Yaakov lived 17 years in mitzraim and before his death he calls his son Yosef and makes him swear that he will bury him in Mearat Hamachpela where his father (Yitzchak) and grandfather (Avraham) are buried.
He then sees Efraim and Menashe (Yosef's sons) and he blesses them with maybe the most famous beracha in Torah "Hamalach Hagoel oti mikol ra yevarech et hanearim veyikare bahem shemi veshem Avotai Avraham and Yitzchak, ve idgu larov bekerev haAretz."(
may the angel who redeemed me from all harm bless the youths, and may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they multiply abundantly like fish, in the midst of the land.")
The mefarshim ask what did Efraim and Menshe do to deserve such a powerful Beracha?
In America it's a well known statement that "you're a product of your environment". Yaakovs sons grew up in a house of probably the most righteous person on Earth. The midrash says that angels used to visit Yaakovs house everyday. Such a holly house makes it very easy to grow up as a tzadik and so Yaakov sons were all tzadikim.
Efraim and Menashe (Yosef's sons) however, grew up in Mitzraim, in constant Tuma (impurity), surrounded by avoda zara, yet they managed to grow just as righteous as Yosef's brothers.
When Yaakov saw them he knew right away that they must have a part in his inheritance and be a part of the 12 tribes. He knew that at the worst galuyot, there will still be Jews that won't be influenced by the environment and they will help keep the Jewish nation around forever, we see that the blessing he gave them was really a blessing for Klal Am Israel and many have the tradition to bless their children with the same blessing every Friday night.
This beracha is one of the reasons why jews can be jews no matter where they go and what the world will look at them like.
Wouldn't you want to be part of this group?
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