Joseph asked Pharaoh’s servants,
“Why are your faces so downcast today?”
Genesis 40:7
Joseph had suffered horrible humiliations. It would have been logical for
him to become absorbed in his own pain, angry at the world, as he languished in prison. But Joseph did not become bitter. He remained sensitive to others and to his Divine mission in life. Not only did he perceive the anguish of Pharaoh’s servants, he reached out to help them. To Joseph, the fact that G-d had arranged for him to notice someone in need indicated that it was his duty to help.
As the result of this one, seemingly minor good deed, Joseph became the viceroy of Egypt, and was able to save the civilized world from famine. We see here, once again, the unimaginably far-reaching results that can come from one small good deed.
—from Daily Wisdom #1