Commento su Genesi 47:27

וישב ישראל בארץ מצרים AND ISRAEL ABODE IN THE LAND OF EGYPT — and where in the land of Egypt? בארץ גשן IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN which is a part of the land Egypt.

וישב ישראל בארץ מצרים, Israel dwelled in the land of Egypt, etc. Why did the Torah add that the land of Goshen is in the land of Egypt? Do we not know this already? Besides, what is the connection between the Jewish people multiplying and their dwelling in the land of Egypt?

וישב ישראל, the term is used to describe the entire family of Yaakov, as if the Torah had written בני ישראל.

And where? In the Land of Goshen... [Rashi explains this] so we will not think they lived in two lands: Egypt and Goshen. (Gur Aryeh)

ויאחזו בה: sie ließen sich von dem Boden fesseln. Hier liegt eine Andeutung des Anfangs jener Versündigung, deren Tatsache uns Jecheskeel (Kap.20) aufbewahrt. In dem süßen Bewusstsein, hier sesshaft zu sein, lag im Laufe der Zeit die Gefahr sehr nahe, den Stammesüberlieferungen untreu zu werden und sich ihrer großen Bestimmung zu entfremden.

ויאחזו בה, “they became totally attached to it.” They acquired land that served as the ancestral heritage.

ויאחזו בה means THEY ACQUIRED POSSESSIONS.

ויאחזו בה, they bought land in it, additional to that which Joseph had allocated to them.

The Torah evidently wishes to remind us of the fulfilment of G'd's prophecy to Jacob in 46,3 that while in Egypt he would develop into a great nation, that the reason he and his family had to descend to Egypt was to liberate the stray holy souls that were entrapped amongst the Egyptians and their pagan practices. This is why the Torah emphasises that Israel dwelled in the land of Egypt, a morally thoroughly depraved society. The Torah adds that Israel lived in the land of Goshen to hint that the origin of that word is הגשה, approach, i.e. that all those scattered souls we have previously described were attracted to and collected in Goshen because of the presence there of a branch of sanctity as represented by Jacob/lsrael. The entire paragraph refers to the fledgling nation Israel in the singular to emphasise the unity of purpose that characterised that society at that time. When the Torah adds ויאחזו בה, "they were possessed by it," this refers to their lofty ideal as a developing holy nation. The reason they were extraordinarily fruitful and multiplied was the fact that they were possessed by lofty ideals not because they happened to find themselves on Egyptian soil. The author suggests reading up the comments of the Maha"rik on Exodus 1,6: "Joseph, all his brothers and that entire generation died."

ויפרו וירבו. “they became fruitful and they multiplied.” Thus G-d’s promise to the Yaakov in Genesis 46,3, became fulfilled.

ויפרו וירבו מאד, both in children and in property.