That's the story of Joseph, whose relationship with his brothers is one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking in the Torah.
It all started with Joseph's "talebearing," as Ginzberg calls it in Legends of the Jews. Joseph wasn’t shy about pointing out his brothers' perceived wrongdoings to their father, Jacob. Now, according to the lore, these weren't always accurate accounts. Take the case of Gad, a particularly strong and brave brother. We hear that Gad once rescued a lamb from a bear, but had to slaughter it because it was too traumatized to live. Joseph, however, reported this as Gad and the other sons of the handmaids carelessly wasting their father's livestock. You can see how that would cause some friction!
Gad, by the way, was quite the powerhouse. The legends say that if a wild animal attacked his flock at night, he'd grab it by the leg, whirl it around until it was stunned, and then fling it an impressive two stadia (that's about a quarter of a mile!) away. Talk about farm security!
But beyond the tattle-telling, there was another layer to the brothers' resentment: Jacob's obvious favoritism. Joseph was, we're told, as beautiful as his mother Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife who had passed away. Looking at Joseph brought Jacob comfort. Can you blame him? But that didn't make it any easier for the other brothers.
As a symbol of his love, Jacob gave Joseph a special coat, often translated as a "coat of many colors." The Hebrew word for this garment is Passim. Now, this is where things get really interesting. The legends find a hidden meaning in the word itself. Each letter, according to Ginzberg, hints at Joseph's future: Pe for Potiphar, his Egyptian master; Samek for Soharim, the merchants who bought Joseph; Yod for the Ishmaelites; and Mem for the Midianites who sold him to Potiphar. It's like the coat itself foreshadowed Joseph's entire journey!
But that's not all! Passim also means "clefts." According to the tradition, the brothers knew that the Red Sea would be cleft – split open – for Joseph’s sake one day, and they were jealous of the glory that would be conferred upon him.
And then there were the dreams. Oh, those dreams! Joseph couldn't help but share them with his brothers. In the first, their fruit rotted while his remained sound. He even dared to suggest that their descendants would worship idols, while his would bring forth the Messiah. Unsurprisingly, this didn't go down well. They sarcastically asked, "Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?"
The Midrash sees a prophecy in their words. According to Midrash Rabbah, God put an interpretation into their mouths that would be verified in Joseph's posterity, through figures like Jeroboam, Jehu, Joshua, and Gideon.
The second dream was even more audacious: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him. Jacob, understanding the symbolism, knew the sun represented himself (a reference to a story where God called Jacob "the sun"!), the moon represented Rachel, and the stars represented his brothers. He even believed it meant he would live to see the resurrection of the dead! He wrote the dream down, "recording all the circumstances, the day, the hour, and the place," because, as Ginzberg writes, "the holy spirit cautioned him, 'Take heed, these things will surely come to pass.'"
However, when Joseph repeated the dream in front of his brothers, Jacob rebuked him, saying, "I and thy brethren, that has some sense, but I and thy mother, that is inconceivable, for thy mother is dead." According to legend, God wasn't too happy with Jacob's reaction, seeing it as a foreshadowing of future attempts to hinder prophets like Jeremiah. Jacob, though, was just trying to protect Joseph from his brothers' envy. He failed. They hated him all the more.
So, what are we to make of this story? It's a potent reminder of the destructive power of jealousy, the complexities of family dynamics, and the weight of dreams and destiny. It also shows us how even seemingly simple words, like Passim, can hold layers of meaning and prophecy. And perhaps, it's a little comforting to know that even in the families of our ancestors, things weren't always easy!