We all know the story: the coat of many colors, the dreams, the rise to power in Egypt. But what about before all that? What was Joseph really like as a teenager?

According to Legends of the Jews, a collection of rabbinic stories compiled by Louis Ginzberg that draws from a vast ocean of Jewish tradition, young Joseph was quite the… character.

Imagine this: Joseph, all of seventeen years old, spending his days in the Bet ha-Midrash – the house of study. He became so learned, so quickly, that he could actually teach his brothers the Halakot – the Jewish laws – he'd learned from his father, Jacob. Can you imagine being taught Torah by your little brother? Talk about sibling rivalry! He wasn't just teaching them the laws, though. He was trying to give them good advice. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, he became the favorite of the sons of the handmaids, who, we are told, just adored him.

But here's where things get interesting.

The Legends tell us that despite his impressive learning, there was something undeniably "boyish" about Joseph. He painted his eyes, styled his hair meticulously, and even walked with a bit of a "mincing step." Picture that for a moment! Not exactly the image of the stoic, powerful viceroy we see later in the story.

And these youthful quirks? According to the tradition, they weren't even the worst of it.

Joseph had a habit, a rather unfortunate one, of bringing evil reports about his brothers to their father. He accused them of mistreating the animals, saying they ate meat torn from living creatures – a big no-no in Jewish law. He even accused them of lusting after Canaanite women and treating the sons of the handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, with contempt, calling them slaves. Harsh accusations, right?

Why would Joseph do this? Was he simply a tattletale? Was he trying to undermine his brothers? Or was he, in his own way, trying to uphold a certain standard of morality? The text doesn't tell us outright, but it certainly paints a complex picture of a young man grappling with power, family dynamics, and perhaps a touch of youthful arrogance.

So, the next time you read the story of Joseph, remember this earlier portrait. Remember the learned, yet somewhat vain, young man who brought tales to his father. It might just change the way you see the entire narrative. Maybe, just maybe, it'll remind you that even our heroes start out as complicated, imperfect individuals. And perhaps, that's what makes their stories so compelling in the first place.