5784/2023
In this week's Parashah, Parashat VaYeishev, Yosef experiences two significant dreams. In one of these dreams, the sun, moon, and stars bow to him. When he wakes up, Yosef shares his dream with his family. Rabbeinu Bechaya points out the seemingly redundant phrase of: "וַיְקַנְאוּ־ב֖וֹ אֶחָ֑יו" – "his brothers were jealous of him" (BeReishit 37:11). This raises the question, why does the Torah emphasize their jealousy again? The Torah already told us that the brothers were jealous of Yosef and hated him (ibid 37:4)!
Rabeinu Bechaya explains this as a shift in perspective. Initially, the brothers showed jealousy towards Yosef due to the favoritism shown by their father, Yaakov. This jealousy then turned into hatred. However, upon learning about Yosef's dreams, their resentment got worse because they were now jealous and hated him because of what his deams implied. The change in wording from "אֹתוֹ" (ibid 37:4) to "בוֹ" (ibid 37:11) highlights the shift in their jealousy and hatred for him.
Moreover, the Torah notes that "וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר" – "his father kept the matter in his mind" (ibid 37:11). Why did Yaakov react differently than Yosef’s brothers? Many Mefarshim, including Rashi, explain that Yaakov was patiently awaiting the fulfillment of the dream, despite his initial disappointment with Yosef for sharing it.
As the Parashah unfolds, we see that Yosef rises to become second in command in Egypt, and people bow to him, exactly as the dreams foretold. In these events, we find a powerful lesson of not letting our jealousy lead to hatred and instead to be like Yaakov Avinu who didn’t take the dreams at face value and understood the importance of patience and emunah.