Song of Songs · Chapter 3

On my bed at night. In my distress, when I lived in the darkness for the entire thirty-eight years that the [Bnei] Yisroel were under reproach. — Notes: (1) The Bnei Yisroel were left in darkness after the Clouds of Glory had withdrawn from them and the holy crown that had been given to them at Mt. Sinai was taken away. (Targum) (2) After the sin of the spies it was declared that the Bnei Yisroel would wander in the wilderness for forty years. Since two years had already past, they had to wander for another thirty-eight years and during this time the Divine Presence was hidden from them. I sought him but did not find him. “For I will not go up in your midst,” [and] “for I am not in your midst.” — Notes: (3) Shemos 33:3. This was on account of the golden calf. (4) Devarim 1:42. This was on account of the spies.

The second interpretation: Behold, this is the dream. At night she said, 'On my bed' — [meaning] on many nights I would see in a dream that I went about the city to seek my beloved, and I asked the watchmen, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?' and I would see that I found him. The third interpretation: Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) said: Then I was in darkness at night, and I sought that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) would go within me.

"Upon my bed," etc. — Have we not written above that in this Scroll, the nation of the children of Israel is compared, in relation to Him, blessed be He, to a queen whom the king loved; and because she did not do well, he sent her away from his house, and she went out and became exiled and wayward in the lands of her enemies; and even there He did not cease to cherish her, and she too, her soul longs for His name and His remembrance; and had she not been sluggish to rise from the bed — "in Damascus is her couch" (cf. Amos 3:12) — to arise and seek her beloved, he would not have failed to present himself to her. So by this parable: we, the children of Israel — He, blessed be He, brought us into the bridal canopy of Mount Sinai, and the love of our marriage-union increased; and when He found in us "a matter of unseemliness" (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1), we went out of His land — this has happened several times, as on this very day; and because we lay upon the couch of the slumber of our backsliding and did not arise and rouse ourselves, we were not saved. Therefore His word, blessed be He, drips down upon us: "Arise, get you" (Song 2:10) — that is to say, arise from the bed of the laziness of your backsliding, and return to Me — and let our reply to Him be to say: "may He act for His own sake," and let Him turn, "being like a young hart" (Song 2:17), and let the swiftness of His running to redeem us also be "upon the mountains of Bether" (Song 2:17). Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) adds further words and says: behold, I have seen further, in the ways of Your goodness, that even while I lay upon the bed of the slumber of backsliding, You dealt kindly with Your mercy; and now too, just as with the kindness that I did in those days, do so also now — for even though we are not whole on account of our merits, for we lie upon beds of the laziness of our backsliding — remember, please, that upon my bed, where I was lying asleep, [failing] to awaken and to return, in the two nights that You brought close together — these are the two exiles, for exile truly resembles night. And it is that the exile of Media [Persia], which came about through Haman the Agagite, behold, it occurred before the Babylonian exile of seventy years had been fully completed; and then You skipped over "the mountains of Bether" that You had cut, and destroyed the Chaldeans, and Haman and his faction, within a short time, and the days between the one and the other were not long, for You joined the two nights close together. And though I was upon my bed of backsliding, it is indeed true that I sought — without repentance — Him whom my soul loves, that He save us from the decree of Haman, and I did not find Him immediately when I cried out; but You did not delay very long, for behold, when "I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the broad places" (Song 3:2) — that is through the rising of Mordechai, who is a part of me, as is known, for all the souls of Israel are counted as one, and all their bodies as the limbs of a single body — he arose then in the streets and broad places of the city, crying a great and bitter cry; for Mordechai is attributed to the whole community, since all his deeds are as if we ourselves had done them. Therefore it says "I will arise," as if we all did it, "and go about the city," as stated. And also, that we were not saved at once, and I sought him and did not find him — is this not simply that "the watchmen found me" (Song 3:3), etc.? And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in Midrash Chazit (Song of Songs Rabbah): that He, blessed be He, brought good tidings to Mordechai on the third day of the fasts, through the schoolchildren (tinokot shel beit rabban) who were walking about the city. He said to one, "Recite to me your verse," and the child said: "Be not afraid of sudden terror," etc. (Proverbs 3:25). A second one began and said: "I read today, and I came to a stop at this verse: 'Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought,'" etc. (Isaiah 8:10). A third began and said: "and even to old age, I am He," etc. (Isaiah 46:4). And this is "the watchmen found me" — they are the schoolchildren, who are called "netorei karta" (guardians of the city), as Rabbi Chiyya said. And this is "the watchmen who go about" — who then went about and walked in the city, for he found them in the marketplace, and I asked them, "Recite to me your verse," to see what Hashem would put into their mouths. And this is "Him whom my soul loves" — I saw Him, blessed be He, in what He put into your mouths. And then, hardly had I passed on from them, when I found Him whom my soul loves, and I was saved. And then, as soon as He began to be found by me, I held Him fast and did not let Him go, until I brought Him to my mother's house — that is the Western Wall — and the chamber was built — that is the Temple — upon its mound, and the Shechinah (Divine Presence) dwelt there in essence, in the very place where it had dwelt at first, in the days of my forefathers — and this is "to the chamber of her that conceived me" (Song 3:4). Or it may say: "the watchmen found me" — they are Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who were the watchmen of Israel in their righteousness, who had to remain [alive], as is known, because the building of the altar had to be done according to [the instruction of] a prophet; and they are the ones who led [the people], in the Holy City, to go around the altar with the willow branch (aravah) seven times, for that is the custom of the prophets — and this is "who go about the city." Or it may say "who go about the city" [to mean] that they are the ones who went around Jerusalem with two Torah [scrolls] — Ezra, that is, Malachi, and Nehemiah — together with all the great men, the priests, and the officers; "and I asked of their mouths": "Him whom my soul loves" — have you seen, in a vision of prophecy, whether Hashem desires us, and will bring us to the Land, and shall we go to the House of Hashem? And this is as is stated explicitly in their prophecy, and they brought us good tidings and commanded us, by the word of Hashem, to arise and build the ruins of Jerusalem; and hardly had I passed on from them, as they proclaimed these tidings, when I found Him whom my soul loves — "and He gave the people favor in the eyes of the king of Persia," and he gave a hand to build. Then I held Him fast, and did not let Him go, until the matter was finished, and I brought Him, etc., as stated. That is to say: therefore also now, as then — come what may — let there be a swift running upon "the mountains of Bether"; and just as then we hastened to find Him, though I was lying upon the bed of backsliding, and it happened before me that the watchmen found me — hardly had I arisen to return, for the whole community had not all returned — and through the one who found me, "I held You fast" — for I held on to You until I brought You to my mother's house, and I built for myself the Chosen House — that is "the chamber of her that conceived me" — so too now, in the sudden surge of [our] rising, may it be found, and may it happen before us, that they hasten to find us — bringers of tidings and redeemers from You — and then we shall hold fast to You and not let You go, until we come to the mountain of Hashem, and You shall build the Sanctuary of Hashem. Which is not so now: for when trouble presses upon us, before we see the beginning of the tidings-bringers, will not our heart turn after our [evil] inclination, and we be cast off, God forbid? But if You would hasten to bring signs of redemption and tidings-bringers in Your name, behold, our heart would be strengthened, and we would hold fast to You and not let You go. Now behold, His response, blessed be He, given specifically to answer this, is: is it not that then they were readied, by means of what we suffered — the affliction of the wicked Haman, eleven months, in great mourning for the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamentation, destined for a day of slaughter — as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded concerning them the verse "and you shall not believe in your life" (Deuteronomy 28:66)? And therefore, through that purging, they were purified to become worthy that, after this, the Temple be built. But now, who could muster the strength to endure so great a trouble as that, and not perish, God forbid? Therefore it is good — very good — to prolong the exile slowly, until the time of the end, rather than putting it into the heart of the [ruling] kingdom to bring upon me so great a trouble as that. Therefore, so that we may understand His response to our words: Hashem acts as one who turns His face to "the daughters of Jerusalem," mentioned above, who are part of the dispute — they are the Babylonians — and says, "I adjure you," etc., which is as explained above: that He adjures them not to press the exile too much. For even though thereby our redemption would hasten to come, and He would speed it — it is not His will now that the haste be for that reason; rather, [He wants] that it be because of great desire and longing and repentance that we merit of ourselves, and then He would hasten it — lest we be unable to endure it and become disgusted and perish, God forbid. And by this, a reply was drawn for us to our question: namely, that then the trouble pressed too much, for it was "to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish" (Esther 3:13), etc.; and through that we arose and roused ourselves, and we had a strong hammer — that is, Mordechai the Jew and Esther the Queen. But now, on the contrary, it is good — very good — to adjure the Babylonians that they should not do again such a thing, lest we be unable to endure it. And out of regard for the honor of Israel, He did not speak here directly to us, for it is not to our honor that it be said to us that we would kick against the weight of the sufferings and the exile; rather, He adjured the oppressor not to press it further heavily — and from the way the matter turned out, His reply came to us. Or the sense of the verses may be: would that, concerning our lying upon the bed of backsliding, when we do not arise as You said, "Arise, get you" — that You would act of Your own accord, as [You did] when I was upon my bed at night(s), that is, at the time when the two exiles were combined as one — that is, in the days of Haman, before the seventy years' exile to Babylon was completed — that You brought upon us a great trouble, namely the decree of Haman, and the concealment — You hid Your face from us, for we sought Him and did not find Him; and even though [it says] "I will rise now and go about," etc., through Mordechai — still there was a hiding of the face until the third day, when "the watchmen found me," etc., as explained in the first way; and then "I held him fast," etc., until the Temple was built. So too now: if we do not arise of ourselves, do likewise, and bring us into an evil net, as in the days of Haman, and [hide] Your face — and then, against our will, we shall arise and go about in complete repentance out of the midst of trouble, and then quickly You will cause salvation to spring forth, as then, and bring upon us all the good that You have hidden away for us. He, blessed be He, replies, as one saying to the Babylonians: "I have adjured you" not to grant this request of theirs, as stated — that is to say, because they do not know what they ask, for they would not be able to endure it. And what is more, then the seventy years had been completed for building the ruins of Jerusalem; therefore the trouble pressed to hasten [matters]. But now, He, blessed be He, will not do so, but only when the time comes that is truly the proper remedy — for there is no room left to hope further. But to bring the end-times of "achishenah" [I will hasten it], there is no need to press; rather, [it should be] that it be desired of itself, to arise and to return — and this is "until it please."

"By night on my bed" — for indeed, in earlier days I sinned, and You forgave immediately after my repentance; but now this is not so, for indeed, the nights are the darkness of the forty days that were [spent] in wrath. "I sought him whom my soul loves" — through confession, and through the prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu and the righteous of the generation. "I sought him, but I found him not" — because of the anger and the wrath.

"By night on my bed" — she continues to relate what happened during those days, and she says: when night came, I went to the place where my bed was spread at night, and there I sought the beloved whom my soul loves, thinking that he had already come as I had asked of him and was lying on my bed; but I sought him and did not find him, for he had not returned. The allegorical meaning is to say: behold, I thought that through Moses' prayer the Omnipresent, blessed be He, had become fully reconciled to me in every respect, but it was not so, for He said, "I will not go up in your midst" (Exodus 33:3).

I will rise now ... I will seek. “And Moshe prayed,” [and] “I will go up to the Hashem.” — Notes: (5) Shemos 32:11. (6) Ibid. 32:30.

The first interpretation: 'bashvakim' [in the streets] — [meaning] outside; Targum [renders] 'vayanas hachutzah' [and he fled outside] (Genesis 39:12) as 've'arak leshuka.'

"And go about the city" — in the whole camp of Israel I sought him: is there one who finds favor? And I did not find him in the entire camp; and [thus,] "everyone who sought Hashem, etc."

"I will rise now" — then I said to myself, now I will rise up and go about the city, in the streets and in the broad ways, and I will seek him whom my soul loves; and behold, so I did, for I sought him, but there too I did not find him. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, throughout all the days that I went about in the journeys of the wilderness, I was seeking after His love, but He was not reconciled to me and did not wish to bring me into the land at once.

"Bashevakim uvarechovot" (in the streets and in the broad ways) — a doubling of the phrase with synonymous terms, likewise "admat afar" (dust of the earth) (Daniel 12:2).

The watchmen found me. Moshe and Aharon. — Notes: (7) They guarded the Bnei Yisroel from sin during the Egyptian exile. Also in reference to Ezra and Nechemyah who watched over the Bnei Yisroel during the exile of Bavel. (Alshich) Him whom my soul loves, have you seen him. What [message] did you find in His mouth?

The third interpretation: 'the watchmen' — these are Moses and Aaron.

"The watchmen found me" — Moses and Aaron among His priests; and I asked them, "Have you truly seen him whom my soul loves?" but there was none who answered.

"The watchmen found me" — at the time I went about the city to search for him, the watchmen of the city, who go about at night to guard it, found me; and behold, I was not ashamed, and I asked of their mouths, "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?" — for the abundance of love overturned proper conduct, and I cast shame aside and asked them. As if to say: I asked them, but I found no reply. And the allegorical meaning is to say: when the watchmen who go about — my leaders, they being Moses and Aaron — found me, and I asked them, "What have you found from the mouth of Hashem?" — behold, there was none, and they found no prophecy, because I was under rebuke before Him during those days.

Scarcely had I departed from them. Shortly after their parting from me, at the end of the forty years. — Notes: (8) I.e., shortly after the deaths of Moshe and Aharon. When I found. That He was with me in the days of Yehoshua to conquer the thirty-one kings. I grasped him and would not let him go. I did not loosen my grasp on Him until I brought Him to the Tabernacle at Shiloh because of all this that He had done for me.

The first interpretation: 'horati' [she who conceived me] — she who bore me, like 'birkot horai' [the blessings of my progenitors] (Genesis 49:26). The third interpretation: And a short time — less than a year — passed until the Shechinah rose up within me and descended into the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and they wished to enter the land and said, 'Here we are' (Numbers 14:40).

"I had scarcely passed from them" — from those nights that were spent in wrath. "Until I found... etc." — with the second tablets. "I held him" — immediately, through the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle). "And would not let him go" — and I did not return to folly and to sin. "Until I had brought him" — to cause His Shechinah (Divine Presence) to dwell. "Into my mother's house" — to the outer altar in the Court of Israel (Ezrat Yisrael), where the heads of the people were, who are like a mother in Israel; and this refers to the descent of the fire after our offerings. "And into the chamber of her who conceived me" — to the Holy of Holies, where I was taught the teaching of the tablets alone, which instructs in righteousness; and this refers to the dedication offerings of the princes (chanukat ha-nesi'im), as it says, "And when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the Voice speaking to him" (Numbers 7:89). And so I administered the oath, so that the righteous of the generations would be able to occupy themselves with Torah and prayer.

"I had scarcely passed from them" — but it was only a short time from when I passed from them until I found him whom my soul loves, and when I found him I held him with my hand and gave him no slack to be abandoned by me, until I brought him into my mother's house, to sit there with me — thinking that her mother would help her sustain the love. And the allegorical meaning is to say: as soon as those leaders who died in the fortieth year departed from me, Joshua arose and brought me across the Jordan to come and take possession of the land, and the Omnipresent, blessed be He, fought against the nations, and I came into the Land of Israel, which was held in trust for me from my forefathers, a holy land prepared for serving Hashem there.

"Kim'at" (scarcely) — the letter "kaf" comes to affirm the certainty of the matter, likewise "michrah khayom" (sell it this very day) (Genesis 25:31). "Arpenu" — from the language of "rifyon" (slackening). "Horati" — from the language of "herayon" (conception), meaning: my mother who conceived me; and this is a doubling of the same idea in different words.

I bind you under oath. The nations, while I was exiled among you. That you do not cause hatred nor disturb the love of my beloved from me through seduction or enticement, to forsake him and to turn away from following him. While it still pleases. As long as I still desire his love.

The third interpretation: [She] said to them: '[Here I am] — I have adjured you.'

"I adjure, etc." — after she related the beginning of the love, how greatly he enticed her to go after him, and all that occurred, she then returned to her opening words, saying: since this is how it was from the outset, I am therefore confident that the love will soon return to its place; and so I have adjured you to be forfeit like the gazelles, etc., should you displease me by arousing the love within you before the love has returned to me of its own accord — just as was stated above, that it is close to returning just as it returned before. And the allegorical meaning is identical with the parable, as stated above.

"Ta'iru, te'oreru" — from the language of "hit'orerut" (arousal, stirring).

Who is this ascending from the wilderness. When I was traveling in the wilderness and the pillar of fire and the cloud were going before me, killing snakes and scorpions and burning the thorns and thistles to make a straight path, and [when] the cloud and the smoke were ascending, the nations saw them, and marveled at my greatness, and they would say, “Who is this?” i.e., “How great is she [Bnei Yisroel] who is ascending from the wilderness, etc.!” With palm-like pillars of smoke. Tall and erect as a palm tree [=תָּמָר. In a cloud of myrrh. [It is so called] because the cloud of incense which would rise straight up from the inner altar. Perfume seller. A spice merchant who sells all types of spices. Powders. [It is so called] because they crush it and pound it [until it becomes] as fine as dust.

The first interpretation: 'katimarot' [like columns] — [like pillars,] like 'timorot,' and perhaps they are called this because [they resemble] the height of palm trees (timarim). 'Avkat' [powder of] — spices ground fine like dust ('avak'). 'Rochel' [merchant] — a trader, like 'heimah rochlayich' [they were your traders] (Ezekiel 27:17). The third interpretation: 'Who is this coming up from the wilderness' — when she [Israel] entered the land, her fame went out through the entire world, and this is [the meaning of] 'the myrrh and frankincense'; and it is as if she were like Solomon's litter, in which every kind of perfume is present.

"Who is this who comes up..." — The Assembly of Israel (Knesset Yisrael) answers and says: My Father who is in Heaven, do not withhold Your kindness from me; for if I lack merit, will You not fill my lack and cause an abundance of virtue and perfection to flow upon me? For it is no new thing before the throne of Your glory to pour upon me an abundance of holiness without end. For have I not remembered for You the kindness of your youth — that You did for me, that You raised us up, ascending even above every nation and tongue? For "who is this who ascends" more than all the Babylonians, from the wilderness — for through my going out of the wilderness, not having asked for provisions fit for the elderly, the sick, the pregnant, and the nursing, I attained a great ascent. This is [an allusion to] the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse, "I remembered for you the kindness of your youth, etc., your going after Me in the wilderness, etc." (Jeremiah 2:2). And this is [the meaning of] "Who is this who comes up" — in ascent, by virtue of the wilderness. Would it then be lacking to us, by that very merit which rested upon us then — an unbroken ascent, "like pillars of smoke" — even though the wilderness, in its own quality, is devoid of preparation for attainments of holiness and prophecy? For You kissed us there with the kisses of Your mouth, even though we had only recently come from worshipping other gods and [then] ascended to hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire. From nothing to nothing did we merit all of that glory, if not that all of it was from You, that You graced us with abundant preparation. For "I was perfumed with myrrh and frankincense" — for You perfumed us when we encamped in the wilderness opposite the mountain, with an abundance related to myrrh. This is confirmed in the words of the natural philosophers (chachmei ha-teva), that incense of myrrh is effective in removing various venoms; so too there, You perfumed me with an abundance that removed from them the venom of the defilement (zuhama) of the serpent — for all of Israel who stood at Mount Sinai, their defilement ceased. And with this I think to give a good answer to the question of those who ask: how is it possible that among the six hundred thousand of Israel at Mount Sinai, not a single man lacked the preparations fit for attaining prophecy — and how much more so at that lofty level, as the verse states, "Face to face Hashem spoke to all your assembly" (Deuteronomy 5:4, cf. 5:19)? The commentators were hard-pressed to answer this, [suggesting] that when prophecy rests upon those who are prepared, it rests also upon those who are not prepared — which is unacceptable, given the specific quality of holiness required of the recipient of prophecy; for indeed the specific holiness required of one who prophesies face to face while awake is well known to be indispensable. But it is possible, by this statement of ours, that on the contrary, this itself provides a wondrous [answer] to the question. For once their defilement had ceased, there is no greater preparation than this for all of them equally. And this, to my mind, is [alluded to in] the statement of the Maggid (the Passover Haggadah): "Had He brought us near before Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have sufficed us (dayeinu)" — for what benefit would there be in being brought near, in the absence of the Torah? Rather, it is that through that very act of being brought near there, we merited that standing by which our defilement ceased. And this is [the meaning of] "and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain" (Exodus 19:2) — it does not say "and they encamped" [in the plural], because through the abundance that flowed into them then, on account of His going out, blessed be He, to meet them and bringing them there like a bridegroom going out to meet the bride, they became united as one. And it is known to those who possess understanding that, since they were all bound together as a single entity, Scripture does not say of them "and they encamped" but "and he encamped" [singular] — this being on account of the cessation of the defilement. This is "perfumed with myrrh." And it was also "perfumed with frankincense" on account of the whole Torah, with its grammatical fine points (dikdukeha) and its 613 commandments, general and particular, which correspond to "all the powders of the merchant." For after the reality of that closeness, by which we were brought near before Mount Sinai — He Himself, in His glory, going out to meet us — we stood before Him from Rosh Chodesh until the sixth day [of Sivan], becoming ever more refined, until then our defilement ceased. This is "perfumed with myrrh." And it was also "perfumed with frankincense," with the abundance that whitens our quality after the cessation of the defilement, through Your speaking to us face to face, which cleaved to our souls — these being "the kisses of Your mouth," as discussed above. And this is [the meaning of] "and frankincense, of all the powders of the merchant" — for You refined us like white glass through the hearing of all the powders of the merchant, from all the particulars of the Torah — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, that with each and every one of the [Ten] Utterances they heard many commandments and laws branching out from that utterance, for the whole Torah and all its commandments are included within the Ten Utterances. And not this alone, but our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Utterance itself spoke with each and every one of Israel and said to him, "Such and such commandments are contained in Me, such and such leniencies and stringencies, and all the particulars of the Oral Torah" — within each Utterance — to the point that they said that even everything that a well-versed disciple (talmid vatik) is destined to originate in the future was said then at Sinai. And this is [the meaning of] "and frankincense, of all the powders of the merchant" — for we were perfumed with frankincense on account of all the powders of the merchant. [Knesset Yisrael continues:] If so, do also now, my Father, for Israel, as You did in those days! He, blessed be He, answers and says: "Behold, it is the couch of Solomon, etc." — meaning to tell them: do not compare Israel of this time to their quality in those days. For behold, "the couch of Solomon" was, at that time, this very one that was coming up from the wilderness — for Israel became a couch, a seat, and a chariot for the King to whom peace belongs. And with what? "With sixty mighty men around it, etc." — these are the sixty myriads [six hundred thousand] of ministering angels who surrounded them. This is because, when they said "we will do and we will hear" (na'aseh ve-nishma), each and every man of Israel produced, by the merit of his utterance, an angel — in the manner of the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: "Whoever performs a single commandment acquires for himself one advocate." It comes out that the total number of angels was sixty myriads, corresponding to the number of the children of Israel, who were then surrounding that couch — which is the Assembly of Israel (Knesset Yisrael). This is "around it." And it specifies from where they came, saying "of the mighty men of Israel" — meaning, from the mighty ones produced by Israel through their own merit, that is, through their saying "we will do and we will hear." And I think that these are the sixty myriads of ministering angels of whom our Sages, of blessed memory, said, in the chapter of Rabbi Akiva [Shabbat 88a], that they bound crowns upon the heads of Israel at the time they said "we will do and we will hear" — for these are the ones who were made by the merit of their utterance. And this is the wording of that statement: Rabbi Simai expounded: At the time that Israel put "we will do" before "we will hear," sixty myriads of ministering angels came and bound two crowns upon the head of each and every one of Israel — one corresponding to "we will do" and one corresponding to "we will hear." And when they sinned, one hundred twenty myriads of ministering angels came down and stripped them, as it is said, "And the children of Israel stripped themselves [of their ornaments]," etc. (Exodus 33:6). Reish Lakish said: And in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to return them to us, as it is said, "And the redeemed of Hashem shall return, etc., ...everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Isaiah 51:11). [End of quotation.] Now, from its saying "at the time that they put [na'aseh] before [nishma]," it would appear that the merit of the precedence [of "doing" before "hearing"] was what caused the crowns. If so, why were there two crowns? Is not the precedence a single thing? And if the reality of the doing and the hearing itself is the merit — as they say, "one corresponding to na'aseh and one corresponding to nishma" — then why does it say "that they put [na'aseh] before [nishma]"? It ought rather to have said, "at the time they said na'aseh ve-nishma." Also, what is the point of these crowns? And furthermore: why did He, blessed be He, need to say to them, when they sinned, "Take off your ornaments from upon you, that I may know what [to do with you]," etc. (Exodus 33:5)? And so it was, as it says, "And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments," etc. What impediment were the crowns to their correction, that they needed to be removed? And likewise, its saying that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to return them — how does this relate to the matter of the verse "And the redeemed of Hashem shall return," etc.? For if there were no compelling reason [to connect them], other than its saying "and everlasting joy" — who told him [Reish Lakish] that this speaks of the crowns? But behold, there were three merits in their possession: first, the precedence of "doing" over "hearing"; second, their saying "na'aseh" ("we will do"); third, their saying "nishma" ("we will hear"). And on account of the precedence, sixty myriads of angels were created; and on account of the na'aseh and the nishma, there were the crowns — and those sixty myriads of angels bound them, since through the precedence both [na'aseh and nishma] were stated, and the crowns corresponded to them. This is as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said in Midrash Chazit (Shir HaShirim Rabbah) on the verse "Draw me," etc., and this is its wording: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught: The weapon that was given to Israel at Horeb had the Explicit Name (Shem HaMeforash) engraved upon it; and when they sinned with the deed of the [golden] calf, it was taken from them. How was it taken? Rabbi Ibo and the Rabbis [disagreed]: Rabbi Ibo said it peeled off by itself, and the Rabbis said an angel came down and peeled it off. [End of citation.] Behold, that the ornament given to them at Horeb is the weapon, with the Explicit Name engraved upon it — this is, to my mind, two levels, crowns, and lights that cleaved to their souls: one, that they be free men from exile (galut); the second, freedom from the Angel of Death (Malach HaMavet). The one relates to the weapon, corresponding to the exiles; and the second relates to the Explicit Name, which comes from the source of life, corresponding to the Angel of Death. This is why Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him, when the Angel of Death came to take his soul, invoked upon him the Explicit Name and drove him away, as our Sages, of blessed memory, say in Devarim Rabbah (Eileh HaDevarim Rabbah). And these are the two crowns that were upon their heads — that is, their soul — for there the two powers cleave. And on account of the [golden] calf, through which their defilement returned to them, [there arose] the view of Rabbi Ibo, that it peeled off by itself: for through the defilement, the powers of holiness departed by themselves — all the more so death, which is bound up with defilement. And the view of the Rabbis is that, since those who sinned died — those with witnesses and forewarning died at the hand of the sons of Levi, and those with witnesses but without forewarning died by the plague of Hashem — as for those without witnesses or forewarning, Moses gave them to drink of the dust of the [golden] calf and tested them like sotot [women suspected of unfaithfulness, cf. Numbers 5]. But as for those who remained, nothing at all clung to them, except that they had not protested; and the defilement that clung to them was not sufficient to cause the weapon and ornament of the two powers of holiness that clung to them to peel off by itself — rather, an angel came down and peeled it off, for their own good. This is because, had these [powers] not been removed from them when they sinned, they would have had no recovery, God forbid — for the defilement of the serpent would have returned to its place, and they would no longer be able to be rectified so as to attain the hoped-for happiness in body and soul, until death would separate [body and soul] and the physical matter (chomer) would be refined in the furnace of the dust, and only afterward be purified, as is known. And in order to save their souls from the judgment of Gehinnom, sufferings in this world were necessary — for this reason our father Abraham chose these for them. Therefore it was necessary to remove the two powers that impede these two things, and this is [the meaning of] "Take off your ornaments" — "that I may know," and I will show you mercy through the sufferings that I will bring upon you by their removal, for they will be for your good, as has been said. And both of these come together in the verse "And the redeemed of Hashem shall return, etc." — for they are the redeemed from exile, and "sorrow and sighing shall flee away" — for when death is swallowed up, sorrow will flee, as it says, "down to the grave in sorrow" (Genesis 42:38); and when exile is nullified, sighing will flee, as it says, "and the children of Israel sighed from the labor" (Exodus 2:23). And this is [the meaning of] "that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to return them." The one, which is freedom from exile, corresponds to na'aseh, for it is to perfect the physical matter (chomer) through action, since it is the physical matter alone over which men rule, as it says, "and you laid your body as the ground" (Isaiah 51:23), and as we have said in the book Chavatzelet HaSharon on the verse "and they gave their bodies (yehavu gushmehon)," etc. (Daniel 3:28). And the second, which is freedom from the Angel of Death, corresponds to nishma, for it touches the soul, as it says, "Hear, and your soul shall live" (Isaiah 55:3). And our Sages, of blessed memory, likewise say in Midrash Chazit (Shir HaShirim Rabbah) that the meaning of the verse, "Has a people heard... speaking from the midst of the darkness" (Deuteronomy 4:33, cf. 5:20), is that the darkness is the Angel of Death, who stood opposed to the hearing, so that he not be nullified from the world — behold, that its meaning relates to the hearing. And it concludes, saying that when they sinned, one hundred twenty myriads of angels of destruction came down and stripped them. Now, the Tosafot raised a difficulty: is not the measure of good greater than the measure of punishment? How then could it be that only sixty myriads came down to bind them, but one hundred twenty myriads were needed to strip them? And they answered that this is in fact to their advantage — that the sixty myriads did not suffice to strip them, and so had to be doubled. And I think, in accordance with our own approach, that we know from our Sages, of blessed memory, that every commandment a person performs creates by it an angel. And behold, our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "Behold, they heard two Utterances from My mouth, and the [other] eight from you — would that they had transgressed [only] what they heard from you, rather than the two that they heard from My own mouth!" And with this let us come to the matter: each and every one of Israel produced two angels of destruction by transgressing "I am [Hashem your God]" and "You shall have no [other gods]" — it comes out that the total was one hundred twenty myriads of angels of destruction, and these were the ones who came down and stripped them. And this is [the meaning of] "and since they sinned, one hundred twenty [myriads] came down," etc. — meaning that the reality of their sin caused the one hundred twenty myriads of angels of destruction; and this is what we have written elsewhere, that in their sin of making the calf, they created one hundred twenty myriads of angels of destruction. And let us come to the matter: behold, the sixty myriads that were made through the precedence of na'aseh over nishma acquired two good qualities: one, that Israel had a weapon and the power to annul exile from upon themselves; the second, to annul the Angel of Death. And this is [the meaning of] "all of them holding swords" — for all the sixty mighty men, who are the sixty myriads of ministering angels, were all holding the weapon of which our Sages, of blessed memory, spoke — which is, as we have written, a sword against exile, upon which is the Explicit Name, which stands against the Angel of Death. And it says, "trained in war (melumdei milchamah)" — for it is fitting to know: if from the time of their standing at Mount Sinai they had already merited being free men from the Angel of Death, what is the point of our Sages', of blessed memory, saying "charut" (engraved) on the tablets [reading it as cherut, "freedom" — cf. Pirkei Avot 6:2]? What is the relevance of the tablets to what had already occurred forty days before they were given? But without doubt, the power of freedom was not absolute from that point; it was only readied from then on to be fulfilled at the time of the giving of the tablets — for had they merited to receive the first tablets, the freedom would have been theirs. And this is what "trained in war" means — for those powers did not yet have the strength to fight against their enemies; rather, they were only trained in war through the standing at Mount Sinai. And the training in war was what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: that every single soul that was present at Sinai — those already born, and those not yet in the world — each one received his own portion in the Torah, each man according to his own capacity; and this is what enables every Torah scholar (talmid chacham) and every well-versed disciple (talmid vatik) in Torah to fight the battle of Torah, as is known. And this is "trained in war." And it explains further, saying, "every man with his sword," etc. — that every man among the sixty myriads of angels had his sword upon his thigh, that is, the weapon, "because of dread in the nights" — these being two nights: the night of exile and the night of the darkness of death. For both were included, as has been said, in that it was a weapon with the Explicit Name engraved upon it.

"Who is this who comes up out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke" — God, may He be blessed, responds: It is true that I then forgave, through the prayer of Moses My chosen one, who stood in the breach before Me — but not completely; for when they changed their intention in the matter of the spies, I visited upon them the sin of the golden calf as well. For indeed, before the matter of the spies, the intention had been that they would enter the land immediately, without war, like pillars of smoke from incense, as it says, "Arise, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let them flee" (Numbers 10:35). But after the sin of the spies, "who is this who comes up" in this manner — behold, they now had to fight; and even afterward, in their own land, they needed weapons of war — so much so that even in the days of Solomon, when I granted peace upon Israel, they still needed weapons of war.

"Who is this coming up" — she continues to relate and to praise the great success that was hers from that time, and thus she says to the maidens: do you know who this is that came up from the wilderness? And from the abundance of her splendor she was seen from afar, like pillars of smoke that are seen from afar, and her good fragrance wafted as though she were perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and with all the ground spices found with the merchant, which give off a pleasant and superior scent. As if to say: is it not I who am the one coming up, and there is no other? And the allegorical meaning is to say: is it not I who came up from the wilderness with the pillars of fire and cloud going before me, which appeared like pillars of smoke, and with me the Tabernacle and the altar upon which they burned the incense of many kinds of spices.

"Ketimarot" — from the language of the "tamar" (date-palm) tree, meaning: a column of smoke standing erect like a date-palm tree; likewise "vetimarot ashan" (and pillars of smoke) (Joel 3:3). "Mekuteret" — the burning of spices for fragrance is called "ketoret" (incense) in biblical language. "Mor velevonah" (myrrh and frankincense) — names of kinds of spices. "Avkat" — meaning spices ground very fine, like dust; and thus fine dust is also called by this term, as in "their dust (avakam) shall cover" (Ezekiel 26:10). "Rochel" — thus is called a seller of spices, as in "the goldsmiths and the merchants (harochlim)" (Nehemiah 3:32).

Behold the bed of Shlomo. The Tent of Meeting and the Ark, which they carried in the wilderness. — Notes: (9) This is in accordance with Rashi in 1:1 above that Shlomo refers to God, thus “the bed of Shlomo” refers to the resting place of the Divine Presence. Sixty mighty men are around it. Sixty myriads surround it. Of the mighty men of Yisroel. Of those who went into the army, excluding those under twenty and those over sixty.

The third interpretation: 'mighty men' — the sixty myriads (600,000) who entered the land, from twenty years old and up, [as Moses and Elazar the Priest numbered them].

"Behold, it is the litter of Solomon" — Because of the greatness of her love for the Beloved, he was great in her eyes, to the point that she called him by the name "King Solomon," who was the greatest and most successful of all men. And so she said to the maidens: Behold, I was so beloved and precious in the eyes of the Beloved from of old, that out of his fear lest night-raiders snatch me from the litter he had prepared for himself, he made excellent guard and surrounded the litter with sixty mighty men from among the mighty men of Israel, who were faithful in guarding, not giving sleep to their eyes. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, in the Temple there were sixty companies of mighty men, namely the twenty-four courses of the priesthood and the twenty-four courses of the Levites and the twelve divisions of Israel — so it is stated in the midrash — and all of them were righteous and diligent and mighty in subduing their [evil] inclination.

Skilled in battle. The battle of Torah, and likewise, the kohanim who surround it, who camp around the Tabernacle, are skilled in the order of their service. Each with his sword. His weapons are the Masorah [i.e., tradition] and the mnemonics, by which they preserve the correct version and the traditional rendition, so that it will not be forgotten. For fear of the nights. For if they forget it, and troubles will befall them. And similarly it states, “Arm yourselves with the grain lest He become angry and you lose the way.” — Notes: (10) I.e., study the Torah.

The first interpretation: 'achuzei cherev' [handling the sword] — like 'levush habadim' [clothed in linen] (Ezekiel 9:2), and I do not know of a third instance in Scripture [of this pattern].

"Because of dread in the night" — because of the fear that took hold of them during the forty nights that were spent in wrath, and on the night of the Ninth [of Av], when the sin of the golden calf was also visited upon them at that time, as it says, "You shall bear your iniquities" (Numbers 14:34).

"They all handle the sword" — All the mighty guardians held the sword in their hand, to be ready to fight against the night-raiders, and they were experienced in war, knowing its tactics and stratagems. "Every man has his sword upon his thigh" — Each of them had his sword bound to him upon his thigh, so that it would be ready to grasp in hand should the sword held in his palm fall. And the diligence of the guarding came from the fear present in the nights on account of raiders and thieves. And the allegorical meaning is to say that all these companies were experienced in the war against the evil inclination, and they stood at their post making fences to guard themselves from the enticement of the evil inclination and its manner of stratagems and the intensity of its cunning, because they feared lest they be trapped in the net of its enticement and it become poised to bring darkness like the darkness of night.

"Melumdei" — a matter of habituation, as in "and he learned (vayilmad) to tear prey" (Ezekiel 19:6). "Al yereko" (upon his thigh) — upon his side.

A canopy has [King Shlomo] made. This refers to the Tent of Meeting, which was established in the Tabernacle at Shiloh; He made for Himself a crowning canopy for [His] glory.

The first interpretation: 'appiryon' [palanquin] — a canopy (chuppah), and it has no parallel [elsewhere in Scripture]. The third interpretation: 'Appiryon' — this is the House (Temple) that Solomon built; and because of the abundance of silver and gold vessels that he placed in the Temple, it is as if its pillars and its seat were silver — and this [is so, for] we find that the surface of the walls was silver and gold.

"King Solomon made himself a palanquin," etc. — Have I not said that at that time Israel was "the couch of Solomon" (Song 3:7), a chariot for Him, may He be blessed? And should you say: If so, then why did I command that a Mishkan (Tabernacle) be made, for My Name to dwell there? Would it not be far better that Your dwelling be within them [the people] rather than in a tent and a Tabernacle, and that You be with them just as You were with the Fathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — for they were the chariot without any Tabernacle? Behold, I inform you that indeed it is so, for [the verse states]: "King Solomon made himself a palanquin" — this is the Mishkan, for His Name to dwell in it — he did not make it chiefly of the tent-covering, but rather "of the wood of Lebanon" — these are the souls of the righteous of that generation, who are shoots of the plantings of the World Above, which is intrinsically related to whiteness (levanut); and therefore it is called "Lebanon," after the very great light of its supernal holiness, from which their souls emerged. And so did our Sages, of blessed memory, expound the verse "the trees of Hashem are satisfied" (Psalms 104:16) as referring to the lights that are in the Garden of Eden, in connection with the verse "And Hashem planted a garden in Eden," etc. (Genesis 2:8). And this is like the matter of "And they shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8) — for it does not say "within it." That is to say: "and they shall make a sanctuary" — that is the Mishkan; but know that "I will dwell among them" refers to Israel themselves, for they will truly be the Mishkan. And the resting of the Shechinah was not equal upon all the righteous, for some correspond to the pillars, some to the covering that is upon the pillars, and some, above these, correspond to the couch/chariot (merkavah) — the bed that rests upon the covering. This is because there are three levels: tzaddik (righteous), chasid (pious), and yashar (upright); for even though above these there is a fourth level, the "ne'eman" (trusted one), it is not counted, for where is it to be found? For it is said only of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), as is known from the words of our Sages, of blessed memory. Now this is His way, may He be blessed, in resting His Shechinah upon the various ranks of the righteous of the generation: those who are [merely] "tzaddikim" — the lowest level, who are likened to the pillars, as it is said, "and a tzaddik is the foundation of the world" (Proverbs 10:25) — He made [them, as it were,] of silver, meaning that He conducts Himself with them with mercy, like silver. Corresponding to its covering, which is above them, are the chasidim, with whom He conducts Himself with judgment, but not with the hue of red, which is harsh judgment, but rather with mild judgment, like gold. But those who are truly the chariot to Him, may He be blessed, are the yesharim (the upright), who behold the Face, as it is said, "the upright shall dwell in Your presence" (Psalms 140:14) — with them He is exacting to a hairsbreadth, with harsh judgment, corresponding to the color red — and this is "[the seat] of purple." And should you ask: if so, why then was the interior of the Mishkan made [as described]? For even though it is said that [the Shechinah], by extension, rests in the Mishkan as well, would it not have sufficed for it to rest in the people alone, as it was with the Fathers? Therefore it states: "its interior inlaid with love," etc. And this is the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the purpose of the Mishkan was so that the nations would know that He, may He be blessed, had not abhorred His people Israel on account of the incident of the [Golden] Calf. And this, I believe, is what is meant here: the interior of the Mishkan is a demonstration — an inlaying — of the love between Him, may He be blessed, and the Children of Israel, directed toward the "daughters of Jerusalem," who are the Egyptians, as explained above — for our Sages, of blessed memory, said that after the incident of the Calf they [the nations] were saying that He, may He be blessed, had turned into an enemy toward them and would no longer be pleased with them. Therefore, to teach them that this is not so — that Hashem had not forsaken His people — He commanded that the Mishkan be made. And this is [the meaning of] "from the daughters of Jerusalem," who are the nations; and the sense of the matter is: "its interior inlaid" — an inlaying by which the daughters of Jerusalem would be branded with an awareness of Hashem's love for Israel, through the resting of His Shechinah in their midst.

"King Solomon made himself a palanquin" — the congregation of Hashem responds: Has not the crown now returned to its former glory, with the building of the First Temple, which was covered with cedars — no stone was visible — with much silver and gold, for glory.

"A palanquin" — Now she returns to tell of the praise and beauty of the palanquin that he made long ago to dally with her in it. And so she said: behold, the palanquin was made of the wood of Lebanon, from the choicest of its kind. And the allegorical meaning refers to the building of the Temple, which was a wondrous and magnificent structure.

"Apiryon" — this is the bed in which brides are carried; and in the words of our Sages: "he seated her in an apiryon" (Sotah 12a). And likewise our Sages called the marriage bed "puryah," and they said [this is] because couples are fruitful and multiply (parin verabin) upon it (Ketubot 10b). "Halevanon" — the name of a forest in the land of Israel.

Its covering. His resting place and His dwelling were on the Ark cover, which is gold. — Notes: (11) See Shemos 25:17, 22. Its curtain of purple wool. This is the dividing curtain, which hangs and “rides” on poles from pillar to pillar. — Notes: (12) Separating the “Holy Place” from the “Holy of Holies,” See Shemos 26:31,33. Its interior bedecked. It was arranged with a floor [displaying] love; the Ark and its cover, cherubim and Tablets. — Notes: (13) Alternatively, “its interior filled with burning love.” In Yeshayahu 6:6, “רצפה” means “burning coal.” (Tzror Hamor) From the daughters of Yerusholayim. These are the [Bnei] Yisroel, who fear and are wholehearted toward the Holy One, Blessed Is He.

The first interpretation: 'refidato' [its seat] — its couch, like 'yarpid charutz alei mayim' [he spreads gold upon the water] (Job 41:22). 'Ratzuf' [inlaid] — some say it is from 'ritzpat avanim' [pavement of stones] (Esther 1:6), but the correct view in my opinion is that it is a passive form (pa'ul) from 'u've'yado ritzpah' [and in his hand a glowing coal] (Isaiah 6:6). The second interpretation: [And] upon waking, she went to seek her beloved, and she imagined and said: 'Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed [with myrrh and frankincense]?' Behold, this is Solomon's litter! She wondered how it could travel alone. And behold, King Solomon required many mighty men to guard his beloved out of fear of kidnappers, lest they seize her by night; he also needed to make a palanquin — and all this for the sake of one of the daughters of Jerusalem. And he proclaimed to make himself great, and placed a royal crown upon his head, so that he would be honored in the eyes of his beloved: 'But my love is fairer than she.' The third interpretation: 'its seat of purple' — resembling 'agarman' in color. 'Its interior' — the priests (Kohanim) and the Levites.

"Its inside inlaid with love" — for there were, on the walls there, cherubim and images, to indicate the love of Hashem for His people.

"Its pillars" — These are [the pillars] rising at the four corners of the palanquin, and upon the poles above them the curtain would be hung around the palanquin. And the allegorical meaning refers to the pillars Jachin and Boaz, which were as precious as silver. "Its top" — The coverings that were upon the palanquin were of golden thread, embroidered work. And the allegorical meaning refers to the place of the dwelling of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), which was upon the golden ark-cover (kapporet). "The seat of it" — This is the curtain that hangs and rides upon the poles from pillar to pillar. And the allegorical meaning refers to the curtain (parochet) at the opening of the partition, which separates between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. "Its inside" — Within the palanquin lies a coal of love, [meaning] the one beloved by all the maidens; and of the Beloved she says that the fire of his love burns in the heart of all the maidens, as it is said, "therefore do the maidens love you" (Song of Songs 1:3). And the allegorical meaning is to say that within the Temple was the resting of the Shechinah, beloved and pleasant in the eyes of all the nations.

"Refidato" (its lining) — a matter of spreading out, as in "rafeduni batapuchim" (stay me with apples) (above, 2:5). "Merkavo" — from the language of "rechivah" (riding). "Argaman" (purple) — the name of an important dye. "Ratzuf" — a matter of a burning coal, [as in] "and in his hand a glowing coal (ritzpah)" (Isaiah 6:6); and it is the way of Scripture to describe the intensity of love through fire that burns and blazes; likewise "reshafeha rishpei esh shalhevet Yah" (its flashes are flashes of fire, a mighty flame) (below, 8:6).

Daughters of Tzion. Children who are distinguished מְצוּיָנִים=צֻיָּן as His, through circumcision, phylacteries, and ritual fringes. Upon the crown with which his mother adorned him. The Tent of Meeting, which was adorned with hues of blue, purple, and scarlet. Rabbi Nechunya said, “Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai asked Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Yose, ‘Perhaps you heard from your father what is meaning of “upon the crown with which his mother adorned him”?’ He replied, “This is a parable of a king who had an only daughter of whom he was very fond. He could not stop loving her until he called her “my daughter,” as it is stated, “listen daughter and see.” He could not stop loving her until he called her “my sister,” as it is stated, “Open for me, my sister, my love.” He could not stop loving her until he called her “my mother,” as it is stated, “Listen to Me, My people, and My nation וּלְאֻמִּי give ear to Me.” “וּלְאֻמִּי” is written [without a vav and can be read as “וּלְאִמִּי” “and to my mother”]. Thereupon Rabbi Shimon son Yochai stood up and kissed him on his head, etc. — Notes: (14) Tehillim 45:11. (15) Below 5:2. (16) Yeshayahu 51:4. On the day of his wedding. The day of the giving of the Torah, when they crowned Him as their King and accepted His yoke. — Notes: (17) See Mishnayos Ta’anis 4:8. And on the day his heart rejoiced. This is the eighth day of the installation, on which the Tabernacle was dedicated in the wilderness. — Notes: (18) See Vayikra 9:1.

The third interpretation: 'Go forth and see' — this is [the meaning of] 'and they assembled to King Solomon' (1 Kings 8:2).

"Go forth and see," etc. — Behold, we have written above that "the daughters of Jerusalem" are all the inhabitants of the lands surrounding Jerusalem, for it is in the middle of the world. And in like manner, "the daughters of Zion" are called — all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who are around Zion, who are all of Israel; or, alternatively, "the daughters of Zion" are the perfectly faithful of Israel (sholmei emunei Yisrael), whose souls [derive] from Above, from the aspect that corresponds to Zion, which is the central point, for the Land of Israel corresponds to the Land Above — and this is [the meaning of] "daughters of Zion." And He said: Have I not said to the daughters of Jerusalem that My dwelling is upon righteous men, and not in a Mishkan, for the righteous one is truly the Mishkan? Now, in order to bring proof of this — namely, how [limited] is the reach of the Egyptians, on account of the quality of their souls, in attaining the matter of perception, for they cannot rise to the level of the great ones of Israel, and how much more so to the perfectly faithful, like Solomon and those like him — and from him [Solomon] proof will be derived, as will follow — therefore, in order to bring proof of this, He, may He be blessed, made, as it were, the daughters of Jerusalem stand facing the perfect ones of Israel, who are called "daughters of Zion," and made Himself as though speaking with their souls, and said: "Go forth" from your bodies, in which you [souls] currently are, so that you may rise up above; "and see" there King Solomon, son of David, "with the crown," etc. — which is included among the crowns upon his head, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "The righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads" — these being the commandments which he performed and did; here they crown and adorn him. And you shall gaze upon the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding to Pharaoh's daughter, which was on the day of the gladness of his heart, on the day of the dedication of the altar — when he delayed with Pharaoh's daughter until the fourth hour, [refraining] from drawing near there [to offer] the daily [Tamid] offering. And then his mother rebuked him, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — that she bent him over the pillar and said, "What, my son..." etc. (Proverbs 31:2) — and then he acquired a great crown through patience and his acceptance of that rebuke, despite all his greatness. And there is no doubt that by virtue of his acceptance of that rebuke, it became an advocate, and a crown among all the crowns fashioned by every single commandment, as has been said, concerning which it is said, "and their crowns are upon their heads." It thus emerges that this [act of submission] is to be regarded as having crowned him with a crown on that day. And why did she do so — humble him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart, [in a manner that was] indeed a disgrace in the eyes of onlookers? But this teaches that even though He, may He be blessed, had commanded that the Sanctuary, the stronghold — which was then being dedicated — be built, the House is not the essential thing, but rather the perfect ones, in whom He, may He be blessed, causes His Shechinah to rest. Therefore she paid no heed to his shame on the day of the joy of the dedication, for she said: What benefit is the Temple to Him, may He be blessed, if the perfect one of Israel — upon whom the House truly stands, who is the essential [locus of] the resting of the Shechinah — makes light of his own honor? And how then will the Shechinah rest thereafter? Heaven forfend, it would turn out that everything is nullified. If so, behold, from this there is proof for His statement, may He be blessed, to the daughters of Jerusalem, that the palanquin which he made for himself is not on account of the place, but rather on account of "the wood of Lebanon" — these being the righteous, in whose midst the Shechinah rests, and by extension it spreads forth into the Temple, as has been said.

"Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion" — you, the hosts of Hashem, daughters of Zion, who thought that the crown had returned to its former glory — go out and see the difference between the Mishkan that existed before [the sin of] the spies and the First Temple that came afterward. "With the crown with which his mother crowned him" — the assembly of the princes (nesi'im), who were like a mother in Israel, consecrated to God, may He be exalted. "On the day of his espousals" — at the dedication of the Mishkan. "And on the day of the gladness of his heart" — on the day of the dedication of the First Temple. For although fire also descended at the dedication of the Temple, nevertheless the fire at the dedication of the Mishkan was greater than this one, since there [at the Mishkan] there was not much silver and gold, and its dedication was very small in comparison to the First Temple. This is shown by the fact that "the cloud of Hashem was upon the Mishkan, etc." (Exodus 40:38), and immediately upon its dedication, "when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting," he heard the Voice (Numbers 7:89). And so you shall understand that once the sin was repeated, and repentance did not reach there all the way to the Throne of Glory, as it will in the future — as it says, "and you shall return to Hashem your God" (Deuteronomy 30:2) — there is no complete forgiveness there that restores the crown to its former state — in any event.

"Go forth and see" — Now she boasts before the maidens, as if to say: do not think that the Beloved desired me merely out of passion, even though I am not worthy of him — for go forth from your houses, and go see the crown that his mother placed on him on the day he was wed to me, and that was the day of the gladness of his heart, for he rejoiced greatly that I fell to his lot. As if to say: from this you may take proof that I am fitting for him, for were it not so, his mother would not have crowned him with a crown on the day of the joy of his wedding. And the allegorical meaning is to say: you nations, do not think that Hashem's choosing of me was for the sake of the love of the Patriarchs alone, even though I am not worthy of Him in my own right. For look and see that on the day of the giving of the Torah I became to Him a crown and a beloved treasure, as it is said, "and you shall be to Me a treasure..." (Exodus 19:5), and "and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6), and it is said, "Israel, in whom I will be glorified" (Isaiah 49:3). And all this refers back to what was said above, to say: since this is so, surely the love will quickly return to its place, and therefore "I adjure you..." etc.

"Ba'atarah" — with a crown. "Chatunato" — from the language of "chatan" (bridegroom).