כלי יקר — שבע פרות אחרות

Q — Why are the bad cows called 'שבע פרות *אחרות*' while the bad ears of grain receive no such adjective — what does 'אחרות' add?

A — Kli Yakar draws on Bava Metzia 59a: 'כמשלם שערי מכדא, נקיש ואתי תגרא בביתא' — when the barley runs out, fighting breaks out at home. The bad cows represent years of famine, in which 'כל אחד נעשה *אחר* לחבירו, חלק לבם ואינן לאחדים' — each person becomes a *stranger* to his fellow, hearts divided, no unity. The good shibolim are described as 'עולות בקנה אחד' — rising on one stem — precisely because plenty produces unity. The bad cows' 'אחרות' thus names the social disintegration of famine; the good ears' 'אחד' names the cohesion of plenty.