Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 41:3/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״א:ג׳

אוַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה אֵצֶל הַפָּרוֹת בְּצִדָּן וְקָרוֹב לָהֶן, וְהוּא סִימָן שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא הֶפְסֵק בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַשָּׂבָע וּשְׁנֵי הָרָעָב, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא סִפֵּר זֶה לְיוֹסֵף. וְאוּלַי הַמַּרְאָה וְהַסִּפּוּר הָיוּ שָׁוִים, וְהַכָּתוּב לֹא יָחוּשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר הוֹסִיף בַּסִּפּוּר "וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי בָאוּ אֶל קִרְבֶּנָה", וְכֵן "עוֹלוֹת בְּקָנֶה אֶחָד", סִימָן שֶׁתִּהְיֶינָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים רְצוּפוֹת:

1AND THEY STOOD BESIDE THE COWS. I.e., by their side and near them. This was a sign that there would be no lapse of time between the years of plenty and the years of famine even though Pharaoh did not relate this to Joseph.²³ But perhaps the vision which Pharaoh saw and the relating of the dream to Joseph were really alike, except that Scripture did not concern itself [with mentioning all the details Pharaoh told Joseph], just as it added into the story [details not mentioned in the actual dream, as for example], And it could not be known that they had eaten them up,²⁴ and also, the ears of corn came up on one stalk,²⁵ which was a sign that the seven years will occur consecutively.