מדרש אויף בראשית 41:47

And at that time the sons of Tarshish came against all the Ishmaelites to make war with them; ‎and the sons of Tarshish subdued the Ishmaelites for many days. And the Ishmaelites were ‎few in numbers in those days, and they could not prevail against the sons of Tarshish, and they ‎were sorely grieved. And the elders of the Ishmaelites sent a written appeal unto the king of ‎Egypt, saying: We pray thee to send unto thy servants, thy princes and thy hosts to help us in ‎fighting against the sons of Tarshish, for we are greatly oppressed since many days. And ‎Pharaoh sent Joseph, with his warriors and hosts as also the warriors of the king's house. And ‎they went into the land of Havilah to the Ishmael ites to assist them against the sons of ‎Tarshish. And the sons of Ishmael fought against the sons of Tarshish, and Joseph smote the ‎Tarshishites, and he took possession of their lands, and the sons of Ishmael dwell therein even ‎unto this day. And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites fled and came ‎to the boundary of the sons of Javan, and Joseph with all his men returned into the land of ‎Egypt—not one of them was missing. And it was when the year came around, which was the ‎second year of Joseph’s reigning over Egypt, the Lord gave great plenty throughout the land ‎for seven years, according to the words of Joseph, for the Lord hath blessed all the ‎productions of the land in those days for seven years, and they ate and were exceedingly ‎satisfied. And at that time Joseph appointed his officers to collect all the food of those good ‎years, and they heaped up the corn year after year, and they placed it into Joseph’s treasuries. ‎And at all times when they gathered the food Joseph commanded that the corn be brought in ‎the ears and with it also some of the soil of the field that it be not spoilt. And Joseph did in this ‎wise year after year, and he gathered up corn in great abundance even like the sand of the ‎sea, for his treasuries were beyond number. And the inhabitants of Egypt did likewise, and ‎they gathered up abundance of food into their storehouses, from all the food of the seven ‎good years; but they did not prepare it as Joseph did it. And all the food that Joseph and all the ‎people of Egypt heaped up, was to be stored away for the seven years of famine to sustain ‎the whole land. And all the inhabitants of Egypt filled their treasuries and store houses with ‎corn for their support in the famine. And Joseph stored all the food he gathered up, into the ‎cities of Egypt, and he closed up all the stores and placed guards around them. And Osnath, ‎the daughter of Potipheira, wife of Joseph, bare unto him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, ‎and Joseph was thirty-four years of age when he begat them.‎

“The earth produced, during the seven years of plenty, in abundance” (Genesis 41:47).
“The earth produced, during the seven years of plenty, in abundance [likmatzim]” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From the reaping [kotzetz] kometz]> to the mill,⁸The produce could go directly from reaping to the mill, without the common intermediary processes such as threshing and winnowing. for savings [dekamtzeta] and not for savings.⁹Many commentaries argue that this phrase should not appear in the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan. The Rabbis say: For savings and not for savings.¹⁰There was enough to eat, and to store away for future use. Alternatively, the produce filled the storehouses and there was even more.
“He gathered all the food of the seven years that were in the land of Egypt, and placed food in the cities; he placed the food of the fields that were around the city in it” (Genesis 41:48).
“Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea, very much, until one stopped counting, as it was without number” (Genesis 41:49).
“He gathered all the food…he placed the food of the fields that were around the city in it” – he placed what was in the outskirts of Tiberias into Tiberias, and what was on the outskirts of Tzippori into Tzippori,¹¹These cities are located in the land of Israel and not in Egypt; they are cited merely as examples. because each and every land preserves its own produce.¹²The produce will be better preserved when stored near the place where it was grown. Rabbi Neḥemya said: He placed dust and ashes in them, materials that preserve produce. The Rabbis say: If all the residents of Tiberias were to gather and eat everything that is within the boundaries of Tiberias, and all the residents of Tzippori to eat what is within the boundaries of Tzippori, each of them would get not even a handful. That is what is said: Blessing is located in the storehouses – “Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea, very much…” (Genesis 41:49).¹³When the grain was stored away it increased. This is how it was possible for the grain grown around each city to suffice for the residents of that city, without resorting to using grain grown in outlying areas further from the city.