In Parsha Vayeshev )Breisheet 37:25) after Yosef’s
brothers threw him in the pit we read:
They sat down to eat bread. They
raised their eyes and saw, behold a Yishmaelite caravan was coming from Gilad.
Their camels were carrying spices, balsam and lotus, bringing them down to
Egypt.
Ibn Ezra points out that according
to Rav Moshe HaKohen the spices (nekhot) referred to here are precious.
In Parshat Miketz, right before Yaakov sends Binyamin down to
Egypt (Breisheet 43:11), he sends gifts:
Their father, Yisrael said to them, “If so, this is what you must do: Take of
the best fruits of the land (Zimrat
Ha’Aretz) in your vessels, and take an offering to the man, a little balsam, a
little honey, gum labdanum, pistachios and almonds.”
Sforno explains why it says “a little balsam” as opposed to a lot:
Although when
one presents a gift to an ordinary person it is important to impress him with
the quantity of the gift so that he can feast his eyes on it, this man who has
everything will only be impressed with the quality of the gift instead of the
quantity; therefore take rare items but only in appropriately small quantities
to emphasize their rareness. All the items sent to Yosef were of this nature,
as opposed to the gift Yaakov had sent to his brother Esau on a previous
occasion.
These were good
quality items that a king would appreciate.
Chizkuni points
out that these items were not available in Egypt as we saw above in Parshat
Vayeshev that the Yishmaelim imported them down to Egypt.
Rashi comments
that they were the best fruits of the land, Zimrat HaAretz.
Onkelos
explains Zimrat HaAretz as “of that which is praised in the land”. Everyone
sings the praises of these products.
Today as well,
Israel exports products that are sought after all over the world. Often they
are more expensive, but they are of higher quality.
May we continue
to support Israel’s economy, especially during these difficult times.
