Two Minute Torah Podcast

Vayeishev 5770 by Rabbi Michael Schwab

When you think about the Biblical character, Joseph, what association comes to mind? While there are many possibilities, what makes Joseph unique in the Torah and what guides him throughout his life, are his dreams and his ability to interpret them. His dreams are what led him to fulfill his ultimate destiny; his dreams are what separated him from others and allowed him to become a great leader.

Dreams are very powerful. I am convinced that even as a child my sleepy dreams inspired my wakened imagination and I believe also motivated me to see the world in a more magical way, as a world of heightened possibility and promise. Further, all the more significant are the dreams we create consciously as adults. These dreams are what shape our vision for life. They help us direct our energies and inspire us to reach our personal potential as well as help us contribute to the progress and development of the world as a whole. Jospeh's life teaches us that great successes are born of dreams and that dreams which are pursued can turn into a powerful reality that can shape the future.

Every institution, organization, business, community or government is trying to achieve success, as they define it. Each of their leaders is constantly evaluating how to realize that success, how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate people to do what they need them to do, how to accomplish their goals and how to decide what those goals should even be. As Tom Landry, one of football's outstanding coaches, said, "Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don't want to do so they can become what they want to become." The most successful of these groups and leaders are therefore the ones who dream of what could be, what they want to become, and then take their dream seriously enough to create a vision of how such ideas will come alive in the world. Dreams and visions therefore play central roles in our attempt to make a difference and achieve meaningful lasting success.

It was Joseph's ability to see into the future with his dreams and to see the future in the dreams of others that truly earned him the right to rule. Each of us, like each generation of Jews, faces new challenges. However, like Joseph, if we continue to value our dreams and the dreams of others, if we invest in them, we can continue to rise and ultimately be successful. To dream is to hope. And if we have a belief in a better future and the courage to imagine how we can reach it, we will surely make a significant difference in the world.