פירוש על בראשית 41:36

והיה האכל — means AND THE FOOD that is stored up SHALL BE AS ANY other DEPOSIT (פקדון) that is held in reserve for the maintenance of the people of the land.

AND THE FOOD SHALL SERVE AS A RESERVE FOR THE LAND. Joseph said that the food should be kept in reserve under the charge of Pharaoh’s officers for the needs of the land during the seven years of famine, and they should not be used for other purposes lest the land be consumed by the famine just as the cows in the dream did not die on account of their leanness.

לשבע שני הרעב, "for the seven years of famine." First of all Egypt would provide a reserve for itself; as a secondary consideration they would serve as the pool other countries i.e. הארץ could draw on. Joseph added the consideration that the rest of the earth should not starve to death.

לפקדון, as an insurance to have handy in time of need. Even though the people who had turned in that part of their harvest would in due course be forced to buy it back, this arrangement would be good for them as at least they would insure that when needed it would be available.

והיה האוכל לפקדון, “the food shall serve as a reserve.” The word פקדון is used here in the same sense as elsewhere when someone is given something to guard on behalf of a third party. The food stored was to be stored on behalf of the farmers who grew it. The objective was to forestall that the land would perish as had the seven undernourished cows in Pharaoh’s dream.

That is stored up as any other deposit that has been stored away... I.e., the food that they wish to save should be like any other deposit. In other words, not that it should be entrusted in the care of an individual, rather it should be stored like a deposit of silver and gold.

For maintaining the country. I.e., it is not for [maintaining] the soil but for [the survival of] the people.