Which aspect of the dream signified the fact that the entire plenty would be forgotten?
Rashi (to 41:4): The lean cows swallowed the fat ones. 1
Rashbam and Ramban (to 41:4): It was not known that the fat cows came inside the lean ones.
Why does it say "v'Nishkach Kol ha'Sava b'Eretz Mitzrayim;" and, "v'Chilah ha'Ra'av Es ha'Aretz"?
Malbim: The hunger will consume the [entire] land, but the satiation will be forgotten from Egypt (i.e. because the satiation was only in Egypt).
Ha'amek Davar: The satiation will be forgotten - i.e. even those who were healthy and strong during the satiation will become weak. Hunger will consume the land where they did not pay attention to prepare (store food) beforehand.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "All of the plenty will be forgotten - This explains the swallowing (in the dream)." How did Rashi determine this?
Gur Aryeh: Yosef could not insert any element that was not in the dream into his interpretation. Otherwise, how could Yosef claim to know this?
Rashi writes: "This explains the swallowing (in the dream)." Why does Rashi choose specifically this term? Note that it was the ears of grain that "swallowed" (in the second dream), while the cows "ate."
Gur Aryeh citing Mizrachi (to 41:4): The cows' eating could have been interpreted (as does Ramban loc. cit.), that during the years of famine, the Egyptians would be nourished by the produce from the years of plenty. But ears of grain do not "eat" in the sense of deriving nourishment! Their "swallowing" clearly means that the years of plenty would be forgotten.
