Reply To: Short & Sweet

Mikeitz: Selective Hearing

After hearing Yosef interpret his dreams, Paroh was incredibly impressed. He remarked to his servants: ????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??, “Have we ever found such a man, that the spirit of G-d is with him?”Paroh immediately appointed Yosef to run the country.

And yet, points out R’ Dovid Povarsky, Paroh had a very different reaction when he was approached by even more impressive agents of Hashem. Rather than just interpret dreams, Moshe and Ahron performed actual miracles in front of Paroh. Yet instead of being impressed at their connection to the Divine, Paroh scoffed: ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????, “Who is G-d that I should listen to His word?” Why did Paroh have such a different reaction?

R’ Dovid Povarsky explains that the difference lay not in the messenger, but in the message. Yosef instructed Paroh how to save his kingdom through the upcoming years of famine. Moshe, on the other hand, commanded Paroh to let the slaves go, which would negatively impact the economy of Mitzrayim.

It is easy to be impressed by holy people and to listen to divine messages when we clearly see how they are to our benefit. The true test comes when their message seems to go against our interests. Will we be like Paroh and reject any that seems inconvenient, or will we listen anyway?

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