The Baker and the Wine Steward
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5774
Most of us are familiar with the story in which the baker and the wine steward who sin and end up jailed by pharaoh, have their dreams interpreted by joseph and end up introducing Joseph to pharaoh.
Let’s take a step back and take a closer look at the story.
Who offends Pharaoh?
What is the offense?
Who gets punished?
If those seem like silly questions listen to the following.
בראשית פרק מ
א) ויהי אחר הדברים האלה חטאו משקה מלך מצרים והאפה לאדניהם למלך מצרים
ב) ויקצף פרעה על שני סריסיו על שר המשקים ועל שר האופים
1. And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
- And Pharaoh was angry against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
In the first verse it appears to be the baker and wine steward that offend Pharaoh.
In the second verse it is the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers who incur Pharaoh’s wrath and not the baker and butler themselves.
In neither verse does it tell us what the sin is.
There are 3 different answers to the question.
The Kli Yakar argues that the baker and the chief of the bakers are actually the same person. He was the chief baker and he served the food to Pharaoh.
The reason that the Torah refers to him as simply the baker is to indicate to us that the nature of the sin is directly related to his job as baker and not his position as chief.
The Midrash records two possibilities regarding the sin of Pharaoh’s two servants. Some believe that there was a fly in the wine and a pebble in the bread. Others maintain that these two sought to marry Pharaoh’s daughters.
The Kli Yakar argues that the text indicates that the first option is correct, fly in the wine and pebble in the bread, by describing the chiefs as baker and butler, thus highlighting that the offense was related to the job and not the station.
The predominant approach offered by Radak, Sforno, Siach Yitzchak and others is that there are four people referred to in the verses. The two who commit the offense are the steward and baker. The two who get punished are the chief of the stewards and chief of the bakers.
The last approach is offered by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. He argues that there are only two people described in the verses, the chief who poured the wine and the chief who brought the bread. They are referred to as the baker and the chief to illustrate how they were perceived by different groups of people.
The common people saw them as Sarim, as chiefs while the Pharaoh and the elite ruling class saw them as nothing but servants. To the people he was the sar ha-ofim, the chief baker but to the king he was imply the baker, the one who made and brought his bread.
The theme that runs throughout this entire discussion is the equality of people. The class system and the lack of appreciation for the uniqueness of every individual as created in God’s image at some level defined Egyptian society.
That sense of station and job determining your worth is clear from Hirsch’s commentary.
According to one opinion raised by the Kli yakar the desire to marry up and engage one of Pharaoh’s daughters was an insult of such magnitude that it ended in jail and death.
It actually comes out most intensely in the majority approach. If the baker offended, why in the world would Pharaoh punish the chief of the bakers? He was not the one who let the pebble in!
Even if you want to argue that he was in charge and hired the wrong person and deserves punishment, then punish both the baker and the chief; why only jail the baker?
I think that the baker is not jailed because he is deemed so insignificant and so incapable that nothing can really be expected of such a person. He is so worthless that it is not even worth punishing him.
Although I could not find the source this week, I remember former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks arguing that God took group of slaves out of Egypt to become his chosen nation to teach the world the inherent spiritual potential within each human being.
That is a message that bears repeating! Each human being is deserving of respect. Let us remember not to judge people based on their station or status.
