The Last Word - Vayeshev

The natural reaction for Yosef, after being wrongly imprisoned, would be utter contempt for Egypt and its government. Thus, when Yosef was joined by the chief butler and chief baker-two of Pharaoh's high-ranking ministers-it would only have been natural for Yosef to shun them and hate them ..

Yosef, however, did the very opposite. Not only did he bear no grudge against Pharaoh's ministers, who were key members of the corrupt regime that had wrongfully imprisoned him, but he took an active interest in their welfare. In fact, he was even sensitive enough to notice that they had been troubled by their dreams, inquiring, "Why do your faces (look) so down today?" (v. 7).

In hindsight we see that from this single act of kindness Yosef was eventually saved, leading him to save the entire Egyptian people from starvation!

This teaches us: a.) How important it is to be caring about other people. And, b.) Never to underestimate the power of one single good deed. Yosef's sensitivity to another's distress, a person whom he had every right to despise, led to the salvation of Egypt.

(Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz 5734)