A short Insight into Joshua, Chapter 17 By Rabbi Nisson Dov Miller

After receiving their portion in the land, the children of Yosef approached Yehoshua with the following question, “Why have you given me an inheritance of [only] a single lot and a single portion, seeing that I am a numerous people, for Hashem has blessed me to such an extant?” In truth, we should realize that the children of Yosef were not always such a large group relative to the other tribes. In the sefer Nifla'os Mitoras Hashem Yisbarach (chapter 24) the question is raised where do we see that Ya'akov Avinu's brocha to Yosef's children, Efrayim and Menashe, that “like R'uven and Shimon you will be to me” was ever fulfilled?