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.”