Chazal tell us that Yoseph's brothers sat in
judgment on him and deemed him deserving
death. In spite of-this, Reuven came to his rescue
because he felt indebted to Joseph for having mentioned seeing eleven stars in his dream, thereby
including Reuven among the brothers, and allaying Reuven's fear of being excluded from the
family circle for his "sin" with Bilha. Said Reb Chaim: Let us consider what Yosef had REALLY done for Reuven. It was only a dream which involved no effort on Yoseph's part ... a dream
which served to increase Yoseph's prestige, certainly not Reuven's. But a dream that nonetheless
reassured Reuven. And for such a seemingly
minute favor, Reuven recognized such a profound
debt of gratitude that he was compelled to save Yoseph's life, despite the fact that he concurred in
the brother's verdict that Yoseph deserved death.
"The requirements of gratitude go even further: Yaacov instructed Yoseph to inquire after the welfare of his brothers and their sheep. Our Sages
deduce from this that one is required to look after
the welfare of anything from which he benefits. -
But for what reason? Are the sheep consciously
helping their owner? Does it comfort the sheep
that someone inquires after their well-being? But herein lies the principle: Gratitude on the
recipient's part should not depend on the effort
expended on his behalf. Deriving benefit from
someone or something in and of itself requires an
expression of gratitude. This appreciation must be
shown not only to human beings, but to lower
orders of creation as well
