Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 41:2/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״א:ב׳

אוְהִנֵּה מִן הַיְאֹר עֹלֹת בַּעֲבוּר כִּי אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה מִן הַיְאוֹר וּמִמֶּנּוּ בָּא לָהֶם הַשֹּׂבַע וְהָרָעָב, רָאָה אוֹתָן עוֹלוֹת מִן הַיְאוֹר. וְהַפָּרוֹת סִימָן לַחֲרִישָׁה, וְהַשִּׁבֳּלִים סִימָן לַקָּצִיר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (בראשית מ"ה:ו') "אֲשֶׁר אֵין חָרִישׁ וְקָצִיר", רָאָה כִּי הַיְאוֹר לֹא עָלָה רַק מְעַט, וְאֵין חָרִישׁ, וַאֲשֶׁר יִזְרְעוּ מְעַט בַּמְּקוֹמוֹת הַלַּחִים יָבֹא קָדִים רוּחַ ה' וְיִשְׂרֹף אוֹתָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה אוֹתָם שְׁדוּפוֹת קָדִים. וְהַנִּרְאֶה מִמַּשְׁמַע הַכְּתוּבִים כִּי הָיָה הַשָּׂבָע בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְבַדָּהּ, כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר (בראשית מ"א:כ"ט) "שָׂבָע גָּדוֹל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם", וְכֵן (בראשית מ"א:מ"ח) "אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם", אֲבָל הָרָעָב הָיָה בְּכָל הָאֲרָצוֹת (בראשית מ"א:נ"ד), וְכֵן פָּתַר יוֹסֵף, "וְקָמוּ שֶׁבַע שְׁנֵי רָעָב", וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא יָכְלוּ בִּשְׁאָר הָאֲרָצוֹת לִקְבֹּץ אֹכֶל, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם שָׁמְעוּ הָעִנְיָן כִּי הָיָה מְפֻרְסָם מְאֹד. וְאוּלַי הָיָה בַּחֲלוֹם רֶמֶז מִזֶּה בַּמֶּה שֶׁהִזְכִּיר "וַתִּרְעֶינָה בָּאָחוּ", כִּי שָׁם הָיָה מִרְעֵיהֶן וּמַעֲמָדָן, אֲבָל הָרָעוֹת אַחֲרֵי אָכְלָן אֶת הַטּוֹבוֹת תִּתְהַלַּכְנָה בָּאָרֶץ, וְלֹא יָדַע פַּרְעֹה עַד אָנָה הָלְכוּ:

1AND BEHOLD, THERE CAME UP OUT OF THE RIVER. Since the land of Egypt is irrigated by the river, and it is from the river that abundance or famine befalls them, the king saw the cows coming up out of the river. The cows symbolize plowing, and the ears of corn symbolize the harvest, just as Joseph said, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.¹² He saw that the river rose only slightly and there would thus be no plowing, and the little which will be planted in moist places, a wind blowing from the east, a wind from the Eternal¹³ would burn them, even as he saw the ears of corn parched with the east wind.¹⁴It would appear to be implied in the verses that the abundance was only in the land of Egypt, even as it said, Seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt;¹⁵ likewise the verse, And he stored up all the food of the seven years which was in the land of Egypt.¹⁶ But the famine, on the other hand, was in all the lands. And so did Joseph interpret it when he said, And there shall arise after them seven years of famine,¹⁷ and did not mention the land of Egypt. It was for this reason that in the other countries they were unable to store up food even if they had heard about it, as they undoubtedly did, for the matter was well known throughout their lands. Perhaps this was alluded to in the dream since with respect to the fat cows, it mentions, And they fed in the reed-grass, for it was there in Egypt that they fed and stood, but the lean ones, after they consumed the fat ones, walked to and fro through the earth,¹⁸ and Pharaoh did not know where they had gone.

בבָּאָחוּ אֲגַם, כְּמוֹ "יִשְׂגֶּא אָחוּ" (איוב ח יא), לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"א:ב'). וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן, כִּי אָחוּ – שֵׁם הָעֵשֶׂב הַגָּדֵל, כְּמוֹ "הֲיִגְאֶה גֹּמֶא בְּלֹא בִצָּה יִשְׂגֶּא אָחוּ בְּלִי מָיִם עֹדֶנּוּ בְאִבּוֹ לֹא יִקָּטֵף" (איוב ח יא-יב), וְהִנֵּה אֵינֶנּוּ הָאֲגַם. וְאוּלַי יִרְצֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא הָעֵשֶׂב הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בַּאֲגַמִּים עַל שֵׁם הָאֲגַם. וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אָחוּ שֵׁם כּוֹלֵל הַדֶּשֶׁא וְהָעֵשֶׂב הַנַּעֲשֶׂה עַל שְׂפַת הַנְּהָרוֹת וְהָאֲגַמִּים, וְיִהְיֶה בֵּי"ת בָּאָחוּ כְּמוֹ בֵּי"ת "לַחֲמוּ בְלַחֲמִי וּשְׁתוּ בְּיַיִן מָסָכְתִּי" (משלי ט ה), כִּי עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאוֹר הָיוּ רוֹעוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (בראשית מ"א:ג') "אֵצֶל הַפָּרוֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאוֹר". וְאוּלַי הוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן אַחְוָה, בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת מִינֵי הָעֲשָׂבִים רַבִּים גְּדֵלִים יַחַד:

2BA’ACHU. Meaning “in the marshy land,” as in the verse, Can ‘achu’ grow?¹⁹ This is the language of Rashi.This is not correct, as achu is the name of the grass which grows, [and not the land upon which it grows, as Rashi explained it], just as in the verse, Can the rush shoot up without mire, can the ‘achu’ (reed-grass) grow without water? It withereth before any other herb.²⁰, Verses 11-12. Thus it is obvious that the word achu is not the marsh land. Perhaps Rashi’s intent is that the grass which grows in the marsh-lands is called by the name of the land upon which it grows.The correct interpretation is that achu is the generic name for all vegetation and grass which grow on the banks of the rivers and the marsh-lands. In that case, the letter beth in ba’achu would be as the beth in the verse, Come, eat ‘b’lachmi’ (of my bread), and drink of the wine which I have mingled,²¹ is the name of the grass, as he said in attempting to vindicate Rashi’s explanation, the verse before us should have said achu, rather than ba’achu. But if achu is a generic name, the term ba’achu is correct, and the verse would mean that they fed in the green foliage or vegetation which was upon the bank of the river. for they were feeding on the bank of the river, just as it is said, near the cows upon the bank of the river.²² Now perhaps the word achu is a derivative of achvah (brotherhood), since many varieties of grass grow together.