At first glance, Joseph, the central figure in this week’s Torah portion, is the stereotypical student who tries too hard to be the “teacher’s pet.” Joseph is that child who follows every rule and reports every infraction. The text of the Torah seems to support such assertions. In the very beginning of the Parsha, the Torah records, “When Joseph was 17 years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks… Joseph brought evil tales about them to their father.”

Joseph is further implicated when he deliberately shares his fanciful dreams with his brothers. Why didn’t Joseph show restraint and choose to keep the content of his dreams private? Joseph knew full well that sharing his visions with his brothers would only increase the animosity and jealousy that already defined his relationship with his siblings. Not surprisingly, Rabbi Ovadya Seforno explains that Joseph’s decision reflects his immaturity and lack of sensitivity.

However, as is often the case in life, there are always two sides to a story.

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, in his magnificent Torah commentary, Ohr HaChaim, offers three positive and novel perspectives regarding why Joseph chose to share his visions with his brothers. Rabbi Attar first suggests that Joseph felt compelled to share the information to reinforce his father’s decision to single out Joseph for extra love and admiration. The fact that in Joseph’s dream 11 sheaves bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf, clearly substantiated the belief that Joseph was the “chosen son.” Joseph hoped that once his brothers fully appreciated his unique, divinely designated role, their resentment would fade.

Alternatively, the Ohr HaChaim explains that Joseph was trying to encourage his brothers to reconsider their animosity on account of the fact that the dreams foretold of a time when they would be subservient to him. Joseph intended to tell his brothers that just as the 11 stalks of grain bowed down to Joseph’s stalk, so too a time would come when his 11 siblings would bow down to him. Joseph sincerely hoped that his brothers would reconsider their antagonizing ways once they learned that there will be a time in the future when they will be submissive to Joseph and will be relying on his mercy. If this was to be their fate, it was obviously in the brothers’ best interest to start treating Joseph with respect and dignity.

Finally, the Ohr HaChaim proposes that Yosef hoped to mollify his brothers’ anger by convincing them that he was a talented dream interpreter. It was Joseph’s wish that his brothers would seek his council to decipher their own dreams and in doing so, the hatred that separated the family would seize.

The various explanations offered to explain Joseph’s actions remind us how difficult it is to truly judge someone else. Just as it is overly simplistic to assume that Joseph was insensitive when he shared his dreams with his brothers, so too, we must remind ourselves that individual actions may be motivated by a host of reasons and motivations. What may seem as harsh and cruel, may in fact be well founded and necessary. Many years after Joseph and his brothers, Moses would remind us of the same concept, “Judgment is for God.” Unless we are privy to the same information as The Master of the Universe, we are better off assuming the best of intentions and offering people the benefit of the doubt.

By Rabbi  Zev Goldberg

Rabbi of Young Israel of Fort Lee