This week and in the last few parashiot (weekly Torah portions -ed.), the Torah continues to follow Yosef (Joseph) as the main character of the story. Looking at the psukim (verses), it is very clear that Yaakov (Jacob), and the Torah, seem to see Yosef as the one to continue the three Avot (forefathers) and not as one of the tribes.
Yaakov gives Yosef his own special blessing, and a blessing to Yosef's two sons, stating that they will be recognized like Yaakov's sons and will be considered as part of the tribes.
All of Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) - "the book of our forefathers" - ends with Yosef passing away and with that "sealing" the first chapter in our nation. However, in our tradition, Am Yisrael (the people of Israel) speaks about three forefathers, not four.
Why is that? Why is Yosef not on that list in contradiction to what we would expect from reading our parsha (Torah portion)? Why do we not have four Avot - Avraham (Abraham), Yitzchak (Isaac), Yaakov and Yosef??