<b>His master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph (Gen. 38:7).</b> Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: <i>Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof</i> (Prov. 18:21). R. Hiyya the son of Abba declared: If a man should eat from a basket of figs without offering a blessing, death is <i>in the power of the tongue</i>, but if he should pronounce the blessing and then eat it, life is <i>in the power of the tongue</i>. All of the trials that befell Joseph occurred because of the evil he spoke against his brothers, as it is said: <i>And Joseph brought evil report of them unto his father</i> (Gen. 37:20).
What did he tell Jacob? Our rabbis maintain that he told his father: They treat the children of Bilhah and Zilpah as though they were servants. They call them servants, but I act toward them as one does to a brother, as it is said: <i>Even with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah</i> (ibid., v. 2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured you will be punished with the very word you have spoken, as it is said: <i>And Joseph was sold for a servant</i> (Ps. 105:17).
R. Judah held that he told his father: My brothers eat the limbs of living animals. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Even in the hour of their deepest degradation, they will not do that. They will slaughter their animals according to the rules of ritual slaughter, as is said: <i>And they slaughtered the he-goat and dipped the coat</i> (Gen. 37:31).
R. Yosé maintained that he told his father: They looked covetously at the native woman. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured you will suffer from this very thing. You master’s wife will look covetously at you, as it is said: <i>His master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph</i>.