AND FOR THE PRECIOUS THINGS OF THE EARTH 'U'MLO'OH' (AND THE FULNESS THEREOF). This means: "for the precious things of the land of the plains and of which it is full,"1 for he mentioned the mountains and the hills previously2 and now he speaks of the valley3 and the plains, according to the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. In my opinion, the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof is identical with the blessings of the breasts, and of the womb,4 for all humans and all creeping things that are alive are called "the fulness of the earth." Similarly, let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;5 Surely I will fill thee with men, as with the locust.6 This blessing is thus like Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle.7
URTZON' (AND THE WILL OF) HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH. This is connected with above [i.e., with the word umimeged at the beginning of this verse, where the prefix mem means "from." Here, too, the word urtzon is equivalent to] u'mirtzon — "and from the Will of Him that dwelt in the bush." Now the Glorious Name8 is called "Him that dwelt in the bush" because it was there that He first appeared to Moses,9 and He dwelt many days on Mount Sinai which is a place of bushes10 and from Sinai He came and dwelt in Israel. And the sense of the verse is that Joseph's land be blessed from the Will of G-d, similar in meaning to these expressions: 'ratzitha' (Thou hast been favorable) unto Thy land;11 'v'ertzeh' (and I will take pleasure) in it, and I will be glorified.12
TAVOTHAH' (SHE SHALL COME) UPON THE HEAD OF JOSEPH. The meaning of tavothah [in the feminine form] is that this brachah ["blessing" — a feminine noun] shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among the brethren. Or the meaning thereof may be: "Let the Will of Him that dwelt in the bush come upon the head of Joseph" [the feminine tavothah referring to the masculine ratzon]. Now, do not wonder that [the masculine ratzon] "will" is described with the feminine [tavothah — she shall come], for it ["will"], in the Aramaic language is indeed so [feminine, as it is said] 'ure'uth' (and the pleasure of) the king.13 And in the language of the Sages14 we find the expression "cheftzath (the desire) of his soul" [again a feminine usage].
And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse states that the Will15 — that is, the Divine manifestation that dwelt in the bush — shall come upon the head of Joseph, for with Her he will raise up the head. It mentions the Will in the construct form [saying urtzon — "and the Will of"] in place of the independent form of the noun [i.e., v'ratzon — "and the Will"]. There are many such cases [in Scripture]. Or it may be that the word urtzon is in construct with the aforementioned Glorious Name [Blessed of 'the Eternal' is his land].16 Thus this verse means: "and the Will of the Eternal that dwelt in the bush shall come upon the head of Joseph." This is like the blessing of Jacob who said From the G-d of thy father, Who shall help thee, and the Almighty, Who shall bless thee.17
1. Ibn Ezra thus explains the word u'mlo'oh (and the fulness thereof) as meaning u'mimlo'oh (and "of" the fulness thereof, or "and of which it is full").
2. (15).
3. I have found no reference in the verses concerning the valley. In the commentary of Ibn Ezra, whose opinion Ramban is now quoting, "the valley" is not mentioned either.
4. Genesis 49:25.
5. Psalms 96:11.
6. Jeremiah 51:14.
7. Above, 28:4.
8. Ibid., (58).
9. Exodus 3:2.
10. See Ramban ibid., (5) (Vol. II, p. 27).
11. Psalms 85:2.
12. Haggai 1:8.
13. Ezra 5:17. Re'uth or re'utha, the Aramaic term for the Hebrew cheifetz (will), is feminine. See Jastrow, re'utha.
14. I have not found this quote in Talmudic literature, but it appears in the writings of the early Rabbinic period. See "Sefer Hachinuch" (my edition, p. 508, line 5): "kol 'cheftzath' nafsho — all 'the desire of his soul."
15. Thus the word urtzon which thus far has been understood as being in the construct form ("and the Will of") is now interpreted as an independent noun: "and the Will," and is in apposition with the phrase Him that dwelt in the bush. Ramban will later comment that it is common in the Scriptures to use the construct form of a noun where the independent form is meant.
16. (13). — Abusaula.
17. Genesis 49:25.