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Share(41) Pharaoh further said to Joseph, “See, I put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” (42) And removing his ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; and he had him dressed in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.
(ג) רבד. עֲנָק, וְעַל שֶׁהוּא רָצוּף בְּטַבָּעוֹת קָרוּי רְבִד וְכֵן מַרְבַדִּים רָבַדְתִּי עַרְשִׂי (משלי ז') – רִצַּפְתִּי עַרְשִׂי מַרְצָפוֹת, בִּלְשׁוֹן מִשְׁנָה מֻקָּף רוֹבְדִין שֶׁל אֶבֶן, עַל הָרֹבֶד שֶׁבָּעֲזָרָה, וְהִיא רִצְפָּה:
(3) רבד means A CHAIN — it is termed רבד because it is made up of links placed in a row. The root is the same as that found in (Proverbs 7:16) “I have decked (רבדתי) my bed with coverings of tapestry (מרבדים)” — i.e. I have placed on my couch rows of rugs. In Mishnaic Hebrew (Mishnah Middot 1:8) we have, “was surrounded with rows (רובדין) of stone”, and (Yoma 43b) “on the (רובד) row of stones that was in the Temple Court” — referring to the pavement (רצפה).
(16) I have decked my couch with covers
Of "superior braided work of Egypt";
(31) This is what they must carry in connection with their various duties for the Tent of Meeting: the planks, the bars, the posts, and the sockets of the Tabernacle; (32) the posts around the enclosure and their sockets, pegs, and cords—all these furnishings and their service: you shall list by name the objects that he must carry.
(לב) וְעַמּוּדֵי דְדַרְתָּא סְחוֹר סְחוֹר וְסַמְכֵיהוֹן וְסִכֵּיהוֹן וְאַטּוּנֵיהוֹן לְכָל מָנֵיהוֹן וּלְכֹל פָּלְחַנְהוֹן וּבִשְׁמָהָן תְּמַנּוּן יָת מָנֵי מַטְּרַת מַטּוּלְהוֹן:
(32) The pillars around the courtyard, their sockets, stakes and ropes; with all their utensils and for all their service; and by name shall you appoint the utensils to the charge of those who will carry them.
(2) בגדי שש FINE LINEN — this is a material much valued in Egypt.
And I will confound its plans;
So they will consult the idols and the shades
And the ghosts and the familiar spirits. (4) And I will place the Egyptians
At the mercy of a harsh master,
And a ruthless king shall rule them”
—declares the Sovereign, the LORD of Hosts.
(5) Water shall fail from the seas,
Rivers dry up and be parched, (6) Channels turn foul as they ebb,
And Egypt’s canals run dry.
Reed and rush shall decay, (7) And the Nile papyrus by the Nile-side-b
And everything sown by the Nile
Shall wither, blow away, and vanish. (8) The fishermen shall lament;
All who cast lines in the Nile shall mourn,
And those who spread nets on the water shall languish. (9) The flax workers, too, shall be dismayed,
Both carders and weavers chagrined.
The correct interpretation is that the king’s ring contains his seal, just as it is said, And sealed with the king’s ring. The king thus gave Joseph his seal so that he should be a leader and commander of the entire government, and seal with the king’s ring whatever he desires.
וילבש אותו בגדי שש, “he dressed him in fine linen garments.” According to Rashi, this kind of linen was considered as extremely valuable in Egypt. Some people query Rashi’s comment on Genesis 2,11, where the river Pishon is mentioned which Rashi identifies with the river Nile, pointing out that flax, פשתן, from which linen is made, grows in Egypt, the country that is home to that river. The author believes that flax was indeed grown in Egypt in larger quantities than elsewhere and that it was considered very valuable. Furthermore, it is most likely that the fabric mentioned here as שש, was hemp, a fiber, פשתי העץ, grown on trees as we know from Joshua 2,6, where the spies are described as hiding among accumulated piles of such fibers. Rashi calls it קנבוס. The fabric שש mentioned here was no doubt cotton, which at that time did not grow in Egypt, hence its being described as an expensive imported material.
(2) You shall keep My sabbaths and venerate My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
אני יי. הנותן שכר בקיומו או המעניש העובר עליהם. וכל מקום שנאמר אני יי הוא לחומר המצוה לגודל השכר או לגודל העונש, ולכך סיימה פרשה זו אני יי בשתי מצות הללו, שהרי המלך שהוא מצוה לעבדו ואומר לו בגזרה עשה כך וכך ואח"כ מוסיף על אותה מצוה ואומר אני הוא המלך המצוה, הנה הדבור הזה לחזק מצותו בא, וכל הפושע בה מתחייב בנפשו והמקיימה יש לו שכר גדול. וכן אמרו במדרש תנחומא בפרשת בראשית צא ולמד מתן שכרן של מצות, כשאמר פרעה ליוסף אני פרעה כמה גדלו ונתן לו שכר שנאמר (בראשית מ״א:מ״ב) ויסר פרעה את טבעתו וגו', הקב"ה שאמר על כל מצוה ומצוה אני יי על אחת כמה וכמה, ללמדך שאין קצבה למתן שכרם עד כאן. ענין המדרש הזה כי יש בכל מצוה ומצוה שהזכיר בה אני יי שכר עצום ועקב רב, וקל וחומר מבשר ודם, ולכך הזהיר שלמה ע"ה על האדם שישמור כל מצוה שהקב"ה מזכיר בה לשון אני שהוא דבורו של מלך
אני ה, “I am the Lord.” These words are a reminder that G’d’s stature as the Lord means that He either rewards or punishes those that observe or transgress the laws of the Torah. Wherever the words אני יי appear they mean that the commandment they refer to is a very important commandment and that G’d is the one Who rewards or punishes people who observe it or ignore it. This is the reason that this portion concludes with these two important commandments. It is natural that a king commands his subjects to respect and honour him. He does not need to explain why he demands such obeisance. It is enough for him to remind his subjects that he is the king.
Tanchuma (Bereshit 12) in commenting on Genesis 41,44 draws a comparison for us from when Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh but without you no one shall lift a hand or foot in the whole land of Egypt.” Pharaoh had already given Joseph his ring of office empowering him to exercise his authority. If the use of the word אני when spoken by a ruler who was only flesh and blood such as Pharaoh carried so much weight, imagine how much weight the word אני when spoken by G’d the ruler of the whole universe must carry.
