“A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, saying: What do you seek? He said: I seek my brothers. Please tell me where they are herding.
The man said: They traveled from here, for I heard them saying: We shall go to Dotan. Joseph went after his brothers, and he found them in Dotan” (Genesis 37:15–17). “A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field” – Rabbi Yannai said: Three angels came to his assistance: “A man found him”; “the man asked him”; “the man said.” “They traveled from here” – from the attributes of the Omnipresent.42They abandoned the traits of mercy, grace, kindness, and the like.
“They saw him from afar, and before he approached them, they conspired against him to kill him” (Genesis 37:18). “They saw him from afar” – they said: Come let us sic the dogs on him. “They said one to another: Behold, that dreamer is coming” (Genesis 37:19). “Now let us go and kill him and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: A savage beast devoured him; and we will see what will become of his dreams” (Genesis 37:20).
“They said one to another: Behold, that dreamer [baal haḥalomot]” – The Rabbis said: Here he is coming, bearing his dreams. Rabbi Levi said: This one is destined to mislead them to follow the Baal.43Joseph’s descendant Yerovam will incite them to engage in idol worship. “Now let us go and kill him” – the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘You say: “And we will see” and I say: We will see – now we will see “whose word will stand” (Jeremiah 44:28), mine or yours.’