וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י זֹ֥את עֲשׂ֖וּ וִֽחְי֑וּ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֲנִ֥י יָרֵֽא׃
And Yosef said unto them the third day, “This do, and live; for I fear God.”
Classical midrash on Yosef’s declaration of the fear of God.
אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים אֲנִי יָרֵא. יוֹסֵף מַגְלֶה טִפָּה מִן הָאֱמֶת שֶׁלּוֹ גַּם בְּתוֹךְ הַהַסְתָּרָה.
English of Core Text: “For I fear God.” Yosef reveals a drop of his true identity even while remaining concealed.
On the daf / in context: The midrash treats the unexpected claim of yirat Elohim by an Egyptian viceroy as a deliberate signal that the brothers (and the reader) are meant to notice.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Even in the midst of the harsh test, Yosef cannot entirely suppress the truth of his character; the declaration “I fear God” is both a moral claim and a quiet self-revelation.