וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה. יְלַמְּדֵנוּ רַבֵּנוּ, גָּדוֹל שֶׁבַּנֶּאֱמָנִים אֵיזֶהוּ. כָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, שְׁלֹשָה נֶאֱמָנִים הֵן. בַּעַל הַבַּיִת שֶׁמַּפְרִישׁ מַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו כָּרָאוּי וְאֵינוֹ נֶחְשָׁד עַל הַתְּרוּמָה וּמַעֲשֵׂר, אֵין נֶאֱמָן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה. וְעָנִי שֶׁהִפְקִידוּ פִקָּדוֹן אֶצְלוֹ וְלֹא נֶחְשָׁד עַל הַפִּקָּדוֹן, אֵין נֶאֱמָן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה. וְרַוָּק הַדָּר בַּכְּפָר בִּשְׁכוּנַת זוֹנוֹת וְאֵינוֹ חוֹטֵא, אֵין נֶאֱמָן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה. אֵין אַתְּ מוֹצֵא נֶאֱמָן גָּדוֹל כְּיוֹסֵף שֶׁהָיָה בְּמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶן, אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם (יחזקאל כג, כ), וְהוּא בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וְלֹא נֶחְשַׁד עַל הָעֲרָיוֹת, בְּיוֹתֵר שֶׁהָיְתָה אֲדוֹנָתוֹ עִמּוֹ בַּבַּיִת וְהָיְתָה מְשַׁדַּלְתּוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בִּדְבָרִים. וְהָיְתָה מַחֲלֶפֶת שָׁלֹשׁ חֲלִיפוֹת בְּגָדִים בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם. כֵּלִים שֶׁלָּבְשָׁה בְשַׁחֲרִית לֹא לָבְשָׁה אוֹתָם בַּחֲצִי הַיּוֹם, וּבַחֲצִי הַיּוֹם לֹא לָבְשָׁה בֵין הָעַרְבָּיִם. כָּל כָּךְ לָמָּה. כְּדֵי לִתֵּן עֵינָיו בָּהּ.
And it came to pass after these things (Gen. 40:1). May our master teach us which men are counted among the most faithful. Thus did our master teach us: There are three men who are considered most faithful. The householder who sets aside the proper amount for his tithe and is never suspected of neglecting to pay either the terumah or the tithe. No one is more faithful than he. The poor man who is entrusted with a deposit and is not suspected of withholding the deposit. No one is more faithful than he. And the bachelor who lives in a red-light district and does not sin. No one is more faithful than he. You find that no one was more faithful than Joseph, who, though only a lad of seventeen years, lived among Egyptians, concerning whom it is written: Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses (Ezek. 23:20). He was never suspected of immorality. What is more, the mistress of the house in which he lived endeavored every day to entice him by her comments and by changing her clothes three times a day. The clothes she put on in the morning, she would not wear in the afternoon, and those she wore in the afternoon she would not wear in the evening. Why did she do this? So that he should notice her.
אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: פַּעַם אַחַת נִתְקַבְּצוּ הַמִּצְרִיּוֹת וּבָאוּ לִרְאוֹת יָפְיוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף. מֶה עָשְׂתָה אֵשֶׁת פּוֹטִיפַר, נָטְלָה אֶתְרוֹגִים וְנָתְנָה לְכָל אַחַת וְאַחַת מֵהֶן וְנָתְנָה סַכִּין לְכָל אַחַת וְאַחַת, וְקָרְאָה לְיוֹסֵף וְהֶעֱמִידַתּוּ לִפְנֵיהֶן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיוּ מִסְתַּכְּלוֹת בְּיָפְיוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף, הָיוּ חוֹתְכוֹן אֶת יְדֵיהֶן. אָמְרָה לָהֶן, וּמָה אַתֶּן בְּשָׁעָה אַחַת כָּךְ. אֲנִי שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁעָה רוֹאָה אוֹתוֹ, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. וּבְכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם מְשַׁדַּלְתּוֹ בִדְבָרִים, וְעָמַד בְּיִצְרוֹ. מִנַּיִן, מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרְאוּ בְּעִנְיַן וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו.
Our sages inform us that on one occasion Potiphar’s wife assembled a number of Egyptian women so that they might see how very handsome Joseph was. But before she summoned Joseph she gave each of them an ethrog and a knife. When they saw Joseph’s handsome countenance, they cut their hands. She said to them: “If this can happen to you, who see him only once, how much more so does it happen to me, who must look at him constantly.” Each day she strove to entice him with words, but he suppressed his evil inclination. Whence do we know this? From what we read in the section: His master’s wife cast her eyes upon him (Gen. 39:7).