Netvort Parshas Mikeitz 5770: Of Thee I Sing
By Rabbi Joshua (melodiously known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
When
Yaakov prepares his sons to go back to Egypt with Binyamin in order
to gain Shimon's release from prison, he tells them to bring a gift
for the viceroy, taken from the produce of Eretz Yisroel, which he
refers to as 'zimras ha-aretz' (Bereishis, 43:11).This term,
'zimras ha-aretz,' (Bereishis, 43:11) is generally translated
as 'glory,' or as Rashi brings from Onkeles, that which the land is
praised for, although the literal meaning of the term 'zimras
ha-aretz' is ‘the song of the land.’ However we
translate this term, why would Yaakov specifically send the viceroy
produce of Eretz Yisroel? What purpose would there be
in impressing him with the quality of the food that the
land produced?
I would like to suggest that Yaakov sent
produce from Eretz Yisroel, not for the benefit of the viceroy, but
for the benefit of his sons, so that they would keep Eretz Yisroel in
mind during the time that they were away from it. We mentioned, a
number of years ago (see Netvort to parshas Vayeitzei, 5764), the
midrash which says that Yaakov specifically slept on a stone of Eretz
Yisroel on the evening of his departure from there to the house of
Lavan to indicate that a stone from Eretz Yisroel was more dear to
him than al of the pillows and cushions in the world. In that
context, we mentioned that when, in 1924, Rav Kook came to America on
a fundraising drive for yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel that were suffering
financially in the aftermath of the first World War, he took some
stones from Eretz Yisroel along with him and would hold them in his
hand while talking to people, in order to keep Eretz Yisroel alive in
his heart. In the same way, then, Yaakov wished to keep his sons'
minds focused on Eretz Yisroel during their journey to Egypt, and,
therefore, he sent produce of Eretz Yisroel with them to give to the
viceroy.
As we noted, the literal translation of the
term 'zimras ha-aretz' is 'the song of the land'. Interestingly,
Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav says (Likutei Moharan, 2, 63) that Yaakov
sent a song form Eretz Yisroel along with his sons down to Egypt.
Rav Moshe Tzvi Neriah, in his Ner LaMaor, cites this teaching of R.
Nachman and asks why Yaakov would send something as holy as a song of
Eretz Yisroel down to a land that was as morally decadent as Egypt,
where Pharaoh might use the song in promoting the immoral lifestyle
practiced there. Rav Neriah answers that Yaakov was still hoping
against hope that Yosef was alive, and had somehow gotten lost in
Egypt, and forgotten his father's house and his roots in Eretz
Yisroel. If Pharaoh would appreciate the song that Yaakov sent,
and start singing it in public, there was a chance that Yosef would
hear it and be reminded of where he came from.
Yosef actually
named his second son Menashe in thanks to God for enabling him to
forget his father's home. Thomas Mann, in his epic work Joseph and
his Brothers, wrote that Yosef was so traumatized by the events
surrounding his descent to Egypt that if he had not forgotten his
past, he would never have been able to progress with his life and
accomplish what he did. In this respect, Aviva Zornberg once
remarked, in a parsha lecture delivered in Jerusalem several years
ago, that Yosef was similar to many Holocaust survivors, who just
looked to the future after the war, focusing on building anew, and
not discussing their wartime experiences. We may add that although
many Holocaust survivors were actually strengthened in their faith in
spite of and sometimes because of their experiences in those
years, many others lost their faith. The power of song, however, is
so great that it can touch the inner recesses of a person's
soul, bring his past back into his conciseness and restore his
faith. This was a power that, notably, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
had, bringing out the inner spark of holiness in Jews who, after the
Holocaust, turned away from tradition. According to Rav
Neriah's understanding of Rebbe Nachman's teaching, then, this was
why Yaakov sent a song from Eretz Yisroel with the brothers when they
went down to Egypt.
I believe, however, that there is a
deeper message in Rav Nachman's assertion that Yaakov sent a song
from Eretz Yisroel down to Egypt. According to Rebbe Nachman, a
melody has the ability to touch man's imagination, which is a major
element in achieving prophecy, as the Rambam teaches in book two of
his Guide to the Perplexed. (For a lengthy discussion of the role of
music in R. Nachman's system of thought, see Zvi Mark's recent book,
Mysticism and Madness: The Religious Thought of Rabbi Nachman of
Bratslav). In the beginning of parshas Vayeishev, when Yosef tells
his father of his dream in which the sun, the moon and eleven stars
bow down to him, his father criticizes him for the dream, but, the
Torah tells us, he 'waited for the matter' (Bereishis, 37:11). Rashi
there explains that Yaakov was waiting for the dream's fulfillment.
Perhaps, then, Yaakov feared that, while in Egypt, Yosef forgot about
his dreams, as well, but it was actually up to him to see that the
dreams would be fulfilled, as the Ramban posits in his commentary to
parshas Miketz. By sending a song from Eretz Yisroel down to
Egypt, Yaakov was hoping that Yosef, if he was there, would
somehow hear it, and thereby have his imaginative faculty aroused to
the extent that he would again prophesize, and decide that the time
had come to fulfill his prophecies and take on the mantel of
leadership in the family.
Our explanation of Yaakov’s
intention in sending the viceroy produce from Eretz Yisroel may hold
true even if we do not understand 'zimras ha-aretz, 'as Rebbe Nachman
did, in a literal way. The Talmud tells us that prophecy is only
attained in Eretz Yisroel, or in regard to matters that pertain to
Eretz Yisroel. Since Yaakov wanted Yosef to remember his dreams and
strive to have them fulfilled, he tried to arouse him to this task by
sending produce of Eretz Yisroel as a present to the viceroy and
thereby bring about a discussion in Pharaoh's court of the unique
qualities of the land. Yosef may have a chance to hear about the
gift and be inspired to prophesy. In this way, the ultimate
fulfillment of his dream would be that much closer to being realized.
Best wishes for a joyous Chanukah to everyone out there in
Netvortland from the entire Netvort staff.
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