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Abarbanel on Torah
Abarbanel on Torah — Sefaria Community Translation
Unverified edition · GEN-41
Reading language: eng · Original language (catalog): English
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Abarbanel on Torah, Genesis 41:1:11
(On verses 37-38:) What did Pharaoh see to say to his servants, "Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the spirit of God," and that he said to him, "there is no one wise and understanding like you," and that he made him the master over his entire household and ruler over the entire land of Egypt - before he knew whether his words would be substantiated and whether the thing would come to effect as he had interpreted or not?! As behold, the chief wine steward did not do a thing [for just this reason], when he interpreted his dream positively. As maybe the thing would not be as he had interpreted it to Pharaoh. And if so, why did he raise him before the thing was tested? And he also [prematurely] gave him a wife from the notables of the land.
Abarbanel on Torah, Genesis 41:1:19
...(On verse 8:) And this is difficult; as why did their interpretations not sit with his heart, and why did Jospeh's interpretation sit with his heart - as Pharaoh did not know the discipline of interpretation. So with what was it nevertheless known to him that they were not interpreting properly and that Joseph's interpretation was true?...
Abarbanel on Torah, Genesis 41:41:1
"And Pharaoh said to Yosef, 'Behold I have placed you, etc.'" until, "The seven years of famine started" (Genesis 41:54). Pharaoh spoke three speeches or statements to Yosef about this thing here. The first was, "Since God has made all this known to you [...] You shall be over my house, etc.," the content of which is as I have explained: Even though you only advised me about the matter of the grain, behold I am appointing you over my house and the administration of the kingdom. And the second is concerning the matter of the plenty and the famine, which was hinted in his dream and about which he advised him. And about this he said, "Behold, I have placed you in charge over the entire land of Egypt, etc." Such that the intention in it is concerning the produce, to separate a fifth, to gather and to sell it at the proper time and to do all that is required for it. And this is [the meaning of], "over the entire land of Egypt." For the matter of the plenty and the famine included all of the land, to gather the produce and to put it together. It is as if he said, "Since you advised me that I should select a discerning and wise man to do this, so that I would do it myself - behold what I will decree about this. And it is that I do not want to do this myself, as you said, nor to appoint officers. Rather, you are the wise and discerning one due to the power of God. I have placed you over the entire land of Egypt, to do it." And for this matter, he was required to give him his signet ring with which all of the writings that were written in the name of the king were signed, so that he could write whatever he wished and then sign it. And he commanded to have him dressed with linen garments, which are garments designated for ministers. "And he put a gold chain around his neck." Meaning that Pharaoh himself, with his hands, placed a gold chain around Yosef's neck, which indicated his greatness, as is the custom today with knights elevated by the king. "He had him ride" - by his commandment - "in the second chariot." Meaning in the chariot designated for the man that is second to the king. For the king had a chariot that was designated for him, the second, who is the second to the king in greatness and status. And it is in it that he commanded that they seat Yosef. And it is known what a chariot is, that it a seat [led] by four horses. And since Scripture stated, "in the second chariot that was his," and it did not state, "in his second chariot," it appears to be explained that the king had two designated chariots for himself; he would ride in one of them and his second would ride in the second. And that is why it stated, "in the second chariot that was his." However its stating, "and they called before him, avrech" - the idea is since bowing which is specifically to the king is with the bending of the knee (berekh), this indicates the status of his mastery over all of the land. Because of this, it was forbidden to bow with the downward movement of the knee to anyone besides the king, except by his commandment. And the practice was like this also in the time of Achashverosh, as it is written (Esther 3:2), "for so did the king command him." And the call and proclamation before him was, "bow down and give (venaton) him." Meaning that everyone should bow to him with the bending of the knee and that the king was giving him to be leader, vizier and commander over all the land of Egypt. And avrekh is the infinitive of the paul verb construction, and likewise, venaton to him, is an infinitive (to give). This is permission to everyone to bow down with the knee, and also that he is given rulership over all the land of Egypt. And hence no one can challenge him. Behold Pharaoh made all this effort so that Yosef's rulership would prosper for him, and no one would challenge him, given that he was a hated Hebrew among them. But lest Yosef fear and fret that the Egyptians would be jealous of his rulership and his appointment over the house and the field, just like his brothers were jealous of him for something thousands of times less significant - therefore Pharaoh had to say the third statement to him. And that is, "Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I am Pharaoh; yet without you' - meaning to say, do not fear and do not worry about the ministers of the kingdom and the people of the land, for I am Pharaoh and the word of the king has gone out before me that, 'without you, no one shall lift up hand or foot.' That is to say, not to do anything and not to go anywhere with his feet without your permission and command, 'in all the land of Egypt.'" Behold it has been explained why these three statements came from Pharaoh to Yosef. So the twelfth question is resolved. And since it was difficult for the Egyptians that a Hebrew should rule over them, Pharaoh schemed to change his name and call him Tzafnat-Paneach, which means the Revealer of Hidden Things in Egyptian. And he did not suffice with this, but gave him as a wife, Osnat daughter of Poti-fera, who was a minister and important man in Egypt, so that he would have relatives on his wife's side who would help him. For there is no question that this would elevate his status. And that is what he relied on, "so Yosef went out over the land of Egypt": From the connection that he made with that minister, he went out over the land of Egypt, his greatness and leadership [now] famous. For his relatives, and his relatives' relatives befriended him and elevated him. But behold the Scripture tells of the difficulty of Yosef's rulership, for "Yosef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt." For since he was the king of Egypt, it was not fit that a Hebrew youth should be seen before him. As he was a youth, according to the years of that generation. Nevertheless God helped him and ingratiated him to Pharaoh. Moreover, when the ministers of Egypt were jealous of him - so long as he was before Pharaoh, no one could say anything in front of him; but when he left from before him to go out all over the land of Egypt, he was in great danger. Yet with God's compassion for him, he "left Pharaoh’s presence, and traversed throughout all the land of Egypt," far from the king's base in order to increase and strengthen his rulership and the power that was given to him, even when not before Pharaoh. And no one challenged him, as this was from God. And this is the explanation of his leaving Pharaoh's presence. However its stating, "In the seven years of plenty the land produced in handfuls" - for me, the idea is like, "so that it yields produce for three years" (Leviticus 25:21): That the land of Egypt yielded bountiful produce during the years of plenty, such that the produce would come out in handfuls, not in stalks. And this is said by way of exaggeration. And with this, all the peoples of the land saw that Yosef's words materialized, that which he said to Pharaoh, "a great plenty." For the land yielded very much produce, as if it were in handfuls, which is not the natural way. And then Yosef gathered the food, meaning to say all of the food that was sold at the market price. And this is besides the fifth (that was taxed), since Scriptures relies upon that which was already mentioned. And it mentions his wisdom, that he did not leave it in the field in pits, as is the practice in most countries, so that they not steal it from there. Rather he placed it in the cities. However he nevertheless acted fairly and did not alter the rights of each city. For he placed the food of each city inside it, and not in another city. And understand its stating, "he put in each city the food of the fields around it." As the intention with this is that the food of the field of the city which is near the city - meaning that which was close to the city - that was what he placed in it to be guarded there as food for the city during the time of the famine. But the food that was far from the city he would not put in it. Rather he would take it to [the center of] Egypt, to the storehouses of the king. For Yosef would sell grain there to the foreign nations who were not from Egypt. And it is, as we will see from the story, that Yosef would provide the grain to foreigners, and that is where his brother came to buy food. And the Scripture mentioned that they originally recorded the grain and the food that Yosef gathered - whether from the fifth and all the more so from the purchase - so that it all be counted; however with its proliferation, it stopped being counted, since it was gathered without a count. And, if so, it was all left to his expertise, without any calculation. So the thirteenth question is resolved. And behold Scripture mentioned the birth of Yosef's sons, their names and the reasons for those names to tell us that he was so refined that even with his being a minister and master over all of the land of Egypt and being busy with the gathering of produce and its concerns, behold 'on the day of his heart's joy,' when they were born, he placed the memory of his father's home and the desire for his land 'over the pinnacle of his joy.' And hence he called the first son Menashe and said, "God has made me leave behind (nashani)" and forget "all my hardships," from my slavery: but also from my father's house, since I have been separated from it, so now I am forgotten there. And it is as if he gave praise [to God] for the good, that God made him leave all of his hardship behind; but [also] for all the bad, with his saying, "and all my father's house." And he called the second Ephriam, "because God has made me fruitful (hiphrani) in the land of my affliction." As, in spite of all of his status there, he called Egypt the land of his affliction, since he was separated from his father and from the holy land. And that is why this story is mentioned after the story of the produce - to say that his father's house and the land of his birth had not become forgotten, in spite of all the greatness, power and splendor that he had in Egypt and in spite of the wealth and produce that he held. So the fourteenth question is resolved.
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