Mikeitz – “At the End Of”
Pharaoh’s dream.
Gen 41:17 – 24 “Then Pharaoh said to joseph, ‘In my dream, behold! — I was standing upon the bank of the River. And behold, out of the River there emerged seven cows, of robust flesh and beautiful form, and they were grazing in the marshland. Suddenly, seven other cows emerged after them — scrawny and of very inferior form and of emaciated flesh; I have never seen inferiority like theirs in all the land of Egypt. And the emaciated and inferior cows ate up the first seven health cows. They came inside them, but it was not apparent that they had come inside them, for their appearance remained as inferior as at first. Then I aoke. I then saw in my dream: Behold! — seven ears of grain were sprouting on a single stalk — full and good. And suddenly! — seven ears of grain, withered, thin and scorched by the east wind were growing after them. Then the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears; I said this to the necromancers, but no one could explain it to me.'”
The river represents a flow of the spirit. Since Pharaoh, could represent a type of adversary or a type of world leader, him standing upon the bank of the River could show that he’s witnessing a type of outpouring of the spirit. From the River emerged seven cows. The number seven means completion, and cows are female bulls. Bulls are used for atonement for the congregation for a hidden matter, a communal atonement for say idolatry, anointing a Kohen or the Sin offering on Yom Kippur and finally 1 or 2 bulls are offered during these feasts, Rosh Chodesh, Pesach, Shavuos, Yom Teruah, and Shemini Atzeres. So the cows represent a high level of authority but not an official authority, since their cows and not bulls.
These cows appear to be beautiful of form and of robust flesh, but the inferior cows of emaciated flesh, eat the first seven cows and it’s not apparent for their appearance remained as inferior as at first. The first seven cows and ears of grain appear to be healther and good, but the seven inferior cows and ears eat them and they don’t appear to be any better.
I think that the cows of beautiful form and robust flesh and the good ears of grain represent what we think is good, as seen by Pharaoh. When the emaciated cows and withered ears eat the good cows and good ears, they are unchanged in appearance. To me this represents what the “supposed good” looks like to YHVH. How the cows and ears overall were emaciated and withered but the full truth of this was revealed to the Pharaoh in his dream but ultimately to all the world and no one was able to survive without Joseph in Egypt and how he gave out grain to the entire world.