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<font size=3>At 06:51 PM 12/20/2008, Rn T. Katz wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">>>>>><br>
I find it hard to take that medrash seriously because there is simply
no <br>
textual support for the notion that Dinah was sent away or that she had
a <br>
daughter or that "Asnas bas Potiphera" was really "Asnas
the daughter of Dinah and <br>
Shechem" or that Eishes Potiphar adopted a daughter.
It's all based on <br>
what? And explains what?</blockquote><br>
I think the comments of RSRH on Bereshis 40:5 can be used to back up your
contention. <br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><b>5
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Both of them then had a
dream, each one his dream in the same night, each one as an
interpretation<br>
of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were
imprisoned in the prison. <br><br>
<br>
</i></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>An intelligent person
can discern the precise explanation of a dream,<br>
without being able to guarantee the dream’s fulfillment. The
interpretation<br>
must come from within the dream itself. Such an interpretation<br>
of a dream is a deep psychological task, just as the explanation of
any<br>
symbol, the hermeneutic interpretation of any verse, should be
<i>pisron</i>,<br>
explanation </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>from
within</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. There is no end
to the interpretations that can<br>
be </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>forced
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>upon any symbol or verse.
But there is only one interpretation<br>
— the right one — that will be found by one who seeks (thus the term<br>
<i>derush</i>) the interpretation
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>from
within</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. Just as at
organic birth and at the<br>
unfolding of every bud, there is an inner point from which the whole<br>
development takes its course, so in every “closed” symbolism, there
is<br>
a kernel of an idea which has to be grasped, whereupon all the rest<br>
automatically follows and becomes clear.<br><br>
RSRH does not use midrashim to explain pesukim all that often. To me it
seems that the above comments explain why. YL</font></body>
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