plague (deber) upon the Egyptians. And Rav Hanan taught that Judah became angry, and the hairs of his chest pierced through his clothes and forced their way out, and he put iron bars into his mouth and ground them to powder. Rav Judah taught that three things shorten a person's years: (1) to be given a Torah scroll from which to read and to refuse, (2) to be given a cup of benediction over which to say grace and to refuse, and (3) to assume airs of authority. To support the proposition that assuming airs of authority shortens one's life, the Gemara cited the teaching of Rabbi Hama bar Hanina that Joseph died (as reports, at the age of 110) before his brothers because he assumed airs of authority (when in and he repeatedly allowed his brothers to describe his father Jacob as "your servant"). Rav Judah asked in the name of Rav why Joseph referred to himself as "bones" during his lifetime (in ), and explained that it was because he did not protect his father's honor when in his brothers called Jacob "your servant our father" and Joseph failed to protest. And Rav Judah also said in the name of Rav (and others say that it was Rabbi Hama bar Hanina who said) that Joseph died before his brothers because he put on superior airs. Similarly, a Midrash taught that Joseph was referred to as "bones" during his lifetime (in ) because when his brothers referred to his father as "your servant our father" in , Joseph kept silent. And thus the Midrash taught that the words of , "A man's pride shall bring him low," apply to Joseph, who in this encounter ostentatiously displayed his authority. Similarly, as reports that "Joseph died, and all his brethren," the Rabbis concluded that Joseph died before his brothers. Rabbi Judah haNasi taught that Joseph died before his brothers because Joseph "commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father" (as reports). But the Rabbis taught that Jacob had directed his sons to embalm him, as reports that "his sons did to him as he commanded them." According to the Rabbis, Joseph died before his brothers because nearly five times Judah said to Joseph, "Your servant my father, your servant my father" (four times himself in , 27, 30, and 31, and once together with his brothers in ), yet Joseph