magnanimity with Esau's jealousy. As reports, Esau voluntarily sold his birthright, but as says, "Esau hated Jacob," and as says, "And he said, 'Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he has supplanted me these two times.'" In Reuben's case, Joseph took Reuben's birthright from him against his will, as 1 Chronicles reports, "for as much as he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph." Nonetheless, Reuben was not jealous of Joseph, as reports, "And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand." Interpreting the detail of the phrase in , "they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him," a Midrash taught that Joseph's brothers stripped him of his cloak, his shirt, his tunic, and his breeches. A Midrash asked who "took him, and cast him into the pit" in , and replied that it was his brother Simeon. And the Midrash taught that Simeon was repaid when in , Joseph took Simeon from among the brothers and had him bound before their eyes. Interpreting the words, "the pit was empty, there was no water in it," in , a Midrash taught that there was indeed no water in it, but snakes and serpents were in it. And because the word "pit" appears twice in , the Midrash deduced that there were two pits, one full of pebbles, and the other full of snakes and scorpions. Rabbi Aha interpreted the words "the pit was empty" to teach that Jacob's pit was emptied—Jacob's children were emptied of their compassion. The Midrash interpreted the words "there was no water in it" to teach that there was no recognition of Torah in it, as Torah is likened to water, as says, "everyone that thirsts, come for water." For the Torah (in ) says, "If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel . . . and sell him, then that thief shall die," and yet Joseph's brothers sold their brother. Rabbi Judah ben Ilai taught that Scripture speaks in praise of Judah. Rabbi Judah noted that on three occasions, Scripture records that Judah spoke before his brethren, and they made him king over them (bowing to his authority): (1) in , which reports, "Judah said to his brethren: ‘What profit is it if we slay our brother'"; (2) in , which reports,