וַיִּזְכֹּ֣ר יוֹסֵ֔ף אֵ֚ת הַחֲלֹמ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלַ֖ם לָהֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ מְרַגְּלִ֣ים אַתֶּ֔ם לִרְא֛וֹת אֶת־עֶרְוַ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ בָּאתֶֽם׃
And Yosef remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, “Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.”
Classical midrash on the recollection of the dreams as the trigger for the test.
וַיִּזְכֹּר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלֹמוֹת. הַזִּכָּרוֹן הוּא הַמַּנְהִיג שֶׁל כׇּל הַמִּבְחָן.
English of Core Text: “And Yosef remembered the dreams.” The recollection is the guiding force of the entire test.
On the daf / in context: The midrash treats the sudden memory of the youthful dreams as the moment that transforms a chance encounter into a deliberate process of examination and eventual reconciliation.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: The dreams of youth are not forgotten; when the moment of their fulfillment arrives, they become the internal compass that directs Yosef’s actions toward the brothers.