Tafsiran Kejadian 41:33: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Ramban, Sforno & Or HaChaim

“Let Pharaoh find a man of discernment and wisdom” [41:33]. Joseph said: you, Pharaoh should choose a man who is wise, discerning, and understanding. He will be able to lead the land, with sufficient bread, and what will be surplus should be sold. He should gather silver and gold into the king’s treasury. He should be wise, so that he will be able to make sure the grain will not be able to spoil.²²Ramban, Genesis, 41:33.

NOW THEREFORE LET PHARAOH FIND A MAN UNDERSTANDING AND WISE. Joseph told Pharaoh that he will need an understanding and wise man who will be appointed to administer the entire land, and he in turn will appoint overseers under him who will go through the land and gather all the food since the ruler cannot travel throughout the entire land. He told him that the man must be understanding and wise. Understanding, in order to know how to support the people of Egypt from his hand with bread, in accordance with their family requirements, to supply them with their sustenance, and sell the balance to other countries in order to accumulate wealth and money for Pharaoh. Wise, in order to know how to preserve the produce so that it should not rot, by mixing with each kind some natural preservative such as the salty substances used for the preservation of wheat, which our Rabbis have mentioned,⁵⁸Shabbath 31a. and some raw silver dust, which prevents the grain from getting mothy,⁵⁹Machshirin VI, 1. Rashi, Shabbath 88b. and similar things. Thus the Sages said in Bereshith Rabbah:⁶⁰90:50. “He mixed the grain with earth and sawdust, things which preserve the grain.” Joseph mentioned all this so that they should choose him for this task, for the wise man’s eyes are in his head.⁶¹Ecclesiastes 2:14.

ועתה ירא פרעה, seeing that G’d has seen fit to inform you of the impending famine, no doubt in order to afford you an opportunity to ameliorate its effect on your people, and He has also shown you that this famine will be preceded by seven years of extraordinarily abundant harvests, it is appropriate for you not to become guilty in His eyes if you were to ignore such warning.