The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Bereishis 41:33, Yosef instructs Pharaoh וְעַתָּה֙ יֵרֶ֣א פַרְעֹ֔ה אִ֖ישׁ נָב֣וֹן וְחָכָ֑ם וִֽישִׁיתֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם - that he should select someone to lead Egypt who is both a Navon and a Chacham. The word Chacham implies someone who can anticipate events as he is someone who is Roeh Es HaNolad. The word Navon is someone can who deduce, a person who is Me'vin Davar M'Toch Davar.
R' Frand explained that Yosef was telling Pharaoh that its important that the person in charge have the ability to realize that the good times will not continue ad infinitum. He will need to realize that there will be years of famine and will concomitantly need to teach the people that they should save their food for the upcoming lean years.
R' Frand quoted a mashal told by R' Eliyahu Lopian to illustrate this point. A king had an army which was failing in battle. He appointed a general who was successful and won the war. The king wanted to reward him and told the general that he could go into the royal treasure chamber for an hour and take whatever he liked. But later, the king had a change of heart and did not want to follow through on his promise. He asked his advisors what to do and they told him that he should have the royal philharmonic in the treasure chamber. When the general walked in, he heard the most beautiful melody and he sat down to listen. When the first song ended he was going to start collecting when an even more beautiful song began. He was transfixed and only shortly before the hour was to expire did he begin to collect reward.
[R' Frand said that this Mashal is also a way to look at our time in this world. While we know that its in our best interests to amass mitzvos so that we will have reward in the eternal world, we find ourselves too involved in the moment.]
The Chacham and Navon will look beyond the momentary good times and will plan for the future, this is what Yosef told Pharaoh what he needed.
R' Frand said a second vort on the Gemara in Shabbos 23 which states in the name of R' Huna that a person who is Rogil (usual) in having candles lit will have children who are talmidei chachamim.
Rashi explains that this means that the person will spend his money on having candles for Shabbos and Chanukah. But R' Frand quoted R' Ya'akov Yosef Herman who explained the gemara differently. He noted that in the times of the gemara when there was no electricity, if someone wanted to do something in the home after dark, he needed to have candles. While the simple folk went to sleep, the person who wanted to learn would spend his money on candles. And when his young children woke in the middle of the night and wanted a drink of water, they would see their father pouring over a gemara and it inspired them to be talmidei chachamim.
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