And behold from the river arose seven cows of particularly nice appearance and fat of flesh...
The Ohr Hachaim asks about the order of the wording of this possuk. One would expect the possuk to tell us וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת יְפוֹת מַרְ אֶׁה וּבְרִ יאֹת בָּשָּר עֹלֹת מִן הַיְאֹר - that seven beautiful fat cows emerged from the river. Why does the Torah mention the river first?
The Ohr Hachaim explains that the possuk is quite particular in its language. If the Torah would have told us that the cows emerged from the river, that would lead us to believe that the cows began by walking into the river and then they emerged. Now that the Torah changed the syntax and mentioned the river first, we learn that the cows were born in the river. In Par’oh’s dream, the cows were first formed in the river and then they emerged.
The reason for this is twofold. The Ohr Hachaim writes on the previous possuk that Par’oh’s dream was different to most dreams. Usually, when a person dreams, things are as vivid as though he would be completely awake and conscious. Only when he awakens does he realize that the entire story was a mere dream. In this case, Par’oh knew he was dreaming, even as he was dreaming it. He knew this because things were happening that were impossible in real life. He saw the cows as they were formed in the river. Our conscious mind rebels against this kind of imagery, and knows that this must be a dream.
Additionally, this is not a minor point. This is a hint as to the interpretation of the dream. When Yosef saw that the cows all emerged from the river, he knew that the river was involved in the entire dream. Both when the river overflows satisfactorily and when it is parched, the river is the major factor in the Mitzri economy, and when both emerged from the river, it was obvious to Yosef that the other explanations fell short. They did not explain how the river was a partner in the story, and Yosef’s interpretation did.
