The medrash tells us that Osnas, the daughter of Potiphar, who became the wife of Yosef, was really the daughter of Dinah and Shechem. How did this come about? The shevatim (tribes), believing that it was an embarrassment to the sons of Yaakov to have a daughter from Shechem, placed the newborn baby under a tree. To protect her, they put a necklace around her neck which explained that she was from the family of Yaakov, and anyone who helped her would be taken care of. A passerby noticed the baby, and Osnas eventually ended up in Egypt, where she was adopted by Potiphar.

When Yosef became the ruler in Egypt, all the girls, including Osnas, came to get a glance at the handsome new ruler and threw their jewelry into his carriage. Later that night, when Yosef saw the necklace with the message written on it, he found Osnas and made her his wife.

What a fascinating medrash! Here we have two people who were ostracized by their families and forced to navigate a foreign culture. And these two misfits become the ruling couple of one of the largest civilizations in history. How was this possible?