, ourfather’ and was silent.” 
Again, ayear for each time it was said and each time it was repeated. How can weunderstand such a punishment? 
I firstposed this question in a class I gave five years ago and hoped to come backwith an answer, but in five years of asking, I have not received an answer thatsatisfied me. 
Thus, what Ishare with you can be accepted or rejected, because although I do my best tosource, my conclusions may simply be my own. 
So, bearwith me. See if this makes sense and we can continue the discussion. 
I begin withthe power of speech. We define four types of creation: Mineral, Vegetable,Animal, and Speaking, which is man. Speech defines the highest form ofcreation. We also say with ten sayings or with the power of speech, Hashemcreated the world. We can also refer to the magic words abracadabra – which webelieve is really the Hebrew words Ahbera Kedabera, I shall create that which Ishall speak. 
Rabbi Krohnexplains that words can build and words can break. Rabbi Abittan would remindus that words create reality. 
Let uscontemplate that the concept of a year of punishment for a word, as seen in theexamples from Sefer Bereshit, reflects a deep interplay between time, speech,and accountability. Our rabbis explore the significance of the Hebrew wordshana (year) and its connection to words and actions, emphasizing the weight ofeach utterance and its cosmic impact. 
The Hebrewroot שנה (shana) means both “year” and “to repeat” or “to change.” This triplemeaning implies that a year represents cycles, repetitions, and opportunitiesfor transformation (or to repeat and failure). We can see this in how wecelebrate Rosh Hashana with an opportunity to bury the past and start new orrelinquish the opptunity by repeating the mistakes. There is significance in Yosefbeing released from prison on Rosh Hashana. Each year is a complete cycle oftime within which spiritual rectifications can occur. 
Our words,or speech (dibbur), which emerges from the soul, is a creative force that canimpact these cycles. Misusing speech disrupts the divine harmony, requiring aprocess of correction that aligns with the passage of time. 
In ourclass, we mentioned that Yosef is an extension of Yaakov. What happens to oneoften happens to the other. We also note that Yaakov is the culmination, thechosen of the Avot. Yosef represents the link to Malchut and as the link is theone who supplies food to all. He is the mefarness or supplier to the world. Yosefalso relates to Binah. 
Pharaohappoints him as he is looking for someone who can connect to Chochmah andBinah. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, אֵין־נָב֥וֹןוְחָכָ֖ם כָּמֽוֹךָ׃ there is none so discerning and wise as you. He asks for aman of wisdom and understanding, but these words relate to more than knowledge.Pharoah is referring to a spiritual reality of those spheres at a point abovenature and looking at a way to bypass Nature. He understands from Joseph’sexplanation that the only way to overcome a natural disaster is through someonewho is capable of overcoming nature. Yosef in his interaction with Potiphar’swife represents the ultimate in self-control beyond nature. He is alsoassociated with being shomer o guarding the Brit Milah, which is associatedwith the number 8 and that which is above nature. Extending numerically frombelow beginning with Malchut or Kingdom, to above, Binah relates to the number8, again above nature. 
Binah alsorelates to the creation of time. Now a year represents a full cycle ofcreation, incorporating all dimensions of time: past, present, and future. Eachoffense, particularly in speech, carries consequences that ripple through thesedimensions. Therefore, the punishment of a year per word corresponds to thetime required to repair the disruption caused by misused speech. 
And of allpeople on earth, this is especially relevant to Yosef and by extension toYaakov, and thus the examples of punishing a year for a word relate to the twoof them. 
Returning tothe examples brought, Joseph’s plea to the cupbearer, “Remember me… and mentionme,” (Genesis 40:14) on Joseph’s exalted level, is seen as a lack of faith inHashem, as he relied on human intervention. We can suggest that the misuse ofwords reflects a misalignment in the sefira of Malchut, the realm of speech andmanifestation. (See also our class on the expanded Neshama of Shabbat where weendevour to expand our souls – Neshama yetera – from Malchut to Binah bypassingnature or ze’er anpin). Each year corresponds to a full cycle required torealign the spiritual flow disrupted by these words. 
Again, whenJacob tells Pharaoh about the hardships of his life, this causes a“diminishment” in Jacob’s life, reducing his years by 33 to 147, instead of hisfather Isaac’s 180. Again, we can suggest that each word spoken carries adistinct spiritual energy. The negativity of these words created “blemishes” inthe upper worlds, requiring 33 “earth” years to balance and rectify. 
Finally,Joseph lives to 110 instead of 120 because he passively allowed his brothers torefer to their father as “your servant” multiple times without correcting them.Each instance of passive consent disrupted the honor due to Jacob. We cansuggest that Joseph’s silence disrupted the flow from above to below, which he,at the time exclusively, was responsible for. Each “blemish” required a year ofrectification, symbolized by his shortened lifespan. 
The lessonto us is that words are not merely sounds but vessels of creative energy,capable of building or destroying spiritual worlds. Misused words create“blockages” that require rectification through time. 
And thattime, perhaps specifically the block we call shana or year, represents acomplete cycle of the natural and spiritual world where we can repair or damagethrough our actions and words. 
Perhaps wecan understand the concept of “one year per word” to imply that each utterancehas a proportional effect on the cosmos, requiring a full cycle to repair. 
Those whostudy the Chafetz Chaim lesson a day can explain that improper speech disturbsthe harmony of the sefirot. As an extension, lack of bitachon (relative to thissadik) calling for excessive reliance on human intervention (Joseph’s case) ordiminishing gratitude (Jacob’s case) introduces spiritual “blemishes.” 
The Torah,written in words, is the template for creation. Misusing speech is akin todistorting the divine blueprint. Each year corresponds to the time required torestore the integrity of this blueprint in creation. 
Can wesuggest in conclusion that a punishment of one year per word specifically toYosef and Yaakov reflects the profound connection between time (shana) andspeech (dibbur)? Ought we not be reminded in such a harsh way for something souniverse-altering that words are not mere sounds but carriers of divine energy,and time is the framework for rectification? How much should we remindourselves that misused words disrupt the cosmic balance? I am struck by shanameaning change, as well as year and also the verb to repeat. Each year, we havea choice: we can repeat our mistakes or we have the shana, the year, to repairand make a change. 
Howbeautiful are the lessons of the Torah, the stories of the Avot in teaching usthe proper path of life to choose? How much do we need to be reminded of theimportance of mindful speech and bitachon in Hashem? And finally, to realizethe gift of time and to utilize each moment properly. 
Sorry, thiswas so long. I hope this tries to answer the question I have had for so manyyears.  
Lookingforward to your thoughts and comments. 
ShabbatShalom from Jerusalem, 
David 
 

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