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Why does the Torah (תורה) say Yosef brought the brothers' bad report to "their father" instead of "his father"? The extra letter teaches that Yosef's intent was not to elevate himself but to help his brothers by alerting their father. The distinction defines the line between lashon hara and constructive intervention.
Rabbi Zweig opens with the verse describing Yosef bringing a bad report about his brothers to Yaakov (Bereishis 37:2). The Torah (תורה) states "vayode Yosef es dibosam ra el avihem" — Yosef brought their bad report to "their father." The shiur focuses on a precise textual anomaly: why does the Torah use the five-letter word "avihem" (their father) instead of the four-letter "aviv" (his father), when both refer to the same person? The shiur develops a yesod through a comparison of two scenarios. When someone tells his own father about a friend's misbehavior, the underlying message is often self-serving: "Be happy you have a son like me and not like him." This is a form of self-promotion, positioning oneself favorably by contrast. Such reporting, even if factually true, constitutes lashon hara because the intent is to elevate oneself rather than to help the subject of the report.
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Bereishis 37:2
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