This is the question with which Maimonides opened his Introduction to Chapter "Helek" in his commentary to the Mishnah. In his own words:

Although you may not find this question very relevant, 1000 years before Maimonides and 1000 after him, Jewish philosophers asked this question time after time.

Joseph, after being sold by his brethren is brought to Mitzraim, to Egypt, to the house of "Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh, the Chamberlain of the Butchers, a prominent Egyptian, who purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there" (Genesis 39:1)

We read in the Torah that "Hashem was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; and he remained in the house of his Egyptian master" and "His master –a very sensitive man- perceived that Hashem was with him, and whatever he did Hashem made succeed through him", so "Joseph found favor in his eyes, and he attended him; he appointed him over his household, and whatever he had he placed in his custody". And because of Joseph, Hashem blessed the Egyptian's house in whatever he owned, in the house and in the field" (Genesis 39:2-5)

Joseph is a charismatic person, and he is good at finding favor in the eyes of many people. So far he found favor in his father’s eyes and in Potiphar’s eyes. We know that he will find favor also in Pharaoh’s eyes and in the Egyptian’s eyes. Joseph was certainly a special person although we know that being special also has its problems. Joseph’s brethren didn’t like him very much and being attractive will bring him more problems than advantages with his master’s wife, as we’ll see in a minute.

The Torah calls Potiphar’s wife, "his master's wife".

This apparently attractive woman (at least she looks attractive in the new movie, Joseph – King of Dreams), in whom Joseph found grace, is known to us as "his master's wife". Joseph saw in her nothing more that the fact that she was prohibited to him, because she was "his master's wife".

By rejecting "his master’s wife", Joseph brought her anger upon himself, and only God’s providence saved him from death.

However, Joseph admonishes "his master's wife" with words that deserve to be analyzed:

Joseph could have lain with "his master's wife". Nothing stoped him but fear of God -Yirat Shamaim. "..how then can I perpetrate this great evil and have sinned against God!.."

Joseph was not afraid of his master’s anger, I guess he was not denying that "his master's wife" was worthy of his attention.

Only the fear of God, the belief that there is someone above us who cares about what we do, avoided the sin.

Joseph is punished and sent to jail. His loyalty is not recognized by his master. He is ignored. Far from his family, without friends, thrown in the depths of the pit for doing the right thing, Joseph is wandering:

What do I get for doing the right thing?

The Torah will give us a bigger picture and we know the end of the story. We know that sometimes to go up, we need first to go down. But Joseph lacks, so far, the insight that will reassure him that everything will be fine. He is suffering, and to the question: What do I get for doing the right thing? he just answers: doing the right thing!

As the Rabbis of the Mishnah –overwhelmed by years of suffering- explained: "The reward for a Mitzvah, is the Mitzva (itself)" and "The punsihment for the Aveirah, for the sin, is the sin (itself)"

In other words: the biggest reward for doing the right thing is knowing –in your heart- that you did the right thing!

As professor Barzilai once told me: "The Jews in the concentration camps in Eastern Europe were ready to give anything to get out of there, but they didn’t envy the Nazis. If asked: Would you like to be like them? They would answer –with their last breath- never, never!

Joseph doesn’t know why is he suffering, why Pothifar threw him into the pit (after his brethren had also thrown him into a pit), but he knows, in his heart, that he did the right thing. He could have had everything, but he won’t "perpetrate this great evil and have sinned against God!.."

And maybe because Joseph did the right thing, "Hashem was with him; and whatever he did Hashem made successful" (Genesis 39:23)

The Macabees won the war, not when they defeated the Syrians, but when they decided not to forsake the Torah. And even those who died doing the right thing, conquered death and won.

They won because of the spirit, not because of the might. They won because their hearts were full of fear of God, and the fear of God dissipated the fear of the Syrians and their army.

"Hashem was with Joseph; and whatever he did Hashem made successful". May He also be with us!

Shabbat Shalom