"And Yaakov Came to the Land of Canaan" Finally, Yaakov arrived at his rightful place—the Land of Israel, also known as the Land of Canaan. Reb Noson quotes from the sefer Tov Ha'Aretz that the name Canaan is an acronym for Kinnor Na'im Am Navel (a "pleasant harp and lyre"). The Land of Israel is the source of the deepest sweetness and delight in creation. Rebbe Nachman refers to it as the flow of the Noam Elyon (the supernal pleasantness). However, this sweetness is concealed by the impurity of the nations, represented by Canaan and his cohorts. The way to subdue these forces is through genuine Jewish song that seeks closeness and attachment to Hashem. Try singing zmirot on Shabbat slowly, with emotion and joy, together with your family and children. You'll see with your own eyes that no other pleasure in the world compares. All other delights people seek in this world are merely a fallen version of the true sweetness, whose root is in the Land of Israel. The more a person sinks into false pleasures, the stronger the concealment becomes. May it be Hashem's will that we merit simplicity in our Shabbat zmirot, increasing the true pleasantness and subduing evil at its root, until we witness the ultimate redemption. Shabbat Shalom, Chaim Kramer |
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