בראשית, פרק מ״א, פסוק כ׳

Pharaoh's dream reaches a disturbing climax when weak, flawed creatures suddenly consume healthy, whole ones. The emaciated animals are understood to be completely emptied out [ביאור שטיינזלץ] or entirely lacking flesh [רד״ק]. While their condition is initially tied to a physical lack of flesh, their state ultimately represents a broader, more absolute condition of total lack and deprivation [נתינה לגר].

A striking detail in the unfolding of the dream is the sudden absence of the number seven when describing the bad cows swallowing the healthy ones, a number that otherwise appears consistently throughout the vision [ברכת אשר על התורה]. One approach suggests this omission is highly significant, hinting that not all seven of the emaciated cows participated in consuming the others. Instead, based on the principle that an unspecified plural implies a minimum of two, only two cows were involved. This subtle detail serves as an early sign that the actual famine in Egypt would ultimately last for only two years, ending prematurely when Jacob arrived [ברכת אשר על התורה בשם העמק דבר]. However, while this presents an interesting historical connection, other scholars reject this explanation, finding it an unsatisfactory resolution to the missing number [ברכת אשר על התורה].