ויפקד שר הטבחים, he appointed him to look after all the needs of the various prisoners in that jail.

ויהי ימים, he remained in that position for a whole year. We know that the word ימים means “a year,” from Leviticus 25,29 ימים תהיה גאולתו, “it (the house) may be redeemed for up to one year.” Also in Genesis 24,55 the words ימים או עשור meant “a year, or at least 10 months.”

איש כפתרון חלומו, the line means that each of them dreamt a dream which lent itself to interpretation. It did not appear to be one of the many dreams that defy making sense of it.

ופותר אין אותו, as if the Torah had written ואין פותר אותו, “there is no one who knows how to interpret it.” We encounter a similar inverted verse in Ezekiel 33,32 ועושים אינם אותם, which by right should have been ואינם עושים אותם, “but will not obey them. (carry them out)”

כפורחת עלתה נצה, this was the customary sequence of a fruit’s development. Compare Numbers 17,23ויוצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמול שקדים, “it brought forth a blossom, sprouted a bud, and almonds ripened.”

ואשחוט, I squeezed.

ישא פרעה את ראשך, the use of the word ישא here is similar to the use of the same word in Numbers 1,2 שאו את ראש כל עדת ישראל, “count the whole community of Israel, etc.” After three days Pharaoh will again number you among his servants.

והשיבך, in order to restore you to your position. The construction והשיבך meaning “in order to restore your position to you,” is also what happened as we know from verse 20 “he elevated the head cupbearer among his servants. Had the Torah written veheshivcha instead of vahashivcha, the meaning would have been “he will restore you, bring you back,” as in Deuteronomy 28,68.

כי אם זכרתני אתך, Joseph expressed his absolute conviction that the Chief of the cup bearers would be reinstated and that he would have the power to bring about his release, seeing that he was innocent. Besides, his very position as a slave was totally unjustified as he had been born a free man, member of a prestigious family. He was neither obligated to work for someone else, nor was he legally incarcerated.

כי טוב פתר, his interpretation sounded very convincing, was accepted as the true interpretation.

סלי חרי; full of holes. The word חורים, appears as meaning holes in Job 30,6 חורי עפר וכפים, “holes in the ground and in rocks.” It also appears in this sense in Isaiah 19,9 ואורגים חורי, “and the weavers making holes.” Baskets which are usually of woven palm frond leaves have these little holes as the nature of weaving does not permit the resulting texture of the material to be airtight and waterproof.

ישא פרעה את ראשך, in this instance the words are to be taken literally, מעליך, as the Chief of the bakers would be beheaded.

ולא זכר שר המשקים את יוסף, as soon as he came out of prison. Joseph had asked him to remember his case as soon as he would come out of prison, but he did not remember.

וישכחהו, he kept forgetting him until Pharaoh had his dream which defied satisfactory interpretation. When G’d performed a miracle for the sake of Joseph, he was forced to remember him.