Vayeshev תרל”ד 3-4

נראה כי יוסף זכה ע”י המכירה שנתבזה מהשבטים ויפשיטו כו’. וע”י שלא הרהר אחר השם ית’ והאמין כי הכל לטובה. עי”ז וינס ויצא החוצה. שהי’ לו סיוע שיוכל לבזות עצמו עבור רצון הבורא ית’.
It would seem that the merit of Yosef (to withstand teh test of being embarassed by Potiphar’s wife) was due to the fact that when he was sold into slavery and striped of his clothing, and thereby thought about HaShem (dureing his difficulty, he realised) and believed that everything HaShem does is for the best. Therefore when he was embarrassed yet again he was able to withstand the embarrassment for he realised that this was the will of HaShem.
ויש ללמוד הרבה ממעשיות הללו שבתורה. איך לקבל כל הנהגות השי”ת בשמחה ואהבה. כי הוא נורא עלילה כו’.
So too we need to learn from these stories in the Torah, how to accept the ways of HaShem with happiness and love. For He is held in awe.
וענין מכירת יוסף נראה כי הי’ לפלא בעיני השבטים איך הבדיל יוסף עצמו ואחד עשר כוכבים כו’ הלא י”ב שבטי י”ה הם. ובאמת אין פתרון לדבר זה.
In the story of Yosef being sold into slavery, it would seem that the brothers could not understand Yosef’s behaviour, how could he separate himself from the other 11 stars, they were 12 tribes, the tribes of HaShem, (how could he split them up), this indeed had no (logical) explanation.
אך השי”ת מסבב מסיבות שנעשו ב’ בניו שבטים מנשה ואפרים. ושבט לוי נמנה בפ”ע. והכל הי’ אז בלי פירוש. ויוסף נתעלה באמת שלא הי’ בכלל השבטים כמ”ש נזיר אחיו:
Yet HaShem controlled all reason, and Yosef’s two sons became two separate tribes – Menashe and Ephraim, and Levi was counted separately. At the time none of this was understood, yet Yosef elevated himself correctly, for he indeed was not counted as part of the tribes, as he was called “the crown of his brothers”.

אילו הי’ ראובן יודע כו’.
Had Reuven known… (that the Torah would write about him that he went back to the pit to rescue Yosef, he would have brought Yosef back to his father on his shoulders.)
פי’ שהאבות כל מעשיהם הי’ תורה. לאשר בכל פעולתם השתתפו כח תולדותיהם ושיזכו זרעם אחריהם. וז”ש יצוה בניו כו’. פי’ שיחבר מעשיו לתולדותיו כנ”ל. לכן נקראו אבות כדאיתא אין אבות אלא שלשה. ולכן זכו שמעשיהם כתובים בתורה.
The explanation is that all the actions of our forefathers are Torah (recalled and part of the Torah). This is because in all of their actions there was an energy of their generations to come, and the later generations will benefit from these actions. As it states “for I know him that he will command his children after him”. The word for command יצוה is connected to the word connection (צוות). HaShem was saying that Avraham will connect this Torah to his later generations.
This is why they are called ‘Avos’ (meaning that they have ‘toldos’) as it states there are only 3 Avos. It is for this reason that the forefathers merited that their actions are recorded in the Torah.
ובני ישראל הוגים ומבינים ומיישרין דרכם ע”י לימוד מעשיהם בתורה כנ”ל.
And Bnei Yisrael learn the Torah and understand how to adjust their ways through studying the was of our forefathers in the Torah, as explained.
ואם הי’ ראובן יודע שמעשיו יהיו לימוד לדורות. הי’ זה סיוע לחזק עצמו. ועל כתפיו הי’ מוליכו כו’. לכן צריך כל אדם ליישב עצמו איך כל מעשיו נוגעי’ לזרעו אחריו לדורות:
Therefore had Reuven known that his actions would also be a lesson for generations to come, it would have given him help to strengthen himself. He would have carried Yosef on his shouldres back to his father. For this reason every person has to internalise how his action are going to affect his children after him, for generations to come.