Let us learn a posuk with Rashi

Rashi often calls attention to a word by explaining it in different ways on different occasions. His comments on a verse (37:11) in our parasha is one such example.

Yosef repeats his dreams and this encourages the animosity of his brothers As a result, Yaakov finds himself in the position of mediator and tries to make peace between Yosef and his brothers. Yaakov expresses incredulity: "Are we to come…and bow down to you? (37:10)". 

For Rashi, this expression of disbelief is Yaakov's attempt to downplay the dream and suggest that it is meaningless. After all (he reasoned), Yosef's mother has died and the dream seems to indicate that she too will bow down before Yosef. Yaakov hoped mentioning this absurdity in the dream would appease the brothers. Rashi adds however the caveat that Bilhah who raised Yosef might also be called "mother" leaving room to believe that the dream would come true. Rashi states explicitly, "but Yaakov didn't know…" that the dream might be true; he was convinced that it was frivolous. 

The concluding verse in this section states: "The brothers were jealous of Yosef, but his father was waiting for the matter [to transpire] (37:11)." Rashi explains the word "shamar" as "waited". It seems according to this interpretation that Yaakov thought the dream would come true and waited for that to happen. Perhaps we should interpret the first Rashi in this manner: Yaakov knew that the dream was true, but wanted to appease the brothers. He asked "could it be, his mother is dead?" but he knew the answer (that the dream could still be true). On this view, Yaakov relied perhaps on the brothers' anger to leave them confused about the matter. Rashi also mentions in passing that chazal learned from this exchange that every dream has meaningless content in it. Yaakov knew this about dreams generally, but the brothers did not. The brothers were temporarily appeased and Yaakov at the same time was "waiting" for the dream to come true.

Let us give the word shamar further consideration. Rashi, in accord with his method, quotes two verses which reflect this understanding: one from Yishayahu and another from Iyyov. The first (26:2), reads: shomer emunim, which means for Rashi, "waiting on" G-d's promise. The second verse (14:16), lo tishmor means "do not wait". In these examples the verb means to "wait' and not "to watch" (the more common meaning).

Rashi in his comment on the pasuk in Yishayahyu makes two points: one contextual and one semantic. The word shomer means that they were "were waiting during the Diaspora years for the fulfillment of the promise, which they learned from the prophets, and which implied redemption".

Rashi then explains the word shomer more precisely. The word means "to wait" and this is the usage in our verse Bresheit (37:11) and is also found in Devarim (7:12).

This is the difficult point. Rashi is referring to a verse that he didn't mention when interpreting our phrase. In fact, when we check the verse it seems that there has been some mistake.

The verse in Devarim is translated: "G-d will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness…" The word veshamar is properly translated as "safeguard".

Rashi explains "G-d will safeguard for you the covenant". Why the change in understanding?

Perhaps Rashi can be understood in the following way. When the verb shamar is used referring to a person: e.g. "Yaakov shamar..." then it means to anticipate. A human vision includes the passing of time and involves expectation: though more time may be needed, the promise will be kept in the end. The human circumstance does not allow us to view our lives from outside of the context of time: for us, "it hasn't happened yet…it will happen soon." Our position almost necessitates the notion of expectancy: which is why shomer as waiting may be specific to our point of view. 

Not so for the verse in Devarim, there verb describes G-d as "shomer". This cannot involve anticipation. From G-d's point of view of the there is no being in time, no promised future. Instead, there is the fact of the promise. G-d watches the promise so to speak: a static situation not connected to time. If some destiny awaits man in the future, in Heaven it is already part of a timeless "now". Rashi says correctly these words "shomer" mean the same thing in each of their contexts. For man, it seems that the promise will only be kept in the future; for Heaven, the promise is already 
being kept. 

This then is the meaning of the phrase shomer emunim. Our faith in the promise is a strong as if the hoped for destiny were already part of our daily reality.

Gut Shabbos,
Chaim Brovender