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Why did the brothers hate Yosef for his dreams of grandeur rather than pity him? The shiur develops that Yosef's core flaw was treating his God-given talents as his own possessions, demanding respect before actualizing his potential. His test with Potiphar's wife taught him that everything we receive—abilities, wealth, even our bodies—is a trust from Hashem (ה׳), not our property, and the only thing we truly own is the effort we invest in developing these gifts.
The shiur opens with the fundamental question: Why did the brothers respond to Yosef's dreams of grandeur with hatred and jealousy rather than pity? If someone has delusions that they will be a king and lord over others, the natural response should be compassion and perhaps psychiatric help, not rage. These are intelligent, righteous people—why did they see Yosef as a threat rather than a troubled brother in need of assistance? Rabbi Zweig explains that Yosef's problem was not mental illness but a character flaw that all humans share: viewing God-given gifts as personal possessions rather than as a trust (pikadon). The Midrash Tanchuma identifies three types of trustworthy people (nemunim): a rich person who gives proper charity, a poor person who guards a bailment without stealing it, and a young man who resists temptation with loose women. Yosef, through his test with Potiphar's wife, achieved the highest level of trustworthiness. But what does resisting sexual temptation have to do with trustworthiness?
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Parshas Vayeishev - Yosef and his brothers
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