And Joseph brought to his father their evil report (37:2) In Pirkei d’Rabbeinu HaKadosh it explains: Said the sages: two righteous men were punished on account of the bearing of malevolent reports: Jacob and Joseph. Because Joseph spoke evilly of his brothers, he was incarcerated in prison for 12 years; and because Jacob listened to these reports, the Divine spirit departed from him for 22 years. This teaches us that one who speaks negatively of another is punished once, while someone who listens to negative talk of another is twice punished. Rabbi PInchas Kasnett sees this differently. He comments that even though Yosef brought an evil report about his brothers to his father, it is indicative of his superior character, for his intention was to improve their behavior. Yosef certainly did not slander them with his own opinion. Rather, he reported to his father in privacy what others were saying about them. Yosef’s actions were based entirely on his love for his brothers, not by a desire to elevate himself at their expense. Yaakov’s love for Yosef was not the normal love of a father for his son. It was based on something deeper. When Yosef is described as “the son of his old age”, this hints at Yosef’s ability to relate to everyone in the family uniquely and individually. To his brothers he was a youth who respected their seniority. But he dealt with Yaakov with a gentleness and moderation which indicated that he saw himself as a true son, not just a youth deferring to the seniority of the father. Yaakov perceived this as a sign of his superior intelligence and character and therefore loved him more than the other brothers. Onkelos in his Aramaic translation conveys this idea as he renders the verse, “son of his old age” as “son of wisdom.” Yosef had none of the impetuousness of youth. He thought through situations carefully, acting quickly when necessary and being deliberate when
When they had been in custody for some time, both of them — the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison — dreamed in the same night, each his own dream and each dream with its own meaning. . . “(Bereshit/ Genesis 40:4-5)
Both the cup-bearer and the baker dreamed a dream, so why does the verse need to say that “each dreamed his own dream?” Some commentators, including Rashi, say that “each his own” along with “each dream with its own meaning” implies that each man dreamed his own dream but also the interpretation of the other’s dream- and that, in turn, is how they knew that Yosef was inspired in his own dream interpretation, because Yosef spoke what each man knew about the other. Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger explains: ‘Perhaps the simple meaning of the verse is also important: the verse stresses that each man dreamed his own dream in order to show us that Yosef has matured from the days when he saw himself as the center of the universe. That’s exactly the symbolism Yosef himself used, for the dream of Yosef’s youth showed the stars, the sun and moon bowing down to him. Now, some time later, after some hard-won experiences which have taught Yosef humility and gratitude, he is able to understand that each person dreams their own dream- that is, each person is the center of a world, and we honor them by hearing well what they are truly saying. Yosef was able to discern the tragedy of one man’s life and the restoration of another’s because he heard them with humility and the recognition that truly knowing another is a gift from God.’
Prepared by Devorah Abenhaim
