“His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers” – Rabbi Ahava bar Ze’eira said: From the defamation of the tribes you learn their praise. Elsewhere: “Avshalom did not speak to Amnon, either good or bad” (II Samuel 13:22) – what was in his heart remained in his heart; however, here: “And could not speak peaceably to him” – what was in their heart was in their mouth.
“Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more” (Genesis 37:5). “He said to them: Please, hear this dream that I dreamed” (Genesis 37:6). “Joseph dreamed a dream.… He said to them: Please [na], hear” – he said: In this manner the prophets will rebuke you: “Hear now [na] what the Lord is saying” (Micah 6:1) “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves gathered around and prostrated themselves to my sheaf” (Genesis 37:7). “Behold, we were binding sheaves” – you were reaping produce, and I was reaping produce; yours would rot, and mine would keep. “And behold, my sheaf [alumati] arose and also stood upright” – Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Aḥa: Rabbi Levi said: You are destined to craft mute [ilmim] idols before Yerovam’s calves, and say: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:4).29See I Samuel 12:28. Rabbi Aḥa said: You are destined to conceal matters about me before our father, saying: “A savage beast devoured him” (Genesis 37:20). What will stand in my favor? It is mother’s silence.30This is a reference to Rachel’s silence when Laban gave Jacob Leah in her place. “And behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves gathered around” – this corresponds to the five times that they are destined to prostrate themselves to him.31The words binding, sheaf, and sheaves, all have the Hebrew root alef-lamed-mem, which appears five times in this verse. “His brothers said to him: Will you reign over us; will you have dominion over us? They hated him even more, for his dreams and for his words” (Genesis 37:8). “His brothers said to him: Will you reign over us” – Rabi Levi and Rabbi Simon: One said: Because they answered him begrudgingly, that is why he produced wicked ones.32Because they did not want Joseph’s descendants to rule over them, the kings he produced, Yerovam and Ahab, were wicked (Etz Yosef). One said: Because they answered him with a double expression, that is why he produced kings.33The fact that they said, even rhetorically, that he would both reign and have dominion caused his descendants to become kings.