Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 63

Know, that Yaakov Avinu, when he sent his sons.

Know, that Yaakov Avinu [Avinu – our father], when he sent his sons, the ten tribes, to Yosef, he sent with them a melody [nigun – tune] of the Land of Yisrael. And this is the secret of “Take from the produce [zimrat] of the land in your vessels,” etc. (Genesis 43:11), the aspect of song [zemer] and melody [nigun] that he sent through them to Yosef. And as Rashi explained: “zimrat” is an expression of song [zemer], etc. For know, that every shepherd has a specific melody [nigun] according to the grasses and according to the place where he shepherds there. For every animal has a specific grass that it needs to eat. Also, he does not always shepherd in one place. And according to the grasses and the place where he shepherds there, so he has a melody [nigun], in the aspect of a chapter of song.

And from the song of the grasses, the melody [nigun] of the shepherd is made. And this is the secret of what is written (Genesis 4:21): “And Ada bore Yaval, he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. And the name of his brother was Yuval, he was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe.” For immediately when there was a shepherd of cattle in the world, there were immediately musical instruments, as mentioned above. And therefore, David HaMelech, peace be upon him, who “knew how to play” (1 Samuel 16:18), therefore he was a shepherd (ibid.) [also we find with the patriarchs of the world, all of them were shepherds of cattle], as mentioned above. (Isaiah 24:16): “From the ends of the earth we have heard songs [zemirot],” namely, that songs [zemirot] and melodies [nigunim] come from the ends of the earth. For through the grasses that grow in the earth, a melody [nigun] is made, as mentioned above.

And through the shepherd knowing the melody [nigun], through this, he gives strength to the grasses, and then there is food for the animals to eat. (Song of Songs 2:12): “The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing [zamir] has arrived,” namely, that the blossoms grow in the land through the song [zemer] and melody [nigun] that belong to them, as mentioned above. It is found that through the song [zemer] and melody [nigun] that the shepherd knows, he gives strength to the grasses, and there is pasture for the animals. Also, the melody [nigun] is a benefit to the shepherd himself. For because the shepherd is always among animals, it could be that they would draw and lower the shepherd from the aspect of the spirit of man to the spirit of animality, until the shepherd would pasture himself, in the aspect of (Genesis 37:2): “And they went to pasture their father’s flock,” etc. And Rashi explained: that they went to pasture themselves.

And through the melody [nigun], he is saved from this. For the melody [nigun] is the clarification of the spirit, which clarifies the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal, in the aspect of (Ecclesiastes 3:21): “Who knows the spirit of the children of man that rises upward, and the spirit of the animal that descends downward.” For this is the essence of the melody [nigun], to gather and clarify the good spirit, as explained elsewhere. And therefore, through the melody [nigun], he is saved from the spirit of animality, because the spirit of man is clarified from the spirit of the animal through the melody [nigun], as mentioned above.

And there are many distinctions in melody [nigun]. For there is a complete melody [nigun], and there is a melody [nigun] that is in several reflections [babot – parts], and it can be divided into reflections and matters. And know, that the king has the entire melody [nigun] in its completeness. But the princes have only some part of the melody [nigun], each according to his place. And therefore, Daniel said to Nevuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:19): “You are the tree, etc., and sustenance for all is in it.” For Nevuchadnezzar, who was a king and has the entire melody [nigun], through him all sustenance is drawn, because sustenance is drawn through the melody [nigun], as mentioned above.

And therefore, Yaakov Avinu, even though he did not know then that it was Yosef, only according to what the tribes told him of Yosef’s behaviors, he sent him a melody [nigun] that belongs to a prince like him, according to what he heard from his sons of his ways and behaviors. For Yaakov wanted to effect through the melody [nigun] what was needed. Therefore, he sent him that melody [nigun] of the Land of Yisrael. And this is what he said to his sons: “Take from the produce [zimrat] of the land in your vessels,” namely, that they should take the aspect of the aforementioned melody [nigun], which is the aspect of the song [zimrat] of the land, as mentioned above, in their vessels. “And bring down to the man a gift, a little balm and a little honey, spices and ladanum, pistachios and almonds” (Genesis 43:11). They are the aspect of the weights and measures of the melody [nigun], for the melody [nigun] is made from the growths of the earth, as mentioned above.