Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 41:23/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״א:כ״ג

אצְנוּמוֹת דַּקּוֹת צוּנְמָא בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי סֶלַע, הֲרֵי הֵן כְּעֵץ בְּלֹא לִחְלוּחַ וְקָשׁוֹת כְּסֶלַע, וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ "נָצַן לָקְיָן", נָצַן – אֵין בָּהֶן אֶלָּא הַנֵּץ לְפִי שֶׁנִּתְרוֹקְנוּ מִן הַזֶּרַע, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"א:כ"ג). וְהַשִּׁבֳּלִים בְּעֵת שֶׁנִּתְרוֹקְנוּ מִן הַזֶּרַע אֵין בָּהֶן נֵץ, וְכֵן פַּרְעֹה לֹא רָאָה אוֹתָן בְּעֵת הֱנֵצָן כִּי מְלֵאוֹת וְטוֹבוֹת וְדַקּוֹת וּשְׁדוּפוֹת קָדִים רָאָה אוֹתָן, וְכֵן צְנוּמוֹת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּמוֹ סְלוּעוֹת מִלְּשׁוֹן צוּנְמָא אֵינוֹ נָכוֹן, וְהַשִּׁבֳּלִים הַדַּקּוֹת אֵינָם קָשׁוֹת כַּסֶּלַע, אֲבָל פֵּרוּשׁ צְנוּמוֹת – פְּרוּדוֹת לַחֲתִיכוֹת הַרְבֵּה, וְהוּא לְשׁוֹן רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ברכות לט), פַּת הַצְּנוּמָה בַּקְּעָרָה מְבָרְכִין עָלֶיהָ הַמּוֹצִיא, פַּת הַחֲתוּכָה, וְהוּא הַפַּת שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִמֶּנּוּ חֲתִיכוֹת וְנוֹתֵן הַמָּרָק עָלָיו בַּקְּעָרָה וְאוֹכְלוֹ חֲתִיכָה חֲתִיכָה בְּלֹא בְּצִיעָה אַחֶרֶת, וְהוּא לְשׁוֹן הַתַּרְגּוּם גַּם כֵּן שֶׁאָמַר "נָצַן" לְשׁוֹן חִתּוּךְ וְחֶסְרוֹן, מִמָּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ הֵם ז"ל (ב"ב נד), מֻלְיָא בְּמֻלְיָא נַצָּא בְּנַצָּא לָא הָוְיָא חֲזָקָה, שְׁקַל מֻלְיָא וּשְׁדָא בְּנַצָּא הָוְיָא חֲזָקָה. הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁהוּא גָּבוֹהַּ שְׁלֵם הֶעָפָר נִקְרָא מַלְיָא, וְשֶׁהוּא חֲסַר הֶעָפָר וּבוֹ חֶסְרוֹן נִקְרָא נַצָּא, אַף כָּאן הֵפֶךְ מְלֵאוֹת – צְנוּמוֹת, וְנָצַן הֵפֶךְ מְלֵאָן. וְהָעִנְיָן כִּי לֹא הָיוּ הַשִּׁבֳּלִים מְלֵאוֹת הַגַּרְגְּרִים, אֲבָל הָיָה בָּהֶם מְקוֹמוֹת חֲסֵרִים אֵין בָּהֶם גַּרְגְּרִים, וּמָקוֹם אַחֵר גָּבוֹהַּ שֶׁבּוֹ הַגַּרְגְּרִים שֶׁלָּקוּ וְהֵם רַקּוֹת, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר יוֹסֵף בִּמְקוֹם צְנוּמוֹת רַקּוֹת, כִּי הָיוּ בָּהֶן מְקוֹמוֹת רֵקִים אֵין בָּהֶם גַּרְגְּרִים כְּלָל:

1‘TZ’NUMOTH,’ THIN. Tz’numa is Aramaic for “a rock.” That is, they are like wood without sap and hard as rock. But Onkelos translated, natzan lakyan (their blossom is stricken), i.e., there is nothing in them but their withered blossom because they were empty of grain. Thus the language of Rashi.But ears of corn when empty of grain have no blossoms! Pharaoh also did not see the ears of corn when they blossomed; he saw them full and good,⁴³ and thin, and parched with the east wind.⁴⁴ Likewise, Rashi’s interpretation deriving tz’numoth from tz’numa as signifying “rocky” is also not correct. Thin ears of corn are not as hard as rocks.But the meaning of tz’numoth is “separated,” [fragmented] into many pieces. It is the Rabbinic word:⁴⁵ “Bread hatz’numa in a bowl requires the blessing of hamotzi,”⁴⁶ the word hatz’numa meaning “cut bread,” or more exactly, pieces of bread⁴⁷ in a bowl upon which he pours soup, and each part is eaten without any other bread. This likewise is the meaning of the Targum, who uses the word natzan, which signifies “cut and deficient.”The usage of the word natza is similar to that in the saying of the Rabbis:⁴⁸ “If one transfers dirt from a malya into malya or natza into natza, it does not constitute taking possession,⁴⁹ but if he takes malya and throws it into natza, it does constitute an act of taking possession.” Now a high place in a field solidly filled with earth is called malya, and one in which there is an appreciable shortage of earth is called natza.⁵⁰ to another, or from one natza to another, he has not improved the land. Hence it does not constitute an act of taking possession. But if he took earth from a malya and filled in a natza, he has performed a constructive act, and it therefore constitutes an act of taking possession. Here likewise the opposite of “full ones” is tz’numoth, and (the singular) natzan is the opposite of malyan (a full one).The situation described here in the verse is that the ears were not full of grain but that there were empty spots without grain in them, and in other places, higher up on the stalk, the ears were wind-beaten and empty. This was why Joseph used the word reikoth (empty ones),⁵¹ instead of tz’numoth as there were there places on the ears which contained no grain whatever.