ספר בראשית

Concerning the question of Nachmanides that it is surprising that ‎Joseph’s prediction of seven years of famine was not fulfilled, and ‎that therefore his reputation as an interpreter of dreams must ‎have suffered, it appears that Joseph had covered this eventuality ‎by saying: (41,28) ‎אשר האלוקים עושה הראה לפרעה‎, “what G’d is ‎about to do He had shown Pharaoh.” This left it open to G’d to ‎forego the unpleasant part of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s ‎dream. G’d’s decrees, (negative ones) are definitive unless a ‎‎tzaddik intervenes and asks Him to cancel or to “soften” ‎them. On the other hand, the tzaddik has no power to ‎cancel or “soften” a decree by G’d which is manifestly beneficial ‎for the people concerned. When we read in 47,7 that Joseph ‎introduced his aged father Yaakov to Pharaoh, the Torah ‎describes this with the words: ‎ויעמידהו לפני פרעה‎, “he made him ‎stand (not bow) before Pharaoh.” This was a hint that his father ‎had the power to affect G’d’s negative decrees which his son had ‎predicted. In other words, although G’d had taken him, and ‎through him, Pharaoh, into His confidence, Yaakov, Joseph’s ‎father took precedence over both Joseph and Pharaoh in his ‎intimacy which G’d.‎