Génesis 40:15 Halajá: Sefer Chasidim

An Israelite that hears it being said about him that he is a “gentile” must say, “I am a Jew.” From whence do we know this? From Moses, our teacher, peace be with him. He said, “Lord of all the Universe, since I did not merit to enter the Holy Land, let my bones enter the Land as did the bones of Joseph.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “He who admits to ties with the Land will be buried in the Land. Joseph was accorded this consideration since he said, ‘For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews’ (Gen. 40:15), therefore his bones merited to be buried in the Land. But you who remained silent when you heard them say about you, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds (Exod. 2:19) and you did not say, ‘I am a Hebrew,’ therefore your bones will not enter the Land.”¹Midrash Rabbah, ed. Horeb, Deuteronomy, Chapter II, p. 8.