Parashat Vayeshev
December 9, 2025
Jessica Reznik, High School Student Life Coordinator
In this week’s parashah, we find Joseph on the outskirts of his brothers. An action of his own doing, and in part, Jacob’s doing. To say that Joseph was the favorite child would be an understatement, and the brothers knew it, whether or not a technicolor coat was gifted. Then comes Joseph and his dreams, which in his brothers’ eyes were yet another display of Joseph’s superiority over them. The first dream, which Joseph had to beg his brothers to listen to, only made things worse. Joseph, in his naivety or some other divine pull, believed his brothers needed to hear it.
His first dream finds him and his 11 brothers collecting bushels of wheat. At once, his bushel arises, and the brothers’ bushels of wheat form a circle around Joseph’s and bow to the middle. In any family, this would be a strange dream to hear. But the sons of Jacob were already holding animosity towards the favorite child, Joseph. The brothers automatically pick up on what Joseph was implying in his dream; he will continue to rule over them. Joseph then has a second dream of the same nature, but this time it includes his parents. He dreams that the sun, moon, and 11 stars bow down to him. This sparks a concern within Jacob, and for the first time, he can acknowledge that Joseph has alienated himself. His brothers’ anger has turned into pure hatred, and from then on, all of his actions are seen as suspicious, which comes in handy for what comes next.
Joseph’s dreams of his brothers create a narrative of Joseph that is less than favorable. There is nothing redeemable about how he presents what will eventually come to fruition. By no means does that justify the brothers trapping and selling him. Joseph was inciting jealousy among his brothers, although we do not know exactly how he felt. One can assume that, in some way, he did see his brothers as lower or lesser than him. There is an earlier incident in which Joseph, in essence, tattled on his brothers to their father while they were working the fields as shepherds. Whatever they were doing annoyed him enough to call it out.
Joseph’s dreams of his brothers create a narrative of Joseph that is less than favorable. There is nothing redeemable about how he presents what will eventually come to fruition. By no means does that justify the brothers trapping and selling him. Joseph was inciting jealousy among his brothers, although we do not know exactly how he felt. One can assume that, in some way, he did see his brothers as lower or lesser than him. There is an earlier incident in which Joseph, in essence, tattled on his brothers to their father while they were working the fields as shepherds. Whatever they were doing annoyed him enough to call it out.
This can explain, in part, why Joseph felt the need to tell his brothers about his dreams. He could have been trying to redeem himself by showing that the hatred his brothers hold so deeply will one day turn into respect. Now, the manner in which Joseph presented his dreams was not going to solve anything. Even without his own actions, the brothers already disliked Joseph because of the special treatment Jacob gave him. With a little self-reflection, which is something Joseph does later on in the parashah, Joseph could have gotten his message across.
Joseph’s story does not end there. He is trapped, sold to merchants, and finds himself interpreting dreams as a servant and then a prisoner in Egypt. The brothers, trying to save themselves, convince Jacob that Joseph is dead, and after seeing the turmoil they put their father through, begin to reflect on their own actions against Joseph. The sibling dynamics of the beginning of the parashah change. It would make sense for Joseph to hate his brothers now, but that is not the case and will be seen in the coming week’s parashah, Parashat Miketz. In the end, one action needed to lead to another. In order for Joseph’s dreams to come true, his brothers needed to feel that the only way to solve their problems was to get rid of him, which enabled them to understand and change their own hatred and actions.
Shabbat Shalom.
Shabbat Shalom.