Miketz 41:28
“That is the word that I spoke to Pharaoh:
what God is about to do, he has let Pharaoh see.”
This painting can be seen as three mysterious green prongs of the dream: The dream itself, the dreamer’s response and the wider impact of the dream. All of it shrouded in mystery. Dreams are one of the axes around which history revolves. Jacob’s Sulam is the first dream in Genesis, but dreams and visions have been key to relationship with the Divine from the outset.
Joseph and Pharaoh agreed on the significance of dreams. By putting the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams into action, the entire region is transformed. Throughout the years of famine, Joseph’s strategy saves countless lives, at the same time consolidates economic and political power within the throne that ultimately enslaves his own people.
For the most part, we have lost touch with dreaming. These powerful undercurrents give us access far beyond our limited daytime thoughts. Dreams are a conduit to the Divine. “What Gd is about to do…..they have let (substitute your name here) see.”
Etja Ruth is an artist whose work bridges art and healing, exploring the places where image, movement, and voice reveal the unseen. Learn more about her Bereshit/Genesis paintings here.
