The power of song

• Published date: 18 December 2020
• Author: Rabbi Shlomo Sobol
• Date: 18 December 2020
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

The commentators have difficulty with the phrase "choice products of the land" as the literal meaning is "song of the land." Onkolus translates it as "from the praiseworthy of the land" and Rashi explains that what Onkolus means is that what is praiseworthy is called song because "everyone sings (rejoices) that such a thing is found in the world."

However, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov explains the phrase "זמרת הארץ" literally: "Yaakov Avinu, when he sent his ten tribes to Egypt, sent with them a melody of Eretz Yisrael to be sung before the ruler. Because Yaakov wanted to touch the soul of the leader of Egypt he sent his sons with a melody of Eretz Yisrael which has strong influence."

Rabbi Nachman teaches us about the immense power of song and its ability to elevate man. So, when our ancestor Yaakov wanted to send with his sons a force which would have influence, he used the power of song. But what is song? After all, song is not part of Jewish law but merely a custom.

Judaism is made up of divine commandments that we received "from above to below" when we received Torah from heaven at Har Sinai. But Judaism is also made up of customs created by the people of Israel "from the bottom up."

For generations we have expressed our love for G-d by creating songs and melodies for the Creator of the world. From a halakhic standpoint it is clear that mitzvot "from above to below" are more binding than those "from the bottom up" and therefore, for example, it is preferable to have a Shabbat meal without song rather than singing songs full of devotion but without fulfilling the mitzvah of eating a Shabbat meal.

But on the other hand, there is a special virtue in song. Many times, it is song that manages to penetrate outer shells and into the soul and be the cause of change in a person. The emotional impression that song can cause is often greater than spoken words. Of course, it is preferable to learn the meaning of the words of a song, but the intensity can be so strong that even when...