וְשָׁ֨ם אִתָּ֜נוּ נַ֣עַר עִבְרִ֗י עֶ֚בֶד לְשַׂ֣ר הַטַּבָּחִ֔ים וַנְּסַ֨פֶּר־ל֔וֹ וַיִּפְתׇּר־לָ֖נוּ אֶת־חֲלֹמֹתֵ֑ינוּ אִ֥ישׁ כַּחֲלֹמ֖וֹ פָּתָֽר׃
And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
Classical midrash on the butler’s description of Yosef.
נַעַר עִבְרִי עֶבֶד. הַשָּׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים מַזְכִּיר אֶת יוֹסֵף בִּלְשׁוֹן שֶׁל זִלְזוּל, וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן הַדָּבָר מֵבִיא לִישׁוּעָה.
English of Core Text: “A young man, a Hebrew, a servant.” The chief butler mentions Yosef in language of disparagement, yet the mention itself becomes the vehicle of salvation.
On the daf / in context: The midrash notes the threefold description (youth, Hebrew, slave) that seems to diminish Yosef, while in reality it is the precise recollection that brings him before Pharaoh.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Even a recollection framed in condescending terms can be the appointed instrument of redemption; the butler’s reluctant memory opens the door for Yosef’s rise.