וְאֵ֛ת שֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖י קָרָ֣א אֶפְרָ֑יִם כִּֽי־הִפְרַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּאֶ֥רֶץ עׇנְיִֽי׃
And the name of the second called he Ephraim: “For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Classical midrash on the naming of Ephraim.
Sefaria · Bereshit Rabbah (context)
כִּי הִפְרַנִי אֱלֹהִים בְּאֶרֶץ עׇנְיִי. גַּם בְּתוֹךְ הָעֹנִי יֵשׁ פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם.
English of Core Text: “For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Even within the place of suffering there is fruitfulness granted by Heaven.
On the daf / in context: The name Ephraim is understood as testimony that blessing can appear inside the very land of hardship; the midrash pairs it with Menasheh as the two sides of Yosef’s spiritual accounting.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Fruitfulness is possible even in the land of one’s affliction; Yosef names his second son to acknowledge that the place of exile itself became a place of growth.