וישב VaYeishev

My Musing
What comes around goes around or as the Rabbis taught, we are punished midah keneged midah, measure for measure. That is what you do to others will come to haunt you. The midrash asserts that different events in Yosef's life were a direct consequence of the actions he took with his brothers. In reality the midrash just drives home the point. We see what Yosef does to inflame his brothers' hatred of him. The midrash clarifies for us what he did in light of later events.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת וישב סימן ז
(בראשית לט:ז) "וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו אֶת עֵינֶיהָ אֶל יוֹסֵף וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁכְבָה עִמִּי"
זה שאמר הכתוב (משלי יח:כא) "מָוֶת וְחַיִּים בְּיַד לָשׁוֹן וְאֹהֲבֶיהָ יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ"

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said: 'Lie with me.' This is what the scripture says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof."

אמר רבי חייא בר אבא, 'כלכלה של תאנים לפניו. אם אכל ממנה עד שלא בירך 'מָוֶת' 'בְּיַד לָשׁוֹן'. בירך ואחר כך אכל, 'חַיִּים' 'בְּיַד לָשׁוֹן'. וכן ביוסף לא הגיעוהו כל אותן הצרות אלא על לשון הרע שספר על אחיו שנאמר, (בראשית לז:ב) "אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב יוֹסֵף בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן וְהוּא נַעַר אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת דִּבָּתָם רָעָה אֶל אֲבִיהֶם"

Said Rabbi Chiya bar Abba, a person has a circle of figs before him. If he eats of it before he blesses, death is in the hand of the tongue. If he blesses and then eats, life is in the hands of the tongue. And so with Joseph, all his troubles did not come to him except on account of the evil tobgue that he told about his brothers, as it says, These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil report of them unto their father.

ומה אמר לו?
רבנן אמרי, אמר לאביו שהן נוהגין בבני בלהה וזלפה מנהג עבדים וקורין אותן עבדים ואני נוהג בהן מנהג אחוה. שנאמר, "וְהוּא נַעַר אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו"
אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'חייך! בו בדבר תלקה.' שנאמר, (תהלים קה:יז) "שָׁלַח לִפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ, לְעֶבֶד נִמְכַּר יוֹסֵף"

And what did he say to him?
The rabbis say, He said to his father that they (the brothers) were treating the sons of Bilha and Zilpa, the handmaidens as salves and calling them slaves, and I treat them as brothers. As it says, "being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives" Said to him the Holy One, blessed be He, 'On your life!'In that very thing you will be stricken. As it says, " He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a servant;"

רבי יהודה אומר, אמר לאביו אחי אוכלין אבר מן החי. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'אפילו בשעת קלקלה לא יעשו אלא בשחיטה. שנאמר, (בראשית לז:לא) "וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת כְּתֹנֶת יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ שְׂעִיר עִזִּים וַיִּטְבְּלוּ אֶת הַכֻּתֹּנֶת בַּדָּם"

Rabbi Yehudah said, he said to his father that they ate limbs from a living animal. Said to him the Holy One, blessed be He, Even at the moment when they will be at their worst, they will not do anything without proper slaughter. As it says, " And they took Joseph's coat, and slaughtered a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood"

רבי יוסי אומר, יוסף היה אומר לו שהיו נותנין עיניהן בבנות הארץ, אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'חייך! בו בדבר תלקה, הרי אדונתך נותנת עיניה בך. שנאמר, "וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו אֶת עֵינֶיהָ אֶל יוֹסֵף".

Rabbi Yosi said, Joseph used to tell him that they were looking at the girls of the land. Siad to him the Holy One, blessed be He, 'on your life!' In that very thing you will be stricken. Behold your mistress has set her eyes on you, as it says, " that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph"