Torah Temima on Parshas Shmos discusses that the passuk reads that Yoseif and his brothers died, and explains this that Yoseif died before his brothers died.

The stated reason from the gemara he cites is because Yoseif apparently held himself high above his brothers. I am paraphrasing.

In thinking about this I presume that for at least 2 reasons, this could not be refering to Yoseif's dreams while he was still in Yaakov's house; he was less than 20 years of age, and therefore less responsible than someone older, and he seemed to be asking what the dreams meant, not actually holding them over his brothers' heads, in the parsha there.

Similarly, for all of the years prior to Yaakov coming down to Egypt, Yoseif didn't seem to do this since he had no contact with his brothers.

So perhaps this is refering to the time after Yaakov and his brothers came down to Egypt.

Despite Yoseif being Yoseif HaTzadik and dependably righteous, perhaps there is a very small aspect of the principle that power corrupts, and that over the years Yoseif became accustomed to being a ruler? And this could be to what the gemara refers.

Perhaps the Passuk mentions Yoseif first simply because he was the most prominent of the brothers? However in Sefer Shmos this doesn't seem to be the case, per a rabbi I asked. Maybe the tribe of Levi is taking a more prominent role by this time?

Either way, the gemara gives us a meaning to his name being first telling us that he died first.

But perhaps there might be another explanation for why Yoseif might not have lived to the same age as his brothers?

Perhaps all the years of slavery and jail and separation from his father took a toll on his health?

That is, lets consider accepting the gemara's notice of death order but see if there could be another reason.

The common word "bor" for both pit and dungeon I think tells us that in fact Yoseif's years in jail did not damage his health.

The midrash over by the pit into which his brothers threw him says that Hashem protected him from scorpions - deriving it from an extra word for being dry and without water, if I am remembering correctly.

When coming out of jail Yoseif refers to the jail by this same word, "bor", which might be an indication that just like Hashem protected his health from the likes of a scorpion bite in the first "bor", Hashem protected his health more than we would expect for a prisoner in a dungeon, or even in a modern jail.


I am seeking feedback as to whether this a valid type of word-association derivation.

Perhaps the principle that precludes anyone from making other than a "kal v'chomer" deduction in our time does not preclude one shooting down their own random thoughts with such a deduction?

A suffeik cannot knock down a vadai, but can a random knock down a random?