Sing Along with Israel
Jewish music in general, and the melodies that are associated with prayer and the praises of G-d, in particular, possess an uncanny ability to get us out of our internal exile, that in the aggregate is what prevents the world at large from experiencing the collective Redemption it so eagerly awaits.
“Bring Me Benjamin!”
Miketz, this week’s Parsha, describes the fascinating and poignant saga of Joseph and his brothers. The Parsha begins with Joseph’s favorable interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream that predicted seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph is then elevated to the position of virtual leader of Egypt, whose role it was to sustain his entire country and its neighbors with the food he had stored for this very occasion. His brothers, who sold him into slavery to Egypt, are now compelled to purchase grain there.
When Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt Joseph apprehends them and accuses them of spying. To prove their innocence, Joseph demanded that they bring their youngest brother Benjamin who stayed home with Jacob. To guarantee that they return with him, Shimon, was kept hostage with Joseph.
Upon their return to Canaan, Jacob initially refuses to send
Benjamin, but then relents because of their need for food. The Torah then records the following instructions Jacob gave his sons:
“And Israel their father said to them: If it must be so, do this: Take of the land’s glory in your vessels and bring it down to the man as a tribute…”
What was there to Sing about?
One can raise several questions. First, the phrase, “the land’s glory,” is a translation of the Hebrew Zimras haaretz, which literally means “the song of the land.” Rashi explains that people sing the praises of the choicest .products of the land. The question here is why Jacob couldn’t have said simply, “the choicest products of the land?” Why did he emphasize that people sing about it?
Second, why does the Torah use the name Israel instead of the more common name Jacob? Generally, the name Israel is used when it serves as a paradigm for the People Israel. In truth, everything that happened to any of the Patriarchs must serve as a lesson for all of their children, the People of Israel, particularly, when the Torah actually employs the name Israel for Jacob. What then is the message in this verse?
The answer lies in the use of the same word zimras in our daily prayers. A substantial part of the morning service is called Pesukei d’zimra, which translates literally as Verses of Song. Why do we need to sing these songs in our morning prayers?
We Can’t Just Fall out of Bed and Commune with G-d…
Chassidic literature discusses the issue at length. The objective of prayer is to stand before G-d when we recite the Amidah (the standing prayer, known also as the Shemona Esrei (Eighteen), because of its original eighteen benediction format). At that point we stand face to face before G-d, which allows us to make our requests of Him. Indeed, the Hebrew word for prayer, Tefilah, means much more than just prayer. It actually means attachment. At the peak of our prayers, we endeavor to become attached to G-d.
However, one cannot just “fall out of bed” in the morning, so to speak, and commune with G-d. There are many impediments, peripheral and internal that must first be removed. Thus, our prophets and Sages, who were Divinely inspired, composed and collected several preliminary prayers, whose function it is to remove those barriers. One of the first such barrier removals are the Pesukei d’zimrah. When a Jew sings praise to G-d, meditating on His greatness and perceiving G-d’s presence within nature, this cuts away or “prunes” (another translation of the word zimrah) the outer obstructions to one’s soul’s ability to relate to its Creator.
Thus, when Jacob (read Israel, the Jewish people) has to confront the barriers to their spiritual growth, particularly, when they are compelled to go into Egypt, the paradigm of all exile conditions, they must therefore be prepared to take the songs of praise, or the “spiritual pruning hooks,” that removes the impediments to their soul’s self-expression.
The Power of Jewish Music
Jewish music in general, and the melodies that are associated with prayer and the praises of G-d, in particular, possess an uncanny ability to get us out of our internal exile, that in the aggregate is what prevents the world at large from experiencing the collective Redemption it so eagerly awaits.
“The song of the Land,” - Jewish music, particularly, when it originates in and is imbued with the holy spirit of the Land of Israel, can uplift us and open up passageways between our unconscious soul and our conscious mind. Melody can also assist us in opening up the obstructions that exist between our minds and our hearts as well as the barriers that do not permit our feelings to materialize into action.
Jewish music, particularly, music that is driven by a profound feeling of joy, has the capacity to break through all barriers, internal as well as external.
It is no surprise, then, to discover that the word ”Yismachhe shall rejoice” has the same letters as the word Moshiach. It is the spirit of joy and song that elicits the internal spark of Moshiach within us that will lead us to the coming of Moshiach, who will lead us to the Land of Israel with song and dance.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Miketz by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
