Commento su Genesi 41:47

ותעש הארץ AND THE EARTH BROUGHT FORTH — understand it as the Targum does: the inhabitants of the land gathered. Still the word ותעש does not really lose its meaning of “doing” or “making”.

‘LIKMATZIM’ (HANDFULS). They stored up the grain handful upon handful, fist by fist. This is the language of Rashi.
Onkelos translated it as, “into store houses,” since excavations made in the earth for storage or other purposes are called ‘kmatzim.’ He is hid now in one of ‘hap’chothim’ (the pits),⁹³II Samuel 17:9. Jonathan translated, “in one of the kumtza.” Similarly, he always translated the term pachath as kamtza, which is related to the expression, He that diggeth ‘gametz’ (a pit),⁹⁴Ecclesiastes 10:8. as the letter gimmel serves here as kuph, just as it serves as a kaph in the following verses: Never lacking in ‘hamazeg’ (mingled wine),⁹⁵Song of Songs 7:3. the word hamazeg being derived from the term, ‘Mas’cha’ (She hath mingled) her wine;⁹⁶Proverbs 9:2. ‘v’chano’ which Thy right hand hath planted,⁹⁷Psalms 80:16. Translated: ‘And of the stock’ which Thy right hand hath planted. But Ramban explains it as: “And of the garden, etc.” which is like ganoh (garden); ‘vayisachru’ the fountains of the murmuring deep,⁹⁸Above, 8:2. which is like vayisagru (and they were closed); To their native land (‘m’churatham’);⁹⁹Ezekiel 29:14 (m’churatham); 16:3 (m’chorotayich). Thy origin (‘m’chorothayich’) and thy birth;⁹⁹Ezekiel 29:14 (m’churatham); 16:3 (m’chorotayich). And I will give over (‘v’sikarti’) Egypt.¹⁰⁰Isaiah 19:4. In all of these cases the kaph and the gimmel are alike. The kuph and the kaph are often alike, as in kova and chova, (both meaning “hat”);¹⁰¹I Samuel 17:38 (kova); 17:5 (chova). ‘tikein’ (he set in order) many proverbs,¹⁰²Ecclesiastes 12:9. the word tikein being like the term sichein in the verse, Who has directed (‘sichein’) the spirit of the Eternal?¹⁰³Isaiah 40:13. Our Rabbis have said in connection with the term jewelry: tachshitim and takshit. Similarly, it is said, ‘Vayatziku’ (And they set down) the ark of G-d — but Abiathar went up — until all the people hath passed out of the city,¹⁰⁴II Samuel 15:24. and the Targum translates: “And they put down the ark,” thus making vayatziku as vayatzig, just as it is said concerning it, And they brought in the ark of the Eternal, ‘vayatzigu’ (and set it) in its place,¹⁰⁵Ibid., 6:17. the word being derived from the expressions, ‘atziga’ (let me place) with thee,¹⁰⁶Above 33:15. and ‘v’hitzagtiv’ (And I will set him) before thee.¹⁰⁷Further, 43:9.

ותעש הארץ, it produced bountiful harvests. We find the root עשה use in the same sense in Leviticus 25,21 when the Torah describes the bountiful harvests preceding the shemittah year in the words ועשת את התבואה לשלוש השנים, “it will produce a harvest sufficient for the three years.”

ותעש הארץ, the earth produced harvests לקמצים, even a single kernel produced many handfuls. [possibly by “kernel” the author refers to a kernel of seed. Ed.]

לקמצים, “by the handful.” Rashi translates it as “handful over handful.” Other commentators understand this as what the farmers did with the crop, i.e. they hoarded and stashed it away in anticipation of the eventual famine. Onkelos understands the expression as meaning “to store underground,” in line with excavations in the earth which are performed in order to store and preserve valuables, which are referred to as קומצין in Yonathan ben Uziel on our verse. [the Hebrew קומץ, i.e. the hollow of the hand enclosed by the middle three fingers, is also used in Aramaic as describing hollow areas, such as holes in excavated earth. Ed.]

ותעש הארץ. “the earth produced.” This is a reference to the crops the earth produced during the seven years of plenty The root עשה is often associated with crops as we find in Leviticus 25,21 וצויתי את ברכתי לכם ...ועשת את התבואה, “and I will direct My blessing toward you and it (the earth) will produce the crop sufficient for three years.”

The word does not lose its meaning of doing, making. [Accordingly,] ותעש refers to הארץ, which made storehouses. And הארץ refers to the people of the land, as in: “When a land sins” (Yechezkel 14:12).

קמץ) לקמצים die Hand voll nehmen, verwandt mit כמס, bergen). Wo sonst nur eine einzige Frucht stand, da kamen jetzt händevoll.

לקמצים, “in fistfuls.” Joseph’s overseers took a fifth of a fistful, even of the last fistful remaining in the farmer’s barn, as part of the grain to be stored for the future.

לקמצים BY HANDFULS — they stored up the grain handful upon handful, fist upon fist.

לקמצים, a single stalk of grain would yield several handfuls of flour.

לקמצים, “by the handfuls.” The word‘s meaning is similar to לגמצים, i.e. ”digging a pit.” The letter ק is interchangeable with the letter ג. when the letters גיכ'ק are involved. Another example is ויציקו את ארון האלו-הים, “and they set down the Ark of G’d.” the word ויציקו is equivalent to ויציגו. as we know it from Genesis 43,9 והצגתיו לפניך ”I will make him stand upright in your presence (bring him back safely).”