Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
Yaakov finally agrees to let his sons go back to the second-in-command of Egypt (who is secretly Yosef!). He tells them to take gifts with them, including זִמְרַת הָאָרֶץ (zimrat ha-aretz).
What does this mean?
The simple meaning is that it’s connected to the שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh, root) ז.מ.ר, which means to prune, or to cut off plants. So Yaakov was telling his sons to bring fruit or spices that they cut from trees or plants.
Rashi connects the word to a different meaning of the shoresh ז.מ.ר, which means to sing!
מִשֶּׁבַח הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁהַכֹּל מְזַמְּרִין עָלָיו כְּשֶׁהוּא בָּא לָעוֹלָם.
Bring from the best parts of the land (that get praised in songs), things that make everyone sing because they’re so glad it exists.
- According to Rashi, it seems that Yaakov wants the second-in-command to think that the land of Canaan is so good that it’s worth singing songs about. Why do you think this is?
לקוטי מוהר"ן תניינא סג'
כִּי כָל עֵשֶׂב וָעֵשֶׂב יֵשׁ לוֹ שִׁירָה… כִּי יַעֲקֹב רָצָה לִפְעֹל אֶצְלוֹ עַל יְדֵי הַנִּגּוּן מַה שֶּׁהָיָה צָרִיךְ, עַל כֵּן שָׁלַח לוֹ אוֹתוֹ הַנִּגּוּן שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Rebbe Nahman of Breslov (200 years ago)
Even every blade of grass has its own song... Yaakov wanted to impact the ruler through music. Therefore, he sent him the song of Eretz Yisrael.
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