The Chofetz Chaim provides an instructive parable that would serve as a framework within which to view the current Parshios, and Miketz in particular.
A villager came to the big city for the first time and wanted to take in all of its sights. For the very first time he saw a train station and wanted to see how it operated. He came to the train station well in advance of the time that the train was scheduled to arrive. He waited and then after a certain period, an official looking person exited the building, stood on the platform and blew a whistle. The villager saw that other passengers started to take hold of their packages and belongings. A couple of minutes later the same official came out again and whistled a second time. The people stood up and started approaching the train.
Two minutes later the scene was repeated and almost immediately the train pulled into the station and all the passengers started climbing aboard. About five minutes later, he blew the whistle again and a stream of white vapor came out of the engine. Finally, a minute later the whistle was blown once more and the train pulled out of the station.
This visitor decided that he had to give expression to his feelings and so he approached the official and said, "Sir, let me express my admiration for this train station and all that you are able to do. I have seen a train passing my village often but never realize how much your Excellency does to provide these services. I am pleased to pay my respects to your honor."
The train official was taken aback. Why was he addressed with so much respect? When he asked the village that question, the answer was forthcoming. "I never imagined the power of a whistle. I find that it is amazing that with a few sounds of your whistle command that mighty locomotive to come and stop and then to send on its journey. You are certainly a man with great authority!"
Of course this story represents a misconception one might have. Chofetz
Chaim tells us that a casual reader of Chumash may think that because of the dreams that Par'o and others dreamt, the whole episode, Yosef's rapprochement with his brothers and his reunion with his father, was able to take place. All that occurred was due to the dreams. In his Moshol we learn that the dreams were merely a signal. They had no power to cause anything to occur. They only served as a means of calling attention to the truth that was able to unfold.

We may thus ask, if they were not substantively important, why were dreams the vehicle that HaKodosh Boruch used in order to help these Divinely directed events to unfold?
If we look for the commonality in the dreams of Par'o, for there was certainly such ["chalom Par'o e'chod hu" (Perek 41/ Posuk 26)], we may discover that in each of them an object that first appeared was consumed and completely out of sight. Whether the sheaves or the cows, the article completely disappeared from the range of vision. "…v'o no'da' ki bo'u b'kir'be'no" (Posuk
21). It could not perceive that the healthy cows were inside the scrawny ones.
That is, not only are dreams phenomena that take place within an individual, the content of these particular dreams were also "inside".
We may induce from this that there was a message that was being given to
Yosef to look inward, to focus on that which was inside him, not on the events outside of him. This message would be particularly relevant for Yosef so that he should not misinterpret what we know to be the facts. Though he asked the Minister of Drink to remember him, the latter conveniently dropped the memory from his repertoire. That the Torah's narrative tells us. When, for his own benefit, the Minister tells Par'o of Yosef's ability, he does his utmost to disparage him (Rashi Posuk 12). Yosef, however, had no way of knowing what we know after the fact. Perhaps he thought that the Minister worked on his behalf and saved him. Perhaps he thought that salvation was going to come from at outside and "natural" source. To this reason, the dreams and their content become a means of giving a message to Yosef.
However, it was not to Yosef alone that this message had to be sent. The nature of the "p'nimi'yus", the inside truth of personal existence [see last week's citation from Rav Dessler Zt"l], had to be understood by his brothers as well.
When the brothers first saw Tzofnas Pa'neach they could not recognize him
(Perek 42/Posuk 8). Yosef, however, did recognize them. Chazal (Masseches
Y'vomos 88) explain that Yosef, younger than most of his brothers, left them as a lad, without "chasimas zakan", beardless. Now that he was mature they could not recognize him. His older brothers were already bearded and their appearances had not changed and thus were easy to recognize. Of course, this does not explain how Yosef recognized the brothers who were younger than him [see Ramban]. It would thus seem likely to explain that the issues involved here go far beyond changing appearance over two decades that can certainly be confusing and misleading.
The words "zokon"-beard and "zoken"-elder all stem from the same root. A wise man is connoted by the word "zokon" since we can assume that wisdom is acquired with age and an aged person, symbolized by one who has a beard, should have acquired that wisdom. Of course, Chazal remind us that

"ZaKeN" is an acronym for "Zeh KoNon chochmoh". Thus, the beard is merely an outward symbol. Whether or not one is a "zoken", as a synonym for a chochom, is determined solely by his attainment of wisdom.
When writing that the lack of recognition was based on "chasimas zokon" we have a clear message. They were looking on the outside, the exterior, when they should have been focused on the inside, in seeing that which was obvious. Yosef was an outsider as it became even clearer to them later on
(Perek 43/Posuk 32). However, that message was not understood at its time. When the focus is on the outside redemption is beyond reach. We find that the salvation does occur when internalization becomes more pronounced.
When threatened with imprisonment until they would bring Binyomin, the brothers have a seemingly private conversation. "Va'yom'ru ish el o'chiv, a'vol a'shei'mim a'nach'nu" (Perek 42/Posuk 21). "And they said each man to his brother, in fact we are guilty". Why was it necessary to say "ish el ochiv", each man to his brother? Why wouldn't the word "va'yomru"-and they said, convey the very same message?
The answer is that each person said about himself, "I am guilty". If it would only have been written as "vayomru" we might think it was a group pronunciation. Now that it was said individually we can understand that it was not a unified proclamation. Rather each brother took responsibility and thereby it came out that they said, "we are all guilty". It was not a fingerpointing accusatory statement. It was an expression of an inner sense of responsibility.
In that light, Reuven's statement in the following verses, "Ha'lo o'mar'ti lochem…", I told you so, shows that the internalization was not complete.
Our understanding of Reuven's attempt to persuade his father to send
Binyomin to Tzofnas Paneach strengthens this conclusion. Reuven said, "es sh'nei vo'nai to'mis" (Posuk 37). You, Yaakov my father, can kill my two sons if Binyomin is harmed. The Torah's narrative makes it appear as if Yaakov
Ovinu did not respond at all to this statement of his eldest son. Rashi explains that Yaakov saw suggestion as being imbecilic. Were not Reuven's sons the progeny of Yaakov as well? Would Yaakov have any satisfaction from their deaths?
What is it that persuades Yaakov Ovinu? Yehuda says "o'nochi e'er'venu"
(Perek 43/Posuk 9). I take responsibility. If I fail, "v'cho'tosi l'cho kol ha'yomim". I will have sinned to you forever. There was nothing to add.
Yehuda understood the depth of commitment. It had to come from the inside. External promises, whatever they would be, had no meaning. The loss of Yosef was irreplaceable. The loss of Shimon was irreplaceable. The threat to Binyomin was just as serious. There was nothing to say but to put one's personal integrity on the line. The sense of personal responsibility was what was offered. It was the very essence of Yehuda that he offered to his father and his father accepted it.

The shift has been made. Those to which we must attend, and the response that we are to give, all have to stem from the inside. From the soul of the individual the true meaning of his nature is seen. It is not the zakan-beard on the outside that will be the telling factor. It is the zaken-acquired wisdom on the inside that will be the decisive determinant.
The dreams are merely the whistle. They are the signals of Hashem to give us a chance. Woe to the individual who hears the whistle but misses the train.
Shabbat Shalom
Chodesh Tov and Chanuka Sameach
Rabbi Pollock