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Why do Pharaoh's "beautiful" cows symbolize satisfaction rather than just plenty? Rashi (רש"י) teaches that true satisfaction—sovah—is measured by whether you can rejoice in others' success. The shiur develops a foundational principle: measuring yourself against others breeds resentment; measuring yourself against your own potential produces genuine happiness and enables you to beam at someone else's simcha.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes Pharaoh's dream in Parshas Mikeitz, focusing on Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation of the phrase "yefos maro" (beautiful appearance) describing the seven healthy cows. While the simple reading suggests the cows looked physically attractive, Rashi interprets this phrase as referring not to how the cows appeared, but to how they looked at others—"people appear nice to one another" during years of plenty. This interpretation is puzzling: why would the Torah (תורה) care how cows look at each other, and why does Rashi take the phrase out of its apparent context? The shiur explains that Rashi is bothered by the redundancy in the text. The Torah already describes the cows as "uvrios bosor" (robust with meat), which adequately conveys abundance. The additional phrase "yefos maro" must therefore teach something beyond physical appearance. Since these cows are not being judged for beauty contests but represent years of economic prosperity, Rashi reads "yefos maro" as describing the people's perspective during those years—they look kindly upon one another's success.
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Bereishis 41:2-4 (Parshas Mikeitz)
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