Song of Songs · Chapter 5

I have come to my garden. In the days of the dedication of the Beis Hamikdosh. I have gathered. I gathered, and it is a term of the Mishnah, “as much space [as is required by] a gatherer אוֹרֶה and his basket.” It is also a term found in Scripture, “and all wayfarers have plucked וְאָרוּהָ its fruit.” And this was stated in regard to the incense, which they burned as an individual incense offering—the tribal princes on the outside altar and it was accepted. This is something that does not apply to later generations. Because of this, it is stated, “I have eaten my sugar cane with my sugar.” There is honey that grows in canes, as it is stated, “into the sugar of the יַעְרַת canes ,” and “יַעְרַת” is a term referring to a cane, as in, “and she placed [it] among the reeds בַּסוּף,” [which Targum renders] “and she placed it in the reeds בְּיַעֲרָא.” And the sugar is sucked out and the wood is discarded. But I, out of great love, “ate my sugar cane with my sugar,” I ate the cane with the sugar, the inedible with the edible, [signifying] the freewill incense offering, and likewise, the he-goats sin-offering that the tribal princes sacrificed, although a sin-offering is not brought as a freewill sacrifice, but I accepted them on that day. — Notes: (1) Mishnayos Shvi’is 1:2. The term אורה there refers to the harvest of figs. (Sifsei Chachomim) (2) Tehillim 80:13. (3) This incense offering was unusual in two ways. First, because it was an individual offering instead of a communal one; and because it was burned on the outer altar instead of the inner [golden] altar. (4) I Shmuel 14:27. (5) Shemos 2:3. (6) The incense offering is symbolized by ‘myrrh,’ because it is one of its most important ingredients. I have drunk my wine. These are the libations. With my milk. They were sweeter and clearer than milk. — Notes: (7) Alternatively, חלבי, means my fat, referring to the fat portions of the peace offerings. Eat [my] friends. Aharon and his sons, in the Tent of Meeting, and all the kohanim, in the eternal Temple. Drink and become intoxicated [my] beloved ones. These are the Israelites because they are forbidden to drink wine or any intoxicating beverage before performing the divine service. who ate the flesh of the peace offerings that they sacrificed for the dedication of the altar. — Notes: (8) It does not refer to the kohanim

The first interpretation: "ariti" (I have gathered) — [meaning] I have gathered, like "ve-aruha kol overei darech" (all who pass by the way pluck it) (Psalm 80:13). "Ya'ari" (my honeycomb) — some say it is like "be-ya'arat ha-devash" (in the flow of honey) (1 Samuel 14:27), and some say it is a cane, [reading it in light of] the Targum's rendering of "va-tasem ba-suf" (she placed it among the reeds) (Exodus 2:3) as "ba-ye'arah" (the meaning being: sugar cane [qaneh sukkar]). The second interpretation: Behold, he went, and she longed for him, after he had said (to her), "I have come into my garden and gathered my myrrh, and I have fed my companions and friends and given them drink until they became drunk." The third interpretation: The Shechinah said, "I have come to My own, I have returned to My place above," after I received the wine libation, the showbread, and the first-fruits, and Israel were rejoicing and eating peace-offerings; and the meaning is [as in] "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? says Hashem; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams" (Isaiah 1:11) [in the sense of "for every beast of the forest is Mine" (Psalm 50:10) — for even had I needed anything, I have it all].

"I have come into my garden," etc. He, blessed be He, concludes His words to us, who yearn for His salvation and for the kisses of His mouth, as in the days of our going forth from the land of Egypt, and He says: Behold, at that standing at Mount Sinai of which I have spoken until now — see, now, the perfection which I found then, for behold, "I have come into my garden" and found "my sister, my bride" — who was devoid of the contamination of the serpent, and for this reason she is described as "my sister" — and I found her "a bride," adorned with commandments; for before the day of the giving of the Torah she said, "we will do and we will hear" (na'aseh ve-nishma), whereby she was crowned with one hundred twenty myriads (1,200,000) of crowns, as Rabbi Simon says in the Gemara: two upon the head of each and every one of Israel, one corresponding to "we will do" and one corresponding to "we will hear." And so great was their longing and attachment (deveikut) to Me, that "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice" — and this is because, behold, [only] lifeless corpses remained, for their souls clove to their Maker, as has been said above — and not only the supernal souls (neshamot) or the spirit (ruach), but also the [lower] soul (nefesh) as well. And this is "I have gathered my myrrh" — that is the nefesh, as explained above regarding "myrrh and aloes," together with all the "heads of spices" — "with my spice" is the term specific to the neshamot. And it says that He, blessed be He, gathered it all in to Himself, from nefesh to neshamah; and this is "my myrrh with my spice," which includes, in between them, the ruach as well. And also "I have eaten my honeycomb" — that is the inner attachment and the goodness of intent — "with my honey," which drips from their lips like the honeycomb (nofet) that drips from within the wax that holds the stickiness, as is made explicit in "your lips drip honeycomb (nofet titofnah)," etc. — these are the powers of holiness that were made from the intent and from the speech. Now, all this good was given to that generation; however, afterward, with the Golden Calf, and in the generations that followed, they angered Me. Therefore, so as not to consume everything, what did I do? I drank, I gathered in, and I drew up on high — in such a way that you, in the later generations, now remain spared from destruction, [though] deprived of the good. Therefore He says: for I am not one who relinquishes [the reckoning] entirely, but rather one who extends it. And as for those of you who are righteous — "eat, O friends" — from what I have eaten, My honeycomb with My honey, you too shall enjoy; but as for those of you who are not [full] friends, only "beloved ones," [meaning] the affection is in the heart, but you are not friends in deed — "drink" of the wine and the judgment which I drank and drew up on high, and be intoxicated in a deep sleep (tardemah), for the length of the sleep of exile and the sufferings of the troubles — and do not complain, until you repent and become My brothers and My friends; then "I will speak, pray, peace unto you."

"I have come into my garden" — to arouse those who return to Me. And so: "I have gathered my myrrh" — I have received with favor the sages of the generation. "With my spice" — with their disciples. "I have eaten my honeycomb" — I have received the common people (amei ha'aretz). "With my honey" — with the masters of [good] deeds. "I have drunk my wine with my milk" — the teachers of children, together with the schoolchildren (tinokot shel beit rabban). "Eat, O friends" — and so I said, "Eat, O friends," as it is said, "for everyone who remains within the land shall eat curds and honey" (Isaiah 7:22).

"I have come into my garden" — The beloved [man] sent forth his word and said thus: So shall I do — I shall hasten to come to the garden that you have prepared for me, and gather the myrrh together with the other kinds of spice that you have made ready for me, and eat the honey out of desire, until I even eat the reed-stalks in order to suck the honey from them. And I shall drink the wine together with the milk that you have made ready for me. "Eat, O friends" — Out of abundance of joy I shall invite guests and urge them to eat, and thus I say to them, "Eat, O friends," etc. And the allegorical meaning is to say, as if the Omnipresent, blessed be He, promises and says: Behold, I shall swiftly and quickly make My Shechinah dwell within you, and I shall willingly accept the incense of spices, and fire shall descend from heaven and consume the wood of the arrangement together with the offerings, which will be as sweet to Me as honey, and I shall willingly accept my wine libations, which will be as sweet to Me as milk, and the priests, the sons of Aaron, shall eat their portion from what remains of the fire-offerings.

"I have come" (bati) — past tense used in place of future; and likewise "I have gathered," "I have eaten," "I have drunk." "I have gathered" (ariti) — an expression of gathering, picking, as in "and all who pass by the way pluck it" (Psalms 80:13). "my honeycomb" (ya'ari) — thus are called the combs in which honey grows, as in "in the honeycomb" (I Samuel 14:27). "and drink abundantly" (veshikhru) — an expression of drinking beyond the ordinary measure. "beloved ones" (dodim) — loved ones.

I slept. When I was confident and calm in the first Beis Hamikdosh, I despaired of worshiping the Holy One, Blessed Is He, as one who slumbers and falls fast asleep. But my heart was awake. This is the Holy One, Blessed Is He. This is expounded in the Pesikta. — Notes: (9) Alternatively, ולבי ער, refers to the prophets and the sages who were constantly exhorting and rousing the Bnei Yisroel to rise from their spiritual sluggishness. (Sforno) But my heart was awake. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, Who is, “the Rock of my heart and my portion,” is awake to guard me and to benefit me. — Notes: (10) Tehillim 73:26. A sound! My beloved knocks. He rests His Divine Presence upon the prophets and He warns through them by, “rising early and sending forth.” — Notes: (11) Yirmiyahum 7:25. Open for me. Do not cause Me to depart from you. For my head is drenched [as though] with dew. A term referring to a man who comes at night, knocking on the door of his beloved. He says thus, “Out of love for you, I have come at night at the time of dew or rain.” And the allegory is as follows: “For my head is drenched [as though] with dew,” because I am full of good will and satisfaction with Avrohom your forefather, whose deeds were pleasing to Me as dew. And behold, I come to you, laden with blessings and the payment of reward for good deeds if you return to Me. — Notes: (12) ראשי alludes to Avrohom who was first [=ראש] to believe in God. (Sifsei Chachomim) My sidelocks drip with the rains of the night. In My hands there are also many categories of types of retribution, to punish those who forsake Me and anger Me. “Dew” is a term indicating pleasure. — Notes: (13) Rendering קוצותי as קבוצותי [=collections]. Rains of the night. The rains of the night, which cause hardship and weariness. רְסִיסֵי is the Targum of רביבים [=drops], “and like raindrops וְכִרְבִיבִים upon blades of grass,” [is rendered as,] “and the late rains וכרסיסי.” קְוֻצּוֹת [=locks] are clumps of hair of the head stuck together, called flocels in O.F. And because Scripture adopted an expression of dew and rain, it adopted an expression of head and sidelocks, for it is ususal for dew and rain to stick to the hair and sidelocks. It is also possible to interpret both “dew” and “rains of the night,” both denoting good, [i.e.,] the reward for minor precepts that are easy to perform as “dew,” and the reward for major precepts that are difficult [to perform], as the hardship of the “rains of the night.” — Notes: (14) Devarim 32:2.

The first interpretation: "dofek" (knocks) — like "mitdapkim al ha-delet" (knocking upon the door) (Judges 19:22); and "dofek" refers back to "my beloved," not to "the voice," like [in] "qol dodi hineh zeh ba" (the voice of my beloved, behold, he comes) (Song of Songs 2:8). "Qevutzotai" (my locks) — the ends of the hair [a transposed form, i.e., a metathesis of "qetzavot," ends]. "Resisei" (drops) — [related to] "reviivim" (showers), and similarly "la-rus et ha-solet" (to moisten the fine flour) (Ezekiel 46:14). The second interpretation: Behold, she saw in a dream the image of her beloved and said, "I sleep" — even though I sleep, my heart is awake, and I saw as though my beloved had come. "The voice of my beloved knocks, for my head is filled with dew" [outside], and behold, he delayed a bit, and I thought to myself, "I have taken off my robe," and my soul went out when he spoke to me; [and] behold, "I will go my way, since you delayed" — and upon waking she said, "I have adjured you — what will you tell him? Tell him that I am lovesick." The third interpretation: "I sleep" — Knesset Yisrael (the Assembly of Israel) said: even though I was exiled to Babylon, my heart was awake within me, and I did not worship idols. "The voice of my beloved knocks" — through the prophets, [urging] that they build the House and go out from Babylon. "For my head is filled with dew, my locks with the drops of the night" — from the tears of [Knesset] Yisrael, as in "bakhoh tivkeh ba-lailah" (she weeps sore in the night) (Lamentations 1:2).

"I sleep, but my heart wakes," etc. This is a parable of a king who had, some time before, left his beloved while she was pregnant, his word having been that he said [he would return in] "days, or a decade" (Genesis 24:55). Then on one of the nights, she was sleeping upon her bed with her heart awake in her love for him, and the door was shut behind her. And behold, the king came to keep watch at her doors in the dead of night and darkness (Proverbs 7:9), and he raised his voice and knocked: "Open for me, my sister, my love... my locks..." etc. And she, since her heart was awake, was aroused from her sleep, and said to him: "Though I love you, I am lazy about hurrying to rise and open for you, for behold, I have taken off my tunic" - that is, the shift that is upon my flesh, for that is what is called a "kutonet," as is known - "how can I put it on again now, before morning, for I am lazy, and without clothing I would be ashamed before you to walk naked; and also I have washed my feet as I lay down - how can I soil them by treading with them on the ground, from my bed to the door of my house, for I have grown pampered and it would pain me [to do so]?" Then, to arouse her heart to rise and open for him, he put his hand through the hole that was in her door. And when she saw his hand, her insides yearned for him in her love of him, and she desired him, and rose to open for him. But before she removed the lock, her heart resolved to delay until her hands and fingers were perfumed, so as to show her beauty to him, until the myrrh dripped from her hands and passed over the handles of the lock, so that its scent would be sweet and pleasing before him. Yet he was still waiting outside until she should open, and she delayed in perfuming herself. But this was not the way he had chosen - only that she remove the lock which closed [the door] between him and her, and open it, and afterward perfume herself. Therefore, when she did open for him, he hid his face and slipped away from before her, so that she would be pained over his hiding his face, corresponding to how she had held him back by hiding her face until she was perfumed, and had not opened for him at once. And when she saw this, she was grieved unto death; but for all that, she did not rebel against him for his having passed from before her, for behold, from the moment she heard his voice saying "Open for me," etc., her soul went forth and became bound to his soul, and she had no rest nor quiet from going out to seek him. She did not find him, yet she raised her voice and called, [hoping] perhaps he would answer her with speech even though he would not present himself to her - but he did not answer. And the allegorical meaning (nimshal) is that this is the way of every man of Israel with the God of Abraham: that although they lie sleeping upon the bed of laziness with respect to repentance and good deeds, they cannot lack a longing of heart to return to Hashem, for their root is holy, beneath the Throne of Glory, and their heart roars to cleave to its root. And many times their heart pricks them to an act of repentance, yet the leaven in their dough [the evil inclination] casts them into a lazy slumber, [preventing them] from rising to perform the act of repentance. And this is Israel's response to Him, blessed be He, regarding all that has been written above - His words, blessed be He, saying to us "return," and "restore us," and "redeem us," and "let Him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" as of old, and "let us return to Him" - [Israel says:] please do not despair of us, for though we have not returned to You until now - behold, "I sleep" upon the bed of laziness regarding repentance, yet nonetheless "my heart wakes" in [longing for] repentance, to return and cleave to You. And the reason is that behold, "the voice of my beloved," which He made our souls hear at the standing at Mount Sinai - as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, that the voice of Hashem, in every single one of His utterances, spoke with each and every one of Israel, and afterward kissed him upon his mouth and cleaved to his soul - that very voice still cleaves to me and knocks upon my heart, for every word of the Torah is exceedingly holy, and its cleaving to me never passes away forever; and therefore "my heart wakes." And what is this knocking, which knocks as though speaking within me? It is: "open for me" - breach the wall of your sins, and open a gate through which I may come to pour forth [My bounty] and cleave to you, and I will help you return. This is "open for me" a gate that I may come to you; or, "open for me" the gate of heaven, which is shut by your sins that separate [us]; and do not despair over the abundance of your sin, lest I abandon you. For behold, "you are my sister" - from the aspect of the soul you are drawn after Me when you open [for Me]; and also "my love (re'iyati)" - for until now I am your partner in the creation of the world, for the voice of Hashem that speaks is the Torah, by which He created the world, as is known, and Israel fulfills it in such a way that you are [My] partner. And likewise "my dove" - that you have not exchanged Me, as a dove does not exchange its mate, as it is said, "if we had forgotten the name of our God," etc. (Psalms 44:21). "My undefiled one (tammati)" - [meaning] you bear exile and suffering with wholeness of heart, without rebelling; for these are great preparations for your cleaving to Me at once upon your opening [the door], without wavering. And further, the voice of my beloved, which is the Torah, says: "hasten," for just as you have four preparations for cleaving to Me, so am I prepared to do good to you - for "my head" is the spiritual head of the Torah, its supernal root, awesome, "filled with dew" to revive your dead; for "my locks (kevutzotai)" are each and every crown-tip (kotz) of the letters of the Torah, and its laws are "filled with the drops of night" - these are the drops brought about through engaging in Torah in this world, in the exile that resembles night, so that through them, even if we are not deemed worthy on account of our guilt, He will act with kindness toward us in the morning of the future light, as the verse says, "By day Hashem will command His kindness" (Psalms 42:9) - in the World to Come, in the merit of what [is done] at night, "is His song with me" - that is, the Torah that is with me, that I engage in; in such a way that your Torah places in my heart all these promises, and that You desire from me only that I open [the door] for Him, blessed be He - and that if I do not return for His own sake, blessed be He, I should do so for the sake of all the future happiness mentioned, which will be given to me. And nonetheless, "I am lazy" about rising and returning in repentance and good deeds - not out of rebellion and not out of treachery, but because the laziness of the evil inclination casts slumber upon a man, both from the aspect of the soul and from the aspect of the body (matter). That which is from the aspect of the soul is this: it puts into his heart to answer and say, "I have taken off my tunic," etc. - meaning: behold, every righteous person has, as it were, a "garment of the Rabbis" (challuka de-rabbanan), as discussed in the Gemara and in the book of the Zohar - one [garment] of deeds, belonging to the spirit (ruach), and one of thought and good intention, belonging to the soul (neshamah). And behold, through my perverse deeds I have taken it off, to put on filthy garments; and how can I put it on [again]? How many acts of repentance and good deeds would suffice for me to return to wearing it? For who has the strength to restore it as it was at first, after it has been defiled by so very many sins and transgressions? And when shall I be done with every impurity and stain, and sanctify myself - for the work is very great, and therefore I am lazy. And also concerning the body it makes answer, and will say: "I have washed my feet" - these are the limbs which are, as it were, the feet of the soul; I have washed them and pampered them with the pleasures of the sons of man, in the ways of my [evil] inclination - how can I soil them and afflict them with fasts and weeping and groaning and sufferings that pertain to the rectification of my perversities? And this is the argument of so very many wicked people, clothed in splendid attire, brought up in scarlet (Lamentations 4:5), and eating of delicacies: for when it is said to them, "How long will you be drunken? Remove the evil of your doings and return to Hashem your God," they answer, "The matter is good; but with what shall the stain of our guilt be scoured and washed away? Would that it were a thing we could do - we would hear and do it!" But you will say to us: "[Should] we answer by afflicting our souls with fasting, and clothe ourselves in sackcloth upon our flesh, and let our eyes stream with tears, and mourn over our sins like mourners for a mother (Psalms 35:14)?" - who has the strength to do such a thing? For how can we? We have seen those who once ate of delicacies, brought to ruin, their flesh reduced to wretchedness for [lack of] bread, and thirsting for water; and the soft, pampered body which we have washed and anointed, and clothed our flesh in fine linen garments out of delicacy and softness - how shall we regard it as a jar of clay, upon which we spread sackcloth and ashes - we who have never tried such things, and who have stood in the company of those who make merry and rejoice? How shall such a one weep and mourn, and let tears run down from his eyes? And those brought up in scarlet - how shall they, like mourners for a mother, embrace ash-heaps (Lamentations 4:5)? And these are our words before Him, blessed be He: "I have washed my feet" - these are the limbs which are, as it were, feet to the soul; behold, I have washed them and pampered them - how can I soil them and afflict them? For the body, accustomed to the love of pleasures, regards the afflictions of repentance - the garb of sackcloth, torments, and lashes - as something foreign. That is to say: it is therefore hard for me to open for You and begin to purify myself; rather, [Israel says] "bring me back, and open for me, and I will run after You." Then what does He, blessed be He, do, seeing that - after the arousal of my heart, which is drawn to Me from having heard [His voice] at Sinai, for from then on a cleaving to His voice, blessed be He, which spoke within me, has remained within me, and it continually pricks and knocks upon my heart to arouse [me], as has been said - I am nonetheless lazy about returning? What does He, blessed be He, do? He "puts forth his hand through the hole" - this is the hole of the ear, which He places within our heart, [enabling us] to listen to those who rebuke [us] and to the teachers of His Torah, blessed be He, so that we may become wise. For this has not departed from the people of the God of Abraham, for to all of them open rebuke concerning the rectification of our evil deeds is sweet, for in this Israel is praised - that they are hearers of rebuke, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said regarding all that Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, rebuked them with in Deuteronomy (Mishneh Torah). And there is no preparation and opening to repentance for those who are lazy about it like the opening of their ear to reproof, as the verse says, "and He opens their ear to discipline, and says that they should return from iniquity" (Job 36:10). And through this, "my insides stirred for him" - in the manner of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said regarding the verse "hear, and your soul shall live" (Isaiah 55:3): a [human] physician heals many wounds in many limbs with a bandage for each wound, but the Holy One, blessed be He, heals the wounds of the whole body with a single bandage, upon one of all the limbs - namely the ear - for through hearing He heals all the limbs from the sins committed through them; that is what is meant by "hear, and your soul shall live." And so throughout the Torah, all perfection is made to depend upon hearing: "Hear, O Israel," etc.; "if you shall diligently hear," etc.; "if you shall hear the voice of Hashem," etc. - and of such there is no number, for from hearing comes doing. And this is [the meaning of] "I rose to open," etc. - that through hearing, a person rises from the bed of his sleep, the slumber of his backsliding, to open the gate of heaven, which is shut by the wall and screen of our sins that separate between us and our God. Or, one might say: "my beloved put forth his hand through the hole," for behold, this is His way, blessed be He, and His conduct with us, the children of His covenant: that when we sleep upon the bed of laziness regarding our repentance, He arouses our heart, in the manner of "I sleep, but my heart wakes," etc. And if afterward we return to our laziness after the arousal, then He, blessed be He, stretches out His hand and strikes us - pouring forth an outpouring of wrath by giving power over us to one who denies Hashem, to consume [us], so that many troubles find us. And this is "my beloved put forth his hand," in the manner of "when I stretch out My hand upon Egypt" (Exodus 7:5); and it says "through the hole," because the bounty poured forth from Him, blessed be He, when not by means of a ministering prince or angel, is characterized as coming through the gate of heaven, as is known; but that which comes by means of a prince or angel is characterized as bounty coming by way of a window - as we explained regarding His word, blessed be He, to Abraham, when He commanded him to go to the Land of Israel, saying to him: "Instead of giving Me light from the window, come and give Me light in the Land of Israel, which is with Me" - that is, instead of your giving Me light so that I watch over [the world] by your merit by way of the prince who rules outside the Land, called a "window," through which you give light so that My providence and My presence are not held back in a world darkened by the deeds of its inhabitants - "come and give Me light in the Land of Israel," which is by way of a doorway thrown open wide, that is, the gate of heaven. Behold, then, that the bounty which comes by means of a prince or angel is characterized as a thing coming by way of a window or a hole; and in this manner, when the bounty of wrath comes by means of one of the lesser princes, it resembles the sending of His hand, blessed be He, through the hole - yet it is still attributed to His hand, blessed be He, for it is from Him, and in His hand is the compassion [directing it] for our good. And then we are aroused from the laziness of our repentance, and we plead in prayer and outcry and weeping and groaning, and fasts and afflictions, which we did not do before the sting of the oppressing adversary, sent by Him, blessed be He - for we had been asleep, as though without feeling. As we said regarding the words of Isaiah the prophet: "Hashem, in distress have they sought You, they poured forth a whispered prayer," etc. (Isaiah 26:16) - which says: behold, this is the way of Your people Israel, that only in distress do they seek You, while before the distress they are as though asleep. Hence there is no mercy so great as the discipline with which You discipline them, for through it they cleave to You, pouring forth prayers and returning to You. And this is "they poured forth a whispered prayer," etc. - meaning, like a vessel that is emptied, so they pour out whispered prayer; [this outpouring is caused by] Your discipline. And this is unlike what is written of the idolatrous nations, that in their distress they rebel against that which they have chosen. And do not wonder how they lack the sense to return before the evil and the distress come; for it is not withheld from them that if they do not return, sufferings will come upon them - rather, it is that "as a woman with child," etc., "so were we," etc. - for as it happens to the pregnant woman, so does it happen to them as well. For every pregnant woman knows that the pangs of childbirth will come upon her, and that she will be in danger; and yet there is no pregnant woman among all the women who have ever been in the world who begins to cry out and pray to Hashem over the pain of childbirth before the days of her delivery, or before her labor pains come upon her - rather, she begins to cry out specifically during her labor pains, but not before. So were we before You, Hashem: though we knew that labor-pains would come upon us for our backsliding, we did not draw near and come before You in repentance and good deeds until the distress came upon us. And this is what Solomon says here, in saying "I rose to open for my beloved," etc. - that is: though "I was asleep," etc., the knocking of the voice of my beloved did not suffice to make me return, until he sent forth his hand and struck me; then I rose from the bed of laziness to open for my beloved a wide-open gate in the wall of the sins that separate [us]. And although I performed repentance in practice, nevertheless I erred in the way of repentance; for this is our way when we begin to return - whether by hearing the reprovers, according to the first path, or by sufferings, according to the second - that at first we sow among thorns, for it is quick and easy for us to set our heart upon performing practical commandments, while the vermin of sin still remains in our hand. [This is] like the complaint of King Solomon, peace be upon him, concerning our way, in the verse: "It is a snare for a man to rashly devour a holy thing, and only afterward, after his vows, to reflect" (Proverbs 20:25) - for this is the way of men: when the wrath of the oppressor comes upon them, they do not search after their sins to rectify them and weep over them in complete repentance until they have removed them, so as to be saved from their prosecution; rather, only after making vows does he stop to reflect - that is, he seeks to make vows in order to be saved. Now this is not as Jacob reckoned with himself in his time of distress - [reasoning] devoid of knowledge and understanding, saying, "Behold, we too may learn from Jacob what to do in a time of distress; behold, he was without sin, yet [he made vows] - but I am a worm and not a man; what use is it for me to make vows and offerings, when I am full of impurities and blemishes?" Rather, I shall now remove all my dross and impurities which have brought about my troubles, through weeping and complete repentance and immense remorse over sin and transgression; then a vow, or a freewill offering, and good deeds and prayer will accompany it, as the verse says, "break up your fallow ground," etc. (Hosea 10:12), and as in the verse "wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away," etc. (Isaiah 1:16), and afterward, "learn to do well, seek [justice]," etc. (Isaiah 1:17). For indeed, through his evil deeds a person has blemished the holiness in the root of his soul, which is beneath the Throne of Glory; and how shall he sow commandments upon those very thorns? And how, by means of the Shechinah, which pours forth all good, shall his distress be rectified and shall it be well with him, when beneath it - the place from which his soul stands - a severe blemish (baheret) remains from the abundance of his sin? And this is [the meaning of] "it is a snare for a man" who has stumbled in his sin: he rashly devours, and destroys, and blemishes the supernal holiness, in a way that he ought rather to repair there, so that from there good and the rectification of his distress might be poured forth; but he does not do so - instead, "and only afterward, after his vows, to reflect" - he seeks and pursues vows in order to be saved. But the reverse is the true way: light shall dwell [there] when he first repairs what he has perverted through proper repentance, and only afterward, "after his vows, to reflect." And this is what is meant here: behold, after "my beloved put forth his hand through the hole," etc., "I rose to open for my beloved," etc., yet "my hands dripped with myrrh," etc. - meaning: I set my heart upon practical commandments before removing the evil of our deeds from before Him, blessed be He, through repentance and the rectification of our evil deeds, and before tearing away the bolted door that closes the gate of heaven, and demolishing the wall of our sins that separates between us and our God; rather, we set our heart at once upon positive commandments, and only some of our whole community are trained in engaging in practice - such as commandments that pertain to the hands, which pertain to action. Behold, [my hands] "dripped with myrrh" - the scent and flow of practical commandments; but for one who is not essentially among the men of deeds, but only lightly [engaged] - who is characterized as [belonging to] the fingers of the nation - it is a transient myrrh that does not endure, [meaning] the scent of the commandments does not remain in them, but only passes, so as to become perfumed before Him, blessed be He, through good deeds. But this is not the [proper] way - rather, first repentance, and afterward good deeds, as is constantly said in the mouths of the Rabbis: always [in the order] repentance and good deeds, for that is the order, and it is not to be reversed; and likewise, [as our Rabbis said,] "turn from evil" and afterward "do good," and not like one who immerses [in a mikveh] while holding an unclean creeping thing (sheretz) in his hand. And this is [the meaning of] "upon the handles of the lock." And the matter is this: the lock which closes before a person, [preventing him] from opening a gate in the screen of his sins that separate [him from God], is the evil inclination, which lies at the doors of his heart, as is known from our Rabbis of blessed memory, so that the gate that has been shut may not be opened from there. And the handles which secure this lock so that it does not slip are the prosecutors and forces of impurity which we bring into being through our sins - for each [sin] becomes one prosecutor and drags along the creation of another one like it, for one transgression drags along another transgression; and there are no props and supports to uphold and sustain the evil inclination, [preventing it] from wavering, greater than these. And on account of this they are called "the handles of the lock." And it would have been fitting that, before making a chief matter of practical commandments, we should destroy and slay all these prosecutors through proper repentance - whereby, when "the helper stumbles, and he who is helped falls" (Isaiah 31:3), that is, the evil inclination, [this happens] through the nullifying of the lock's closure and its being dislodged from its place, through the nullifying of the handles that prop it up and sustain it. And then, "my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers," etc. - [would be] with practical commandments. But what use is it, when it remains upon the handles of the lock? For it would have been fitting that the handles be removed and the lock fall, and then the gate would open easily, as was my beloved's request of me: "open for me," etc. And on account of this, what does He, blessed be He, do? He does not [act] only immediately, when I begin to perform commandments and good deeds before rectifying the transgressions, but even afterward, when at last I felt [it] and turned back from my sins and opened for my beloved - for I recognized and knew that it was because "my God is not within me" that the evils that came upon me found me, for it was my beloved who had sent forth his hand and struck me - afterward, when I opened, he hid his face from me. And this is [the meaning of] "my beloved had turned away and was gone" - on account of my having been lazy until then, for after he had been knocking and arousing me, I did not rise to open until afterward, as has been said. And it is possible to say that: until then, "my beloved put forth his hand" and struck me, until I should feel the sting and awaken from my slumber; and afterward, when I awoke and opened a gate in the screen of my sins, "he hid his face from me," in order to chastise my sins through the troubles that were stirring and coming upon me - yet I did not rebel against him, Heaven forbid, nor turn back from following him, blessed be He, on account of his hiding his face from me. For indeed, from the time I stood at Mount Sinai, I cleaved to him so much that "my soul went forth" when he spoke to me - as is known, that our souls flew away - and this is as has been discussed above, that out of the abundance of longing and cleaving, they were drawn and clove to the Shechinah above; and how much more so was this true for us then, for we were souls without bodies, so that the cleaving was then even greater. And this is [the meaning of] "my soul went forth when he spoke." And therefore, from the abundance of cleaving that was implanted within us from then on, it followed that I did not rebel, nor did I refrain from seeking him further; rather, I sought him, and though I did not find him - since he hid his face - I returned and called to him in prayer and outcry, yet he did not answer me, for he hid his face until I should receive the sufferings appropriate to me according to my guilt. And "the watchmen found me" - these are the nations of the world who go about the city, that is, the world; "they struck me, they wounded me" in exile, in all the places to which I was banished, and where they had power over me; and the image of God upon my face did not avail me to cast dread upon them - that is [the meaning of] "they took away my veil (redidi) from me" - that is, the image of God that hovered over me. "The keepers of the walls" are the angels of destruction, which come into being by means of my sins, and are called "keepers of the walls," as our Rabbis of blessed memory said regarding the verse "the flame of the ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24) - that these are angels of destruction, keepers of the walls of the Garden of Eden, [preventing] a soul without [merit for admission] from entering. Or, one might say [the meaning of] "they took away," etc.: that what [caused] "they struck me, they wounded me," those who go about the city, in the exiles, is that "they took away," etc. And this is what our Rabbis of blessed memory said: that at the time when Israel put "we will do" before "we will hear," 600,000 ministering angels descended and bound two crowns on the head of each and every one of Israel, one corresponding to "we will do" and one [corresponding to "we will hear"], etc.; and when they sinned, 1,200,000 angels of destruction descended and stripped them, as it is said, "and the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward" (Exodus 33:6). And behold, we wrote above that these two kinds of ornaments were two kinds of flowing bounty - one to protect from the Angel of Death, and one to protect from the exiles - and afterward the angels of destruction removed from us that bounty, and the veil that had hovered over me. And this is as we wrote in our commentary on the Torah, that He, blessed be He, saw that had He not brought that ornament down from us, there would have been no power to exile us, and the counsel of Abraham would have been nullified - the counsel that He confine us in exile so that we should not perish in Gehinnom. And this is [the meaning of] here, that "they struck me, they wounded me," those who exile me, is on account of "they took away my veil from me" - "the keepers of the walls," that is, the angels of destruction, who stripped them, so that I remained subjugated to exile. And all this is a lesson pleasant and dear to every Jew: if he sees that after his returning in repentance many evil troubles come upon him, let him not be disgusted and say, Heaven forbid, "Is this the reward of repentance?" For this [suffering] is not its reward - rather, it is on account of his having delayed in returning, or in order to purge whatever stain remains, as is known regarding sins for which repentance and Yom Kippur suspend [punishment] while afflictions purge [it], or on account of neglect of Torah [study] and the like. On the contrary, it then behooves us to cleave all the more to our Maker with tremendous and abundant longing, so that His mercies, blessed be He, may be stirred to lighten [the burden] upon him; or, who knows - perhaps Hashem is testing him, to see whether he will be disgusted by His rebuke, or whether he will accept it with a whole heart - happy is he, and happy is his portion. And this is what we say in these holy verses: that after I rose and opened for my beloved in repentance, even though "my beloved had turned away and was gone," for he hid his face, and many evils found me, I did not hasten away from following him on this account; in this we are distinguished from all the idolatrous nations who rebel against their vanities in their time of distress - as will be further explained in the verses to come, please God - for I know that our Rock is not as their rock.

"I sleep, but my heart wakes" — the assembly of Hashem (Knesset Yisrael) responds: Behold, the words of my Beloved are vindicated, for indeed I was asleep from engaging in Torah and mitzvot. "But my heart" — for all the prophets and the sages of the generations aroused themselves and aroused me to return to my Beloved, but I rebelled. "Hark! my beloved knocks" — through His prophets. "Open to me" — the gates of righteousness, so that I may enter, as He said, "Return to Me, and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7). "For my head is filled with dew" — before the rising of the sun of the kingdom of the House of David; and this was in the days of Eli, when his sons and their like were unworthy. "Filled with dew" — only [meaning] that Israel were not yet as lawless as now; but now, indeed— "My locks with the drops of the night" — which are harsher than the dew, as it is said, "for according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah" (Jeremiah 2:28). And to this the prophet testified, saying, "Go now to My place that was in Shiloh, and see what I did to it, because of the wickedness of My people" (Jeremiah 7:12) — "and you have done worse than your fathers" (cf. Jeremiah 16:12) — and I rebelled. I said—

"I sleep" — Now the beloved [woman] returns to finish her words with the maidens. For when the meaning of her words and the greatness of her love reached the ear of the beloved [man], he sent his words to praise her, saying, "Behold, you are fair, my love," etc., and the whole passage; and she had thought that he would come to the garden to dwell with her, and he answered that indeed he would come — with this he broke off the account in this telling. And now she tells them again what was the reason the beloved [man] separated from her for so long a time. And she said: When I went to sleep, and still my heart was awake, for I had not sunk fully into sleep, I heard the voice of my beloved knocking on the door, and he said thus: "Open to me, the door, my sister, my love, who cling to me like a dove to her mate — the innocent one — in her love for me." "For my head is filled with dew" — For the hair of my head was filled with the dew that fell upon me, and my locks were filled with the sprinkling of the rains that fell in the night; as if to say, hurry and open, for I am distressed standing outside because of the wetness of the dew and rain that fell upon me. And the allegorical meaning is to say: when I sat in galut (exile) in Babylon, I had despaired of the redemption, but the young men among us, such as Daniel and his companions, were looking forward to it and reckoning the end [of days] spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah; and behold, the Omnipresent, blessed be He, stirred the spirit of Cyrus to send them out free, so that His name should no longer be profaned among the nations by their saying, "These are the people of Hashem, yet they went out of His land," without His being able to establish them in His land.

"awake" (er) — from the language of arousing and awakening. "knocks" (dofek) — an expression of gently striking upon the door, as in "knocking (mitdapkim) upon the door" (Judges 19:22). "my undefiled one" (tamati) — from the language of tamimut (wholeness, innocence), which is the opposite of deceit. "my locks" (kevutzotai) — this is the hair of the head that hangs down; and likewise "his locks are curled," stated below. "drops" (resis) — an expression of sprinkling and dripping, as in "to moisten (larus) the fine flour" (Ezekiel 46:14).

I have removed my robe. I.e., I have already accustomed myself to other ways; I can no longer return to You, as the matter is stated, “But ever since we stopped burning incense to the ruling queen of the heavens, etc.,” for these ways were proper in their eyes. The expression, “I have removed my robe ... I have washed my feet,” is the language of the reply of an adulterous wife, who does not want to open the door for her husband. And since the verse began with the expression, “I slept...a sound! My beloved knocks,” it concludes with an expression of a reply that is apropos to the expression of knocking on the door at the time of retiring to sleep at night. — Notes: (15) According to Metzudas Dovid, it refers to the exiles living in Bavel who became accustomed to life there and were not interested in returning to Eretz Yisroel. (16) Yirmiyahu 44:18.

The first interpretation: "atanfem" (shall I defile them) — in the language of the Sages, an expression of ge'ul (soiling and befoulment). The third interpretation: Knesset Yisrael said: because I delayed in building [the House] and my deeds were not fitting, He rebuked me through Haggai the Prophet [and Zechariah son of Iddo].

"I have put off my coat" — the honored [coat] of Torah and good deeds, in order to indulge in temporal pleasures. "How shall I put it on [again]" — [meaning,] to learn and to teach, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "One who studies and then turns away is the hardest [case] of all." "I have washed" — for pleasure. "How shall I soil them [again]" — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "And you shall sleep on the ground, and live a life of hardship, and toil in Torah."

"I have put off my coat" — And I answered him: Behold, I have already put off my coat, in the manner of those going to sleep, and one ought not walk about naked — so how then shall I put it on, for that is a bother to me; and I have already washed my feet, since I have not yet gone up onto the bed — so how then shall I soil them by walking on the ground to open the door for you. And the allegorical meaning is to say: Behold, I was lazy about going up to Jerusalem, since I had already settled in Babylon and that land was pleasant to me, and I did not wish to trouble myself with the journey of the road.

"I have put off" (pashati) — an expression of removing a garment. "how" (eikhakhah) — from the language of "how" (eikh). "I defile them" (atanfem) — from the language of tinuf (filth) and dirtiness.

My beloved sent forth his hand from the portal. Which is beside the door; and I saw his hand, and the stirring of my insides swayed me to return to his love and to open [the door] for him.

The third interpretation: "through the hole" — through a window [of] the firmament.

"My beloved put in his hand by the hole [of the door]" — in the earlier days, in the days of Rehoboam, through Shishak, to bring them back in repentance, as it is said, "that they may know My service, and the service of the kings of the lands" (2 Chronicles 12:8). "And my heart was moved for him" — then they returned in repentance, as it is said, "and when he humbled himself, the wrath of Hashem turned from him" (2 Chronicles 12:12).

"My beloved put in his hand by the hole [of the door]" — After this, the beloved [man] put forth his hand from the hole that was by the door; the intent was so that she would see his hand and yearn for him, and be pained by his separating from her. "And my heart (lit. my bowels) stirred for him" — When I saw his hand put forth from the hole, I was pained on his account and my compassion was stirred. And the allegorical meaning is to say that the Omnipresent, blessed be He, sent His word by the hand of Haggai and Zechariah, prophesying to her that the end [of days] had come, and through this she was aroused to build the House, as it is said: "And Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah... prophesied," etc.; "Then Zerubbabel... rose up," etc., "and they began to build the House of God," etc. — "I rose."

"put in" (shalach) — an expression of extending, reaching out. "the hole" (hachor) — the opening. "was moved" (hamu) — from the language of hemyah (moaning, stirring); it is an expression of anguish and the kindling of compassion, as in "therefore my heart yearns (hamu) for him" (Jeremiah 31:19). "for him" (alav) — for his sake.

I arose to open for my beloved and my hands dripped myrrh. I.e., wholeheartedly and with a desiring soul, as one who adorns herself to endear herself to her husband with a pleasant scent. Flowed with myrrh. A fragrance that flows and spreads in all directions.

The first interpretation: "mor over" (flowing myrrh) — [the word "over" is used] as in "over la-socher" (currency current with the merchant) (Genesis 23:16). "Ha-man'ul" (the bolt) — from "ve-na'al ha-delet" (and bolt the door) (2 Samuel 13:17). The third interpretation: "I rose to open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh" — the meaning is that its outer part was good (but not so its inner part; therefore) "my beloved had turned away and was gone," after He had promised me that He would dwell within me, through Zechariah, "ve-shakhanti be-tokhekh" (and I will dwell in your midst) (Zechariah 2:14). "My soul failed me when he spoke" — whenever I remember his speaking with me.

"I rose up to open to my beloved" — to arouse Israel to repentance in the days of Hezekiah. "And my hands dropped with myrrh" — through the letters of the king. "And my fingers with flowing myrrh" — through the letters of his officers, as it is said, "so the runners went with the letters from the king and his officers" (2 Chronicles 30:6).

"I rose up" — Then I rose from my bed to open the door to my beloved, and in order to make myself beloved to him I perfumed myself so that my scent would waft, and because of the abundance of the perfume my hands were dripping with myrrh, and from my fingers the myrrh was passing and flowing down onto the handles of the bolt that held the door shut. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, I occupied myself with the building [of the Temple] with a willing soul, and I succeeded in it, as it is said, "and the elders of the Jews builded, and prospered" (Ezra 6:14).

"flowing" (over) — an expression of spreading forth. "the handles of the bar" (kapot hamanul) — the instrument with which the door is locked is called a manul (bolt), as in "its bolts and its bar" (Nehemiah 3); and the kapot are the handles of the bolt that are inserted into the place made for them, to close the door; it is from the language of kaf hayad (the palm of the hand).

But my beloved had vanished and gone. He was hidden and concealed from me, as in, “the roundness of your flanks,” i.e., the hidden places חַמּוּקֵי of your thighs, because the thigh is hidden. [And as in,] “Until when will you hide תִּתְחַמָּקִין,” [i.e.,] will you hide and cover yourself because of the shame that you betrayed Me? — Notes: (17) Below 7:2. (18) Yirmiyahu 31:21. My soul departed as he spoke. For he said, “I will not come into your house because at first you did not wish to open [the door].”

The first interpretation: "chamaq" (turned away) — he waited a bit and passed by; and [here] one verb in the past tense follows another verb without a connecting vav, and similarly "kara nafal shakhav" (he bowed, he fell, he lay) (Judges 5:27); and it [chamaq] is like "ad matai titchamaqin" (how long will you turn about) (Jeremiah 31:21).

"I opened to my beloved" — in the days of Josiah, as it is said, "And the king stood in his place and made the covenant, etc." (2 Chronicles 34:31) "...all his days they did not turn aside from following Hashem, etc." (2 Chronicles 34:33). "But my beloved had turned away, and was gone" — as it is said, "Yet Hashem did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, etc., for all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him" (2 Kings 23:26). "My soul failed me when he spoke" — through Huldah the prophetess, as it is said, "and My wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and I will not spare it" (cf. 2 Chronicles 34:25). "I sought him" — in the days of Jehoiakim, as it is said, "they proclaimed a fast before Hashem... and Baruch read from the scroll" (Jeremiah 36:9-10). "I called him" — through Jeremiah, as it is said, "though our iniquities testify against us, Hashem, act for Your name's sake, etc." (Jeremiah 14:7). "But he gave me no answer" — as it is said, "I will not hearken to their cry" (Jeremiah 14:12), and as it is said, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be toward this people" (Jeremiah 15:1).

"I opened" — When I opened the door for him, he then turned himself around and passed on from there. "My soul failed me when he spoke" — For when he turned away from her he spoke harshly, saying, "I will not return to you again," and she said that upon hearing these words of his, her soul nearly departed from the intensity of her longing. "I sought him" — After this I sought him and searched after him and did not find him, and I called him, thinking that he was in a hidden place and would reveal himself to me upon hearing my voice, but he did not answer me. And the allegorical meaning is to say: when I finished building the House [the Temple], prophecy departed, and I grieved greatly over its absence, and I kept seeking the return of prophecy, but I did not succeed.

"had turned away" (chamak) — an expression of turning about, as in "how long will you turn about (titchamakin)" (Jeremiah 31:21).

I sought him, etc. The watchmen found me, those who go about the city. And apprehend thieves who prowl at night. They struck me they wounded me. They inflicted a wound upon me. Every “פֶּצַע” denotes a wound [inflicted] by a weapon, navredure in O.F. — Notes: (19) I.e., by striking me they inflicted a wound. Alternatively, the double expression [struck, wounded] represents the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdosh and the second Beis Hamikdosh. (20) Rashi in Shemos 25:21 defines “פצע” as “a wound that draws blood.” My ornament. My jewelry that was hammered and beaten out, upon me. The entire episode is an expression [using the terms] of the wife of one’s youth who grieves for the husband of her youth and searches for him. The following is the allegorical meaning: My beloved sent forth his hand from the portal. When I said, “I have washed my feet,” and I will not open for You, and I will not repent of the idolatry that I have chosen. — Notes: (21) Above Verse 3. Sent forth his hand. And He demonstrated His vengeance in the days of Achaz, and He brought upon him the king of Aram’s army. [It states,] “and they smote him and captured from him a great captivity, etc. And Pekach the son of Remalyah slew in Yehudah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day.” — Notes: (22) II Divrei Hayomim 28:5-6. And my innards longed for him. Chizkiyahu, his son, came and repented with all his heart to seek the Holy One, Blessed Is He, and his entire generation was wholehearted; there never arose a generation like them in Yisroel, as is explained in “Cheilek,” “They searched from Dan to Be’ersheva and did not find an ignoramus, from Gabas to Antochya, and did not find a man or a woman who was not proficient in the laws of ritual contamination and purity.” This is [the meaning of], “my hands dripped myrrh, etc.” Also, regarding Yoshiyahu it is stated, “Before him there had never been a king like him, etc.,” Because he saw the punishment which had come upon Menashe and upon Ammon, thereby fulfilling [the words], “he sent forth his hand from the portal, and my innards longed for him.” — Notes: (23) Maseches Sanhedrin 94b. The eleventh chapter in entitled “Cheilek.” (24) II Melochim 23:25. I opened for my beloved but my beloved had vanished and gone. He did not annul His decree, as it is stated about Chizkiyahu, “Behold, days are coming when everything in your palace will be carried off, etc. ... [some] of your sons ... whom you will beget.” These are Doniyeil, Chananyah, Misha’eil, and Azaryah, and also concerning Yoshiyahu, through Chuldah the prophetess [it states], “Behold, I am bringing calamity upon this place and upon its inhabitants, etc.” And it states, “Before him there had never been a king like him... Nevertheless, God did not relent from His great wrath, for His wrath burned against Yehudah, because of all the provocation with which Menashe had provoked Him. And Hashem said, ‘I will remove Yehudah, too, from My Presence as I have removed Yisroel, and I will reject this city.’” — Notes: (25) Yeshayahu 39:6-7. (26) II Melochim 22:16. (27) Ibid. 23:25-27. My soul departed as he spoke. It left me when He spoke of this matter. — Notes: (28) Alternatively, my soul departed as a result of my intense prayers by which I sought to annul these harsh decrees. I sought him but could not find him. Now if you should ask, “Was not Yirmiyahu standing and prophesying during the days of Yehoyakim and Tzidkiyahu, [And similarly Malachi said,] ‘Return to Me, and I will return to you’ ”? [This was] not to nullify the decree, but to lighten the punishment and to prepare their kingdom upon their return from the exile, to plant them without uprooting and to build them without demolishing. — Notes: (29) See Yirmiyahu 3:14, 22. (30) Malachi 3:7. This indicates that their sincere repentance would completely have annulled the decree. Therefore, Rashi explains that repentance would “not nullify the decree entirely, but to lighten, etc.” The watchmen found me. Nevuchadnetzar and his armies. Those who go about the city. To wreak the vengeance of the Omnipresent. They stripped my ornament. The Beis Hamikdosh. [Even] the guards of the walls. Even the ministering angels, who were guarding its walls, as the matter is stated: “On your walls, O Yerusholayim [I posted guards], etc.” They ignited the fire upon it, as the matter is stated, “From above He has hurled fire, etc.” — Notes: (31) Yeshayahu 62:6. (32) Eichah 1:13.

The first interpretation: "redidi" (my mantle) — in the language of Qedar (Arabic), "malhafah" [like a veil]. The third interpretation: "the watchmen found me" — the wicked kingdom of Greece. "They took away my mantle" — for they prevented Israel from keeping most of the commandments.

"The watchmen who go about the city found me, they smote me" — as it is said, "her princes within her are roaring lions, etc." (Zephaniah 3:3). And so, "the keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me" — from outside, so as not to allow [anyone] to go out or come in, as it is said, "like keepers of the mountains they were against her round about" (cf. Jeremiah 4:17) — "and they took away my mantle from me," as it is said, "and they came and devoured the land and its fullness, the city and those who dwell in it" (cf. Jeremiah 8:16).

"The watchmen found me" — While I was going about the city to search for him, the watchmen of the city who go about by night to guard it found me, and they struck me and wounded me. And the guards of the walls took my mantle from me, in the manner that is done to one who walks alone in the dead of night — they strike him and harm him and strip off his garments, saying that he is going out to steal or to commit adultery. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, the marauders who burst forth in the world have assaulted me, and how many and how many [of my people] have I lost in every generation, and they have robbed me — "[Nebuchadnezzar] hath devoured me, hath crushed me, ... hath made me an empty vessel" (Jeremiah 51:34).

"they wounded me" (petza'uni) — this is a blow that draws blood, as in "wound for wound" (Exodus 21:25). "took away" (nas'u) — they took, as in "and houses, and take them away" (Micah 2:2). "my mantle" (redidi) — this is the name of an ornament that is thin and fine (meruddad), as in "and the turbans and the mantles (redidim)" (Isaiah 3:23).

I bind you under oath. The nations, Nevuchadnetzar’s men, who saw Chananyah, Misha’eil, and Azaryah submit themselves to the fiery furnace, and Doniyeil to the lions’ den because of prayer, and Mordechai’s generation in the days of Haman. — Notes: (33) See Daniyeil 3:20-23. (34) See Ibid. 6:17-18. When you find my beloved. In the future, on the Day of Judgement, when it will be requested of you to testify about me, as the matter is stated, “Let them present their witnesses, and they will be vindicated.” — Notes: (35) Yeshayahu 43:9. See Maseches Avodah Zarah 3a. What will you tell him. You will testify on my behalf that because of love for Him, I suffered harsh afflictions among you. Let Nevuchadnetzar come and testify, let Eliphaz and Tzophar and all the prophets of the nations come and testify about me that I fulfilled the Torah.

The third interpretation: "I adjure you" — as if to say, who will tell the Shechinah what I have suffered for His name.

"I adjure you..." etc. — Behold, the way of idolaters is that in times of peace they cling to their vanities [their idols], but in the time of their trouble they curse their gods. This is not so with the worshippers of the God of Abraham, servants of the living God and King of the universe, for in the time of their distress they cling then even more to their God, as in the matter of "Hashem, in distress have they sought You" (Isaiah 26:16), etc., as has been discussed. Now, the idolaters think concerning Israel that in the troubles of their exile, and when their enemy oppresses them, they separate themselves from Him and from His Torah, God forbid, and then diminish in their love of Him, following the idolaters' own way and their own practices — but this is not so, as has been discussed. Therefore, when they assembled for the debate of this holy Song, it was He, blessed be He, and Israel His people, and the [heavenly] princes together with their nations, as has been discussed above regarding how this holy Song came to be. Now, after Israel's statement, in their stand, that: after my returning to Him, blessed be He — if I sought Him and did not find Him, I called Him in prayer and He did not answer me; and not only that, but the idolaters struck me and wounded me — despite all this I did not, God forbid, rebel against Him, but rather His love is within me. This is unlike the heart of the idolaters concerning us, for on the contrary, it arises in their mind that I am just like them, ready to rebel against His love, blessed be He, when trouble comes upon us. Therefore, in order to clarify and settle the matter, Israel becomes as one speaking to the idolaters — who are called "daughters of Jerusalem," as has been discussed above — and says to them: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem" — that you tell me: if you were to find my beloved, what would you tell him of what is between me and him? That is to say: would you say that I have grown disgusted with my life because of the trouble that has come upon me for his sake, or not? And they do not answer her, for they do not know the secrets of her heart. Therefore she answers her own words to them, and says: behold, that answer is that "I am love-sick." For the way of anyone who becomes ill through the love of his desire is that he does not, because of the illness, rebel against the object of his desire — rather, on the contrary, he goes on growing stronger in his love without limit. So too, we are love-sick — sick from the fact that they struck me and wounded me for the sake of my love — and yet I grow stronger still in my love of Him, blessed be He. The idolaters respond and say: "What is your beloved more than another beloved?" etc. — meaning: do we not also have a beloved like you? For every nation and tongue has a prince above, through whom it is sustained, and yet we rebel against him in times of trouble. So what is your beloved more than another beloved — when you were "the fairest among women," in the time of your uprightness, before you had sinned? For if you were sustained by Him, behold, we too are sustained by our princes — so what is the difference and the advantage? Perhaps [you will say] that His good was then so great upon you that therefore you cherish Him even now. Or [they ask]: what is your beloved more than another beloved now, in the time of your exile — in what way has He shown you affection now, that you have so adjured us, saying "I adjure you...", "what will you tell him..." — that despite all your trouble you still rejoice with Him, unlike the nations of the earth, who under their princes rebel against them in the time of their trouble? Israel responds and says: "My beloved is white and ruddy," etc. — meaning: behold, the good, or its opposite, that the prince ruling over each nation brings about — whether he does good or ill — is not from their own power, but only from Him, blessed be He; and the prince is like a conduit channeling the influence willed by Him, blessed be He. And the proof is that not one of the princes does both good and ill at once, but rather only good, or only ill — and this is only because he is [merely] an agent, and an agent does not carry out two errands at once. But He, blessed be He, performs two opposite actions at once, as in the matter of the drowning of the Egyptians and the salvation of Israel in the very same moment, and the Egyptian drinking blood while the Israelite drank water during the plague of blood — the two of them drinking together from a single cup — and there is no end to the parallels of this kind. And this is [the meaning of] "my beloved is white and ruddy" — that which pertains to whiteness is the attribute of mercy, and that which pertains to redness is the attribute of judgment — and they are both present together in Him, blessed be He. Behold, from this comes the answer to the two questions. [As to] "what is my beloved more than another beloved," when I was "the fairest among women," when good was flowing to me — the matter does not depend on the abundance of the good or its scarcity; it depends only on who is the possessor of that good, to whom it is fitting to cling — and not on who is merely a fit agent ruling over each nation, [an agent] who belongs to the idolaters. And as to the second [question], that they said, "what is your beloved more than another beloved," that you have so adjured us — which concerned times of distress — [the answer] is that your trouble, [coming] by the hand of your prince, is trouble in essence; but our trouble, [coming] by His hand, blessed be He, is good in essence, for He is "white and ruddy" — for aside from His being merciful within judgment, His essential quality is mercy; therefore He is called "white and ruddy" and not "ruddy and white," for the essential quality is mercy, for He intends not to take vengeance on them, but only to chasten them a little, out of a hidden love. And lest you say: who will tell us that He, blessed be He, is "white and ruddy"? Behold, those who pointed this out with the finger are the infants who went out of Egypt, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the verse "Under the apple tree I awakened you" (Song of Songs 8:5) — that the pregnant women would go out to the field and give birth there, and the earth would split open [to hide them]; and He, blessed be He, would provide for each and every one two projections, from one of which milk flowed and from the other honey, as it is said, "and He made him suck honey out of the rock," etc. (Deuteronomy 32:13); and every infant would see the image of a young man, white and ruddy, standing before him, tending him as a nurse tends a suckling. And these very infants first recognized the Holy One, blessed be He, at the Sea, when they pointed with the finger and said, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2) — for they recognized Him from when He had nursed them, having seen Him then as white and ruddy, just as before — as is written by us in its place. For they saw at the Sea judgment and mercy together — that He is white and ruddy — resembling what had appeared to them [in Egypt], when they were in the pain of the hiding-holes and yet were shown mercy with honey and milk; and it cannot be doubted that the image of "white and ruddy" appeared before them in a manner corresponding to the event. And this is what is meant here: as to His being "white and ruddy," we can bring witnesses to testify — namely, those very ones who pointed with the finger, that same generation likened to "the growth of the field." This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: that they grew there, and when grown they came in their myriads, flock by flock, each one recognizing his father and mother — as is stated, "I caused you to increase like the growth of the field," etc. (Ezekiel 16:7). And this is [the meaning of] "dagul me-revavah" [preeminent/pointed-out among ten thousand] — for pointing with the finger is called "diggul" [from the root of degel, a banner], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding "and his banner (ve-diglo) over me was love" (Song of Songs 2:4): [in the case of] a king, one who points and directs a finger at him in his presence is liable to death; but as for the Holy One, blessed be He — an infant places his finger upon Him in referring to Him, and is not harmed — as is stated, "and his banner over me was love." Thus they explained the word "ve-diglo" as referring to pointing with the finger; so too here, "dagul me-revavah" means: he who was pointed out and indicated by the myriad with the finger. And according to what we have written, it is fitting that the verse "white and ruddy" precedes the statement "his head is as the most fine gold," etc., even though the head is above the face — in which the whiteness and the redness are found — for one normally praises from top to bottom [i.e., beginning with the head]. Or, alternatively, [Israel] says: have you not wondered, "what is my beloved more than another beloved," that despite great troubles coming upon me for his sake, I have not moved from cherishing him? Do not wonder, for behold, all the redness of His wrath is for building [us] up, and it is a good thing for me; for behold, He is "white and ruddy" — for even now, when He chastens me, the essential quality is whiteness and mercy, and the redness is the secondary quality. And this is [why it says] "white and ruddy," and not "ruddy and white" — and he is like a man whose body and face are white, with a bit of redness on either side of his face, the redness being a slight addition to the overriding essential quality, which is the whiteness. So does she liken her beloved with this beauty, as if to say: even though you see an appearance of redness in Him, know that He is essentially white, and the redness appears within the whiteness only for outward appearance, and is not His essence. And this is because "His anger is but for a moment, but life is in His favor" (Psalm 30:6) — for He afflicts us for our own good, to prepare us and to whiten our guilt, so as to grant us merit for the life of the World to Come. And the proof is what has already been explained above regarding "preeminent among ten thousand." And therefore the matter of His being "white and ruddy" — which concerns the appearance of the face — is placed before "his head is as the most fine gold," which is above the face, because the essential point of Israel's response concerns their bearing of the sufferings in love, together with their Master.

"If you find my beloved" — through the wonders that He shall perform in your midst, like the matter of the fiery furnace. "What will you tell him" — on his behalf, as it is said [in Aramaic]: "the signs and wonders... it seemed good before Him to declare" (cf. Daniel 3:32). "That I am love-sick" — tell him that I am love-sick, as it is said [in Aramaic]: "and they yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God" (Daniel 3:28) — for by this all the nations of old were amazed. And they said—

"I adjure you, etc." — When she finished her account, she said to the young women: I adjure you, if you find my beloved, this is what you shall tell him — that I am sick from the abundance of my longing for his love. It is as if she were saying: my sickness is not on account of the blows that the watchmen struck and wounded me with, for that pain is as nothing compared to the pain of his separation from me, and that is my sickness. And the allegorical meaning is as if Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) adjures the worshippers of the stars and constellations [i.e., the nations] to testify concerning her in the future before the Omnipresent, blessed be He, saying that all the tribulations I suffered in galut (exile) I accepted with love, but all my sickness and worry was over the withholding of the resting of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), for that alone was my aim and my hope.

With what does your beloved excel another beloved. This is what the nations were asking Yisroel, “What is it about your God more than all the other gods, that you allow yourselves to be burned and hanged because of Him?” — Notes: (36) I.e., why are you so loyal to a God Who has forsaken you? (Metzudas Dovid) That you bind us under oath. To testify before Him about your love.

"What is your beloved more than another beloved" — what is the difference between this God and any other, that you should give yourself over [to Him], and not exchange Him for another? "O fairest among women" — in intellect, in compassion, and in abstinence, in such a way that you would find favor even in the eyes of any other god. "That you so adjure us" — to declare your faith in Him unto death.

"What is your beloved" — As if the young women answer her: why is it that you cling to him and long for him so, O fairest among women? For in what way is he considered greater than other beloveds? "That you do so adjure us" — that you have adjured us in this way to tell [him] that you are lovesick for him. It is as if they were saying: behold, the greatness of this diligence indicates that there is no one comparable to him — tell us, please, what are the good qualities found in him that are not found in others? And the allegorical meaning is as if the idol-worshippers answer her, saying: tell us, please, in what way is he considered [greater] than all the celestial princes of the nations of the world? Do they not all bestow good upon their own people? If so, since he has abandoned you, join together with us and let us become one people, and you too shall be under the dominion of the prince who rules over us.

My beloved is pure white. White, as in, “they were whiter צַחוּ than milk.” — Notes: (37) Eichah 4:1. And ruddy. I will first explain the entire section according to its simple meaning, as the praise of the handsomeness of a young man, when he is white and his face is ruddy. Surrounded by myriads. He is surrounded by many armies; His armies are many. Many myriads are called ‘רְבָבָה’, as it is stated, “Myriads רְבָבָה like the vegetation of the field have I made you.” — Notes: (38) Yechezkeil 16:7.

The third interpretation: "Who is this that looks forth" — Knesset Yisrael was praiseworthy until baseless hatred entered among them; and this is the meaning of what Knesset Yisrael said, "I did not know" — as if to say, "I did not perceive it, until I brought it upon myself"; and this is [the meaning of] "my soul set me — the chariots of my people, a prince" (Song of Songs 6:12) — given over to the nations of the world; the reverse of "and you shall tread upon their high places" (Deuteronomy 33:29). "Dagul" (pre-eminent) — outstanding, like "ha-degel" (the banner). The third interpretation: And everything that Solomon related from the beginning of "my beloved is white and ruddy" until "this is my beloved" concerns the workings of the Shechinah, for thought cannot contain it, all the more so the eye cannot behold it; therefore he related its deeds, and they testify concerning it. "Tzach" (clear/white) — His deeds are pure and upright. "Ve-adom" (and ruddy) — like a fire consuming the wicked, [as in] "madua adom li-lvushekha" (why is your apparel red) (Isaiah 63:2). "Dagul" (pre-eminent) — a thousand thousands minister to it (cf. Daniel 7:10).

"My beloved is white and ruddy" — He is entirely white [i.e., pure], in that He does good by His attribute of mercy toward all His works, while [at the same time] being ruddy by the attribute of judgment; and this is not the product of any composite intellectual being, inasmuch as He alone is purely intellectual — for indeed, His action, in truth, is the discernment of truth from falsehood. And so His being "white and ruddy," etc., indicates that His existence is a fourth [order of] existence, and that His intellect is an intelligizing substance, separate [from matter, and] not subject to the change of another, acting necessarily only according to its own order and commandments alone. And so He is necessarily "preeminent" (dagul) — known as the possessor of the banner of the victory of [His] power. "Above ten thousand" — above the ten thousands of holy ones who do His will.

"My beloved is white and ruddy" — As if she answers: indeed, other beloveds cannot be compared to my beloved, for my beloved is bright white, mixed with a ruddy appearance that is pleasant to the eye. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, the Omnipresent, blessed be He, effects both mercy and judgment, for the brightness of the white indicates mercy, and the ruddiness indicates judgment, as is well known. It is as if to say: behold, in His hand is everything — mercy and judgment — but the celestial princes [of the nations] do not do good or do harm of their own accord, for they are nothing but agents of the Omnipresent, blessed be He. "Pre-eminent above ten thousand" — He has banners (degalim) from a gathering of tens of thousands (revavot). And the allegorical meaning is to say: many are His angels who do His bidding, as it is said, "A thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (Daniel 7:10), and not so the celestial princes [of the nations].

"white" (tzach) — an expression of the brightness of whiteness, as in "they were whiter (tzachu) than milk" (Lamentations 4:7). "pre-eminent" (dagul) — from the language of degel (banner), which is the standard carried before each and every camp, as in "each man by his banner (diglo)" (Numbers 2:2). "above ten thousand" (merevavah) — a revavah is ten thousand.

His head. Shines like the finest gold. ‘כֶּתֶם’ is a term referring to the treasures of kings which they store in their treasure houses, and similarly, “the finest gold כֶּתֶם has changed,” and similarly, “and fine gold וְלַכֶּתֶם I called my security,” and similarly, “and an ornament of fine gold כֶּתֶם.” — Notes: (39) ‘ם‘ת‘כ is an acronym representing the three crowns: תורה [=Torah], כהונה [=priesthood], and מלכות [=kingship], mentioned in Avos 4:13. (Gra) (40) Eichah 4:1. (41) Iyov 31:24. (42) Mishlei 25:12. His locks hang. תַּלְתַּלִּים is] is an expression of hanging תְּלוּיִים, pendelojes in O.F. They are raven-black. All these are handsomeness for a young man.

"His head is as the most fine gold," etc. — Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) concludes her words to the nations of the world, who wondered at how beloved we are to Him, blessed be He, even though we suffer for His sake in the exiles (galut). And she says: Nations of the world, do not truly wonder when you ask, "Where is your benefit for serving Him, and what profit is it that you go about in mourning for His sake and to fulfill His Torah, and yet it does not benefit you," etc. Know, then, that it is not for the physical benefits of this world that I cling to Him. For behold, "His head" is the Torah, which is the head of the seven things that were created before the world; that head is His own, for He created it, and through it came all our good. Behold, it is "fine gold" (ketem paz), whose brilliance is beyond estimation. For behold, "gold of mufaz" (zahav mufaz) is exceedingly excellent gold, and yet it is not [pure] paz but only mufaz — meaning that it has some of the paz in it — whereas the paz itself, alone, is beyond all comparison in importance and brilliance, and is not even counted among the seven kinds of gold that the Sages enumerated, for it surpasses them all; as they, of blessed memory, said, that only the smallest, tiniest amount of it ever descended into the world. And she says that the Torah — through which we merit reward and cling to Him, blessed be He — is "ketem paz," fine gold, for its brilliance and its sapphire-like splendor are beyond estimation, even though it bears an outward appearance of embodiment and physicality; its essence and its secret cling to Him, blessed be He, inseparable from His being, as is known. Thus the happiness that comes to us through it will be like it [everlasting], for it cleaves to its root — and this is true only in the World to Come, for there, through cleaving to it, we come to cleave to Hashem, living an everlasting life. And therefore the bitterness of the anguish of our exile in this world is nullified, for all our hope and all our desire rest upon the World Above — that after death the soul will cleave to it, and after the resurrection the body as well, as is known. And should you say: who will tell us that this is truly so, how gracious its worth is? — therefore it says, "His locks are curled" (kevutzotav taltalim) — meaning that from the spreading-out of the locks of the plain-sense laws (halachot) of its literal meaning, one can understand and gauge the immensity of the holiness of its root. For behold, on every single thorn (kotz) [of the letters] there are heaps upon heaps of laws, without limit; and even if a man lived a thousand years, twice over, he would not attain to one part in a thousand of their wisdom. And every single day that one engages with it, innumerable new insights (chidushim) are added to him, like an ever-strengthening spring. And who is greater to us than Rabbi Akiva? Yet all the days of his study he could not learn from Rabbi Eliezer except like [a dab from] a paintbrush, etc., or as a dog laps from the great sea. And all of this is found written or hinted at in the Written Torah — and not this alone, but on every single thorn there are heaps upon heaps [of laws] — and this is nothing but an exceedingly holy spiritual power. Say, then, that the root of the Torah is holy and awesome, and utterly inseparable from Him, blessed be He, and therefore it resembles its Creator; and for this reason its locks, too, have no limit, as has been said, for one derives the obscure from the explicit by a kal va-chomer (an a fortiori inference). And should you say: if so, then why did He, blessed be He, blacken them and clothe them [in blackness], seeing that they now appear in a plain, physical manner unbefitting its honor? Let this not trouble you. For if they are black, they are "like a raven" — and this is because our Sages, of blessed memory, spoke of "the white ones of the raven," as they are called: for when raven chicks are born they come out white, and so they are not accepted by their father and mother, who think they are not their own, since the parents are black and their children are white; so the parents leave them until they grow and turn black, and then accept them. Thus we find that blackness is the cause of their being accepted, which is not so with whiteness. The same thing happened to us with our Torah: it is "black fire upon white fire" — the plain sense (peshat) laid over the spiritual secret (sod). Now, we cannot receive the mystical, secret path, for our physicality holds us back, since we are material beings; therefore He, blessed be He, needed to blacken it — it is black fire — clothing it in a materialized manner, so that we would be able to receive it. And this is [the meaning of] "black as a raven": the fact that its locks are black and clothed [in blackness] is not because it lacks an exceedingly great and holy spirituality — but only so that we could contain, within its whiteness, the power to receive it, for in its whiteness alone, as white fire, we could not receive it — just as ravens do not accept their young on account of their whiteness, until they turn black. And along this same line: just as with the raven — even while the chicks are white, it is not that there is no essential bond between them and their father and mother [such a bond does exist] — so too with us: the white fire also has a very intimate bond with our souls, as is known; it is only that, because we are clothed in physicality, it seems to us like something foreign, until it, too, becomes clothed [in blackness] — like the case of the ravens, who, because they themselves are clothed in black feathers, keep their young at a distance while they are white, until they too become clothed in black, and then accept them.

"His head is fine gold" — This too stems from the attribute of His mercy, for the beginning of His words in His holy Torah is the Account of Creation (Ma'aseh Bereishit), to declare the power of His works through intellectual and sensory proofs, so that people would know Him and merit eternal life. For indeed, a thing is said to be "His" when the thing is arranged/ordered by Him alone — not that it is a part of Him, or part of a body [of His], God forbid. And so it happens in most places in the holy books, as in the matter of "Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place" (Ezekiel 3:12) and elsewhere; and thereby corrupting doubts are removed. "His locks" — The foundational principles of His Torah, which are like the hair on a body, that is not [truly] a part of it. And likewise the narratives of His Torah, which belong neither to the theoretical part nor to the practical [commandment] part. "Curled" — [The narratives] tell of the affairs of the sages of the generations whose hearts were exalted in the ways of Hashem, and the righteous walk in them — such as matters of loving devotion and the like, which were desirable [to Him]. "Black as a raven" — And likewise [the narratives] tell of the affairs of the wicked of the earth, who were like the raven, which is impure and whose appearance is the opposite of the light of whiteness — namely, the generation of the Flood, the generation of the Dispersion, the people of Sodom, and the like — and the judgments pronounced by His mouth against them; and so one who guards his soul will keep far from them.

"His head is as the most fine gold" — As if she is saying: there is no need to place a crown of gold on his head, for the head itself is beautiful and shines even more than fine gold. And the allegorical meaning is to say: one cannot recount the greatness of His magnitude, for He is exalted above all blessing and praise. "His locks are curled" — His hair is coiled, and because it turns about in its coiling, sometimes going in and sometimes going out, it therefore appears as heaps upon heaps (telim telim), and it is black like the feathers of a raven, and this is a thing of beauty. And the allegorical meaning is to say: the wonders that flow forth from the Omnipresent, blessed be He, turn about through His stratagems, and they are hidden and dark from the eye of man, and cannot be grasped. And the allusion comes by way of the feathers of the raven, for a black thing is dark to the eye.

"the most fine gold" (ketem paz) — good and precious gold, as in "with the fine gold of Uphaz" (ketem ufaz) (Daniel 10:5). "his locks" (kevutzotav) — this is the hair of the head that hangs down. "curled" (taltalim) — from the language of tel (mound) and height. "as a raven" (ka'orev) — the name of a species of bird.

His eyes are like doves upon brooks of water. His eyes by brooks of water are as beautiful as doves’ eyes. Brooks of water are pleasant to behold, and the young men go there to swim. And so the poet praises the eyes of “my beloved,” when he gazes upon the brooks of water, they resemble the beauty of the eyes of doves. Bathed. [I.e.,] the eyes of my beloved in milk. Well set in their fullness. All this is an expression of beauty. They neither protrude excessively nor are they sunken, but they are well set מִלֵּאת in their socket. (Other editions: the eye according to the socket.) The literal meaning parallels the allegorical meaning. It מִלֵּאת is a term used for anything made to fill a socket which is made for it as a setting, as in, “stones for setting מִלֻּאִים,” [and as in,] “And you shall set וּמִלֵּאתָ into it settings מִלֻּאַת of stone.” — Notes: (43) Shemos 25:7. (44) Ibid. 28:17.

The second interpretation: He compared "bat ha-ayin" (the pupil of the eye) to doves, which are beside the water-brooks — referring to the white of the eyes. The third interpretation: "einav" (his eyes) — the seven princes of His angels, according to the words of Zechariah, "al even achat shiv'ah einayim" (upon one stone are seven eyes) (Zechariah 3:9), and it says, "shiv'ah eleh einei Hashem hemah meshotetim be-khol ha-aretz" (these seven are the eyes of Hashem, ranging through all the earth) (Zechariah 4:10).

"His eyes are like doves..." — To arrive at the explanation, let us preface that the treacherous, brazen-faced ones and doers of evil are likened to the "aphikim" (channels/torrents), as it is written, "My brothers have dealt treacherously, like a brook, like the channel (aphik) [of brooks that pass away]" (Job 6:15), and so too it says, "and He loosens the belt of the mighty (aphikim)" (Job 12:21). It would appear that aphikim are not like ordinary streams (palgei mayim), for streams are gentle, whereas aphikim have a strong current; and this is also apparent from the verse, "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks (aphikei mayim)" (Psalms 42:2), in accordance with the statement of our Sages of blessed memory, that the hart in its thirst goes to the aphik, but because of the strength of its current does not dare approach it to drink, lest the rushing current sweep it away — and so it "pants" (ta'arog). Now the point of the verse is that they are completing their statement: Israel, who is likened to a beautiful bride, the beloved of the Blessed One, who suffers afflictions for the sake of her love and does not mind it — for this reason she directed her words to the nations of the world, who say to her, "What is your beloved more than another beloved...?" (Song 5:9), [meaning,] that she should suffer so much for His sake; and she answers them, "My beloved is bright..." "his head..." (Song 5:10-11), to show that she is not troubled by her own distress, for she makes nothing of consequence except the World to Come, for that is where the essential thing lies. And as to what would be difficult for them to say and argue — granted, let it be as you say, this suffices regarding your exile — but what will you say about His, may He be blessed, doing good to those who transgress His will, who oppress you, while others deal treacherously and increase their prosperity day after day with none to shame them? Know, then, that the eyes of His providence, may He be blessed, are like doves lacking gall — as is known from the teaching of our Sages of blessed memory on "His eyes of providence are like doves" to do good — "beside the water-brooks" refers to the treacherous, who are like a channel of streams — [meaning,] that the Almighty should not be embittered against them by the eyes of His providence, but rather regard them like doves devoid of bitterness, even though they, the treacherous, are likened to channels of water, as has been said. Let it not enter your minds that the eyes of His gaze and providence are not full of the redness of judgment and wrath against them — only that they are "washed in milk," that is, the redness is washed in milk. And this is because milk, in truth, is red blood, only its appearance is transformed into a white hue according to the sight of the eyes of the beholder; so too the washing by which the redness of the eyes of His providence, may He be blessed, is washed, is not by something whose essential substance and hue is white — which would be intrinsic mercy — but rather like milk, whose appearance is white while its true essence is red. That is to say: the whiteness of the bounty of good that is poured out upon them, and their being at ease, is only according to appearance, while its essential nature is red, for all the good that is here is in truth for their harm. And should you ask, why does He delay and prolong it for them so long? — it is because these "eyes," as mentioned, sit and wait for the filling, that is, until the measure (se'ah) is filled, as they, of blessed memory, said regarding "In full measure, when Thou sendest her away, Thou dost contend with her" (Isaiah 27:8). And as for what you see, that He crushes the wholly righteous with afflictions — this is [the meaning of] "his cheeks": they are the forces of judgment from Him, may He be blessed, [used] to chew and crush mankind with afflictions; for He does not chew and crush thorns and evil weeds with them, but only those who are like a bed of spices — the righteous, possessors of a good name and fragrance. And do not wonder at this purpose, for behold, through this very thing they become "towers of perfumes," like spice: for by their being pounded in the mortar, a perfumer's compound is made of them that gives off a better fragrance than when the spices were still in the bed. So too, through His, may He be exalted, chewing and crushing them with afflictions, they become more refined and more praiseworthy — like the difference between the spice [still growing] in the field and that which has been pounded and made into a perfume-compound. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse, "Hashem tries the righteous" (Psalms 11:5): this is like the flax-worker — when he sees that his flax is fine, he beats it and strikes it all the more, for the more he strikes it, the more it improves. And we explained elsewhere that when afflictions or some other trial come upon the righteous person, and his [evil] inclination overpowers him to turn him away, he, in his righteousness, wages war against it until it is brought down, for from then on his evil inclination is subdued beneath him and no longer raises its head; and this is "towers of perfumes," as has been said. Or, he likens the treasuries of merits to towers filled with perfume-compounds that are elevated through the pounding. Or, the meaning of the verse is: "his cheeks" — that chew and crush us; for this is the very subject of the debate with the nations of the world: know that it is like a bed of spices, which through pounding become "towers of perfumes," as they said, "a chest (shidah), a box (teivah), and a tower (migdal)," whose fragrance is preserved — which would not be so had they remained in the bed, where they would have dried up and spoiled. So too, through afflictions in this world, treasuries of souls are made above, possessing a good fragrance from the good deeds that they performed in this world. And not only that, but also "his lips are lilies (shoshanim)..." (Song 5:13): for even when He speaks in wrath to bring about a full end (destruction) — and though His lips are lilies, which are red, [signifying] wrath and judgment, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse, "set about with lilies" (sugah bashoshanim, Song 7:3), that it refers to blood and redness — for when a woman says, "I have seen [something] like a red lily," he [her husband] immediately separates from her; and this is [the meaning of] "set about with lilies": that he withdraws at the sight of a redness like a lily. Behold, our Sages of blessed memory attributed the red appearance to "lilies." And by this it is said: when His lips and His words are "lilies" — that is, judgments of wrath — then they are "dripping with myrrh." And the reason is that through this very thing He passes over and forgives; and this is the statement of Mahariv, of blessed memory, on the verse, "And Hashem repented of the evil that He had spoken..." (Exodus 32:14): in what did Hashem "repent" of the evil? In what He spoke — for He poured out His fury in speech, and thereby it was calmed, and the deed was nullified through the speech. And this is [the meaning of]: "his lips are lilies," they are "dripping with myrrh" — for through this very thing He passes over and does not punish. And should you ask: if the speech in wrath stands in place of the punishment, then why do the afflictions not disappear altogether? — know, then, that "his hands are rods of gold" (Song 5:14); for when you see His "hands" performing judgment, which are "rods of gold" — this alludes to judgment — it is that they are "set with beryl (tarshish)"; and this is because tarshish is a stone with the special property of aiding digestion, according to the words of Rabbeinu Bachya. And the matter is: when His "hands, rods of gold" perform judgment, it is not to take vengeance on those who transgress His will, in the manner of an [earthly] king, but rather "set with" the power of digestion — that is, to digest, dissolve, and consume the impurity of sin — in such a way that through the harsh speech and the wrath He passes over the transgression instead of enacting the wrath; but afterward, out of the impurity of the sin, He deals with it gradually. So it happened with the sin of the [Golden] Calf, where He said, "Let Me alone, that I may consume them..." (Exodus 32:10), and afterward, "And [Hashem] repented..." (Exodus 32:14), and He did not enact the wrath; however, He wished to dissolve it afterward, and said, "and in the day when I make My reckoning..." (Exodus 32:34) — for there is no reckoning at all that does not contain within it [a portion] of the sin of the [Golden] Calf. And the reason is that when He, may He be blessed, enacts the wrath, there is no evil except according to the appearance to the eyes of the beholder; but the inward will and intention is only for good, as the verse states, "For a moment is in His anger, life is in His favor" (Psalms 30:6) — for the "moment" that is "in His anger" is not from His heart, but rather "life" is in His will and intention. And this is [the meaning of]: "his belly is a tablet of ivory..." (Song 5:14): just as His "hands, rods of gold" enact judgment and wrath, as has been said, so His "belly" and inwardness is not, Heaven forbid, to take vengeance, even when He afflicts the righteous, but rather that which is "a tablet of ivory" is whiteness, yet somewhat inclined toward a jaundiced hue (yerakon), for it has turned white, but not completely. And why is it not [fully] whitened with the whiteness of mercy? Because "there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin" (Ecclesiastes 7:20), so that its whiteness leans somewhat toward a jaundiced hue, like "a tablet of ivory" — yet through afflictions it becomes whitened like sapphires. And this is [the meaning of] "his belly...": for His inward intent, may He be blessed, is to bring it about that the "tablet of ivory" will be "overlaid with sapphires" (Song 5:14), which is white and very sapphire-like, like the sapphire stone, which is white and bright — as our Sages of blessed memory said concerning the Tablets [of the Covenant], that they were made of sanpirinon (a sapphire-like stone), as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai derived through a gezeirah shavah (verbal analogy): it says here, "sapphire stone," and it says further on, "tablets of stone" — just as further on [they were of] sapphire, [so too here]. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said that this sanpirinon, when one strikes it with a hammer while it rests on the cloth upon the anvil, sinks into the anvil itself; and it is called in the vernacular "diamante" (diamond), and it is white and very sapphire-like/brilliant.

"His eyes" — And likewise [the narratives] tell of matters that point toward righteousness, which are like eyes for others — regarding the matter of the Patriarchs. "Like doves beside the water-brooks" — to give drink from the fountains of eternal salvation. "Washed with milk" — [they wash] others with the milk of their deeds, which are at all times white and shining, to instruct others. "Fitly set" — for the entire purpose intended in their actions was to perfect themselves and others, to be acceptable before Hashem, as it is said, "Walk before Me and be perfect" (Genesis 17:1).

"His eyes are like doves" — The gaze of his eyes is as beautiful as the gaze of doves' eyes when they stand by streams of water and look to quench their thirst there — it is a very beautiful gaze. "Washed with milk" — the whites of his eyes are bright and clean, with no trace of redness found in them, as if they were constantly washed in milk. "Fitly set" — they are set firmly in their socket, matching the size of the socket so as to fill it exactly — they neither protrude nor sink in, and this is a thing of beauty. And the allegorical meaning is to say: that He watches over [Israel] with a look of love, and He sweetens the oversight of judgment with mercy, for the whiteness of the milk indicates mercy, and the oversight itself follows the way of the middle path. For although He watches over everything, nevertheless, He does not take notice of an evil thought so as to punish for it, as it is said, "If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, Hashem would not have heard" (Psalms 66:18).

"water-brooks" (afikei mayim) — places where the waters flow and run with force, as in "like streams (ka'afikim) in the south" (Psalms 126:4).

His cheeks are like a bed of spice. Wherein those beds are growths of perfume. Like towers of perfumes. Aromatic plants, growths מִגְדָּלוֹת of spices מֶרְקָחִים. which are compounded with the art of an apothecary. — Notes: (45) And processed into perfume.

The first interpretation: "ka-arugat" (as a bed) — a plot of ground in a garden. "Migdalot" (towers) — from "migdal oz" (a tower of strength). The second interpretation: "lechayav" (his cheeks) — the hair that is on their two edges; with it are "migdalot merkachim" (towers of perfumes). "Shoshanim" (lilies) — for their good fragrance. The third interpretation: "lechayav" (his cheeks) — [they are the two] princes of the Presence [sarei ha-panim]. "Sefatotav" (his lips) — they are His messengers who carry out His word, who speak with His prophets, such as Gabriel and the one clothed in linen.

"His cheeks" — And likewise [the narratives] tell of the matter of His cheeks, which move toward speech — these are His prophets. "As a bed of spices, banks of sweet herbs" — that which gives taste, fragrance, and greatness to the spice-mixtures. And likewise the disciples of the prophets stood before the prophets, as it is said, "And I will take of the spirit which is upon you and put it upon them" (Numbers 11:17). "His lips" — [refers to] the first utterance and the second utterance [at Sinai], which were given face to face. "Lilies dropping with flowing myrrh" — for He conveyed from them a distinction to Israel, and this is [the meaning of] "ornaments from Mount Horeb" (Exodus 33:6). And so it happened to Moses our teacher, that the skin of his face shone when He spoke with him; and likewise to Saul when he prophesied, as it is said, "and you shall prophesy with them, and you shall be turned into another man" (I Samuel 10:6).

"His cheeks are as a bed of spices" — His cheeks are of the utmost beauty; they resemble the beds in which spices grow, which beautify them all the more. "As banks of sweet herbs" — In those beds grow choice spices with which to make the perfumer's work, so that it will be preserved for a long time; for then those beds are of the utmost beauty both on account of their form, and on account of the choice spices of their kind that grow upon them. And the allegorical meaning is to say that the words that come forth from the mouth of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, are precious and wise and of the utmost benefit. And He alludes by "cheeks" to the fact that they surround the organ of speech. "His lips are lilies" — From between his lips rises a good scent like the scent of lilies, and it is as if they drip myrrh. And the allegorical meaning concerns the prophets sent by Hashem to speak His words, for they are like lilies whose scent wafts far away, since to such an extent do they make known what will happen in the end, and foretell abundant good and constant successes.

"his cheeks" (lechayav) — this is the area below the eye. "as a bed" (ka'arugat) — this is the furrow made by the plow, as in "from the beds of its planting" (Ezekiel 17:7). "banks" (migdelot) — growths of spices; thus are called the mixed spices that are preserved for a long time, as in "a compound of spices" (rokach mirkachat) (Exodus 30:25). "lilies" (shoshanim) — the name of a fragrant plant. "flowing" (over) — meaning, spreading forth.

Rolls of gold. Like gold wheels. Studded with precious gems. Every term referring to the setting of a precious stone in gold is called מִלֵּאת [=setting]. Sparkle. An expression as in, “They became fat; they became thick עָשְׁתוּ.” A thick mass is called עֶשֶׁת, masiz in O.F. — Notes: (46) Yirmiyahu 5:28. (47) Alternatively, עשת means sparkle or radiate, as in, “shining [עשות] iron,” in Yechezkeil 27:19. (Metzudas Tzion) Ivory. From an elephant’s tusks. Overlaid with sapphires. Adorned and decorated with sapphires, an expression [as in], “וַתִּתְעַלָּף,” which the Targum renders, “and she adorned herself.” — Notes: (48) Bereishis 38:14.

The first interpretation: "gelilei" (rods) — wheels [ofanim]. "Tarshish" (beryl) — a precious stone, blackish in appearance. "Me'av eshet shen" (his body is as polished ivory) — ivory is from the elephant, like "barzel ashot" (wrought iron) (Ezekiel 27:19). The second interpretation: His fingers are "gelilei zahav" (rods of gold), and he compared the hair that is on them to "tarshish" (beryl). "Beino" (his body) is girded in a white garment, overlaid with sapphire, which is red — and the proof is: "zakku nezireha mi-sheleg, tzachu me-chalav, admu etzem mi-peninim, sapir gizratam" (her Nazirites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy of body than rubies, their form was as sapphire) (Lamentations 4:7); and there "sapirim" (sapphires) is equivalent to "peninim" (rubies), for his words are in parallel construction; and "livnat ha-sapir" (the whiteness of the sapphire) is from "levenah" (a brick, cf. Ezekiel 4:1, "take a brick") and not from "lovan" (whiteness); and the word "ke-ma'aseh" (as the work of) (Exodus 24:10) is the proof of this; and it would not be fitting to describe his intestines, for he is not naked. The third interpretation: "yadav gelilei zahav" (his hands are rods of gold) — they are the spheres [galgalim], they are the heavens. "Ba-tarshish" (set with beryl) — the stars. "Me'av" (his body) — the girdle [efod] of the uppermost sphere, which is the (wide) middle band. "Sapirim" (sapphires) — they are the constellations [mazalot].

"His hands" — the commandment, "and you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand" (Deuteronomy 6:8), and these too are like rods of gold, which are bracelets on the arm. "Set with beryl" — with the four passages contained in them [the tefillin], so that "the Torah of Hashem may be in our mouth" (cf. Exodus 13:9). "His body" — these are the innards set in order by Him through the commandments of the forbidden foods. "Polished ivory" — cleansed from all prohibition. "Overlaid with sapphires" — and through this, the dispositions of the vital soul and the [animal] soul within them will be made ready to serve the intellectual essence, so as to receive all wisdom, knowledge, and deed — [as in] "a paved work of sapphire stone" (Exodus 24:10).

"His hands are rods of gold" — The fingers of his hands, when spread apart, resemble in their appearance the spokes of golden wheels — that is to say, clean as gold, even though the tips of his fingers are instruments of use, and their way is to become soiled. "set with beryl" — And in them sit stones of tarshish (beryl), fitted to the measure of the sockets, neither protruding nor sunken; and of the fingernails it says that they are beautiful and smooth like stones of tarshish, and they are of the proper measure, neither too short nor too long. And the allegorical meaning concerns the heavenly spheres, the work of the fingers of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, as it is said, "When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers" (Psalms 8:4) — which are bright and precious like gold and filled with stars of light. "His body is polished ivory" — His belly is pure and bright like the purity of elephant ivory when it is wrapped in sapphires that are set into it, for then the radiance of the sapphires falls upon the ivory and it shines all the more. And the allegorical meaning is to say that although "the heavens are heavens for Hashem" (Psalms 115:16), He desired from of old to have His seat upon the kapporet (the ark-cover), which is an inner and hidden place like the innards within the body; and from there illumination comes to Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel), like the clarity and purity of the ivory and the brightness of the sapphire.

"rods" (gelilei) — the wheels/rings of a chariot, as in "upon rods of silver" (gelilei khesef) (Esther 1:6). "with beryl" (batarshish) — the name of a precious stone. "his body" (me'av) — said of the belly, in which the intestines (me'im) are. "polished" (eshet) — an expression of brightness and clarity, as in "wrought iron" (barzel eshut) (Ezekiel 27:19). "ivory" (shen) — this is the tooth of the elephant. "overlaid" (me'ulefet) — an expression of wrapping and covering, as in "and she wrapped herself" (vatit'alaf) (Genesis 38:14).

His legs. Are like pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold. Pillars of marble. Pillars of marble שַׁיִשׁ=שֵׁשׁ, and a similar word appears in Megillas Esther, “upon silver rods and marble שֵׁשׁ columns.” His appearance is as tall as the cedars of the Levanon. — Notes: (49) Esther 1:6. Chosen like the cedars. Chosen among the sons as the cedar among the other trees.

The first interpretation: "shesh" (marble) — stones of shayish (marble). The third interpretation: "shokav" (his legs) — [these are] fire and air. "Al adnei paz" (upon sockets of fine gold) — this is the earth, as in "al mah adaneha hotba'u" (upon what were its foundations sunk) (Job 38:6). "Mar'ehu ka-Levanon" (his aspect is like Lebanon) — one who enters Lebanon will see a beautiful and impressive tree, than which there is none greater, and he will not find its like — until he sees one more beautiful still, and he will be astonished; so it is with the work of the Shechinah. "Bachur ka-arazim" (choice as the cedars) — for they are beside the water, so that His works never cease, as in the matter of "chadashim la-beqarim rabbah emunatekha" (they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness) (Lamentations 3:23).

"His legs are pillars," etc. — And lest you say: if it is as you say, that Hashem your God is pleased with you, why then does He make His gait so light, hurrying to break away and distance Himself from you — removing His Shechinah (Divine Presence) and hiding His face, as He did to you at your destruction (churban)? [The answer is] that this is not so. Rather, His legs and His gait are not light, easily moved from their place; they are only heavy pillars of marble (shesh). And that which appears to you as His having been quick to remove His Shechinah — this is not so either, for He has not actually moved at all; rather, it (the Shechinah) remains fixed in place. However, if it departed from the Sanctuary (Mikdash), it did not depart from the righteous (tzaddikim) who have existed ever since. For behold, His legs and His journeying are 'founded' and fixed 'upon sockets of fine gold' — these are the righteous, who by virtue of the purity and brightness of their souls, like fine gold, are fit to receive the chariot (merkavah) of the Shechinah upon themselves. And this is the meaning of 'upon sockets of fine gold': that in every place to which the righteous travel and are carried about in their exile (galut), there the Shechinah dwells, and the legs of its gait travel, fixed in place by means of them. And lest you say: if He, may He be blessed, is with us, why does He allow us and His holy House to be trampled, and where are all the wonders He performed against Pharaoh and Egypt for Israel's sake? — for on account of this, several of the nations of the world grew insolent and said that He, Heaven forbid, has grown old. Therefore [the maiden] says: lest this arise in your hearts, O daughters of Jerusalem — as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, that Haman said to King Achashverosh: 'The God of these people, who performed great deeds and wonders in Egypt, has already grown old; for behold, the nations of the world dance in His Temple and have destroyed it, and He has not protested against them.' And this statement represents all the nations of the world who lived in those days. Do not be troubled by this, for the opposite is true. For that which you see — 'His appearance is like Lebanon' — which appears as though he has turned entirely white, a metaphor for old age, as though his beard had turned white — this is the appearance of Mount Lebanon, which is visibly seen to be white from the snow that continually rests upon it — a metaphor for the whiteness and coldness and appearance of old age. On the contrary: what is seen there is proof that His strength is very great, and He resembles, in essence, a young man (bachur). And this is the meaning of: 'that which you see, His appearance is like Lebanon' — know that he is nothing but 'a young man, like the cedars.' And this is the statement of the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah), who restored the crown to its former glory: for of Jeremiah and Daniel, one did not mention 'the Mighty' (HaGibbor) and the other did not mention 'the Awesome' (HaNora), reasoning that since the nations of the world dance in His Temple, where are His awesome deeds? etc. Then the Men of the Great Assembly came and said: 'These very things are His mighty deeds, these very things are His awesome deeds' — that He restrains His power and holds Himself back to endure, for the time being, on account of the guilt of His people. It thus turns out that the very point from which they came to suspect, Heaven forbid, that He is old, is itself the indication of His youthfulness. And this is the meaning of 'His appearance is like Lebanon' — on the contrary, he is 'a young man, like the cedars,' for 'these very things are [His mighty and awesome deeds],' etc. And this, it may be, is what Daniel saw in his vision: 'His garment was white as snow,' etc. (Daniel 7:9), indicating this same whiteness. And regarding this it is said: 'that which you see, His appearance is like Lebanon,' which is like snow, white — he is nothing but 'a young man, like the cedars.'

"His legs" — the actions of the feet in the pilgrimage festivals (aliyat regalim) and at the Hakhel assembly; behold, these commandments of His are like pillars of marble founded upon sockets of fine gold. For the sockets are more honored than the legs [themselves]; so too the purpose intended by them is that we learn to fear and to love [Hashem], for "out of Zion shall go forth the Torah" (Isaiah 2:3). "His aspect" — [alludes to] "to appear before the Lord Hashem" (Exodus 23:17). "Like Lebanon" — this is more honored than every [other] place of our appearing before Him, and also than the synagogues and study-houses, for there sat the seats of the Great Sanhedrin. "Excellent as the cedars" — and likewise it is chosen for prayer above every other place, as it is said, "and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17).

"His legs are pillars of marble" — His legs are beautiful in whiteness and straightness like pillars of marble, and they are set upon sockets of fine gold (paz) — that is, the soles of the feet, which are as clean as fine gold, even though their way is to become soiled with the dust of the earth. And the allegorical meaning concerns the lowly world, the footstool of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, as it is said, "and the earth is My footstool" (Isaiah 66:1) — which is strong like pillars of marble; and the "sockets of foundation" are the foundation of the terrestrial sphere, which holds it in its place so that it does not draw near to any one side [more than another] — this is likened to "paz." And this speaks of the central point of the terrestrial sphere, which holds the whole sphere in its place, as the natural philosophers have investigated, for every element yearns toward its own element; and therefore the allusion comes by way of "paz," for this point is almost as tiny as the paz, [a substance] of which very little descends into the world, as our Sages of blessed memory have said. "His aspect, etc." — The appearance of his stature is like Mount Lebanon, and he is chosen above the other beloved ones, as the cedars above all the trees of the forest. And the allegorical meaning is to say that the Omnipresent, blessed be He, is great and exalted above all gods, and is greatly chosen above them all, and they cannot be compared to Him.

"his legs" (shokav) — this is one of the joints of the leg. "marble" (shesh) — a marble stone. "set" (meyusadim) — from the language of yesod (foundation). "sockets" (adnei) — this is the thing into which the pillar is fixed, as in "sockets of silver" (adnei khesef) (Exodus 26:19). "fine gold" (paz) — this is the choicest of golds.

[The words of] his palate are sweet. His words are pleasant. This is my beloved. This is the likeness of my beloved, and this is the likeness of my friend, and because of all these [attributes] I have become sick for his love. The allegorical meaning, regarding the Holy One, Blessed Is He, is as follows: My beloved is pure white. And white, [anxious] to whiten my iniquities. [He is] clear and white, when He appeared at Sinai, He appeared as an old man, teaching instructions, and similarly, when He sits in judgment, “His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like clean wool.” — Notes: (50) Doniyeil 7:9. And ruddy. To exact punishment from His enemies, as the matter is stated, “Why is Your clothing red?” — Notes: (51) Yeshayahu 63:2. Surrounded by myriads. Many armies surround Him. — Notes: (52) I.e., angels, as it is written “a thousand thousands served Him, and myriad myriads stood before Him,” in Daniyeil 7:10. (Metzudas Dovid) His head is [like] finest gold. The beginning of His words shone like finest gold, and similarly it says, “The introduction of Your words illuminates.” He began, “I am Hashem your God.” He showed them first that He has the right of sovereignty over them, and He then issued His decrees upon them. — Notes: (53) Tehillim 119:130. (54) Shemos 20:2. His locks hang. Upon every point [=קוֹץ are heaps [=תִּלִּים and heaps of laws. — Notes: (55) See Maseches Eruvin 21b. They are raven-black. Because it [the Torah] was written before Him in black fire on white fire. Another explanation, “His locks hang,” when He appeared on the sea, He appeared like a young man mightily waging war. — Notes: (56) See Rashi Devarim 33:2. His eyes are like doves upon brooks of water. Like doves, whose eyes gaze toward their windows, so His eyes [gaze] upon the synagogues and study halls, for over there are the sources of Torah, which is compared to water. — Notes: (57) See Maseches Bava Kama 17a. Bathed in milk. When they look into the judgment, they clarify the law truthfully, to justify the just, to give him what he deserves, and to condemn the guilty, to repay his [evil] way upon his head. Well set in their fullness. In the fullness of the world. They wander over the entire earth, gazing upon the good and the evil. Another explanation, עֵינָיו symbolizes] Torah scholars, whom the Holy One, Blessed Is He, designates as eyes to enlighten the world, just as the eyes enlighten man. “Like doves” that wander from dovecote to dovecote to seek their food, so do they [Torah scholars] go from the study hall of one sage to the study hall of another sage, to seek out explanations of Torah. — Notes: (58) See Zecharyah 4:10. (59) See Mishlei 15:3. (60) See Rashi in Maseches Ta’anis 24a. Upon brooks of water. Upon study halls, which are the sources of the water of Torah. Bathed in milk. Since he calls them [Torah scholars] eyes, and the eye is a feminine noun, “bathed” רוֹחֲצוֹת is in the feminine conjugation. They cleanse themselves with the milk of Torah and whiten its secrets and mysteries. — Notes: (61) I.e., clarify. Well set in their fullness. They resolve the matters appropriately. Another explanation, “His eyes,” [means] “its contents” עִנְיָנָיו=עֵינָיו; the sections of the Torah, the laws, and Mishnayos, are “like doves” which are beautiful in their walk, “upon brooks of water,” [i.e.,] in the study halls, “bathed in milk,” they are made clear as milk, as I have explained. His cheeks. The commandments at Mount Sinai, where He showed them a friendly and smiling demeanor. His lips are like roses. The commandments that He spoke in the Tent of Meeting, which were for appeasement and for atonement and for a pleasant fragrance; [these are] the law of the sin offering, the guilt offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. — Notes: (62) Alternatively, “his lips” represent His prophets who spread His word like the fragrance of spices. (Metzudas Dovid) His hands. The Tablets, which He gave with His right hand, and are His handiwork. — Notes: (63) See Shemos 32:16. The Tablets are symbolized by hands, each one with five fingers, corresponding to the five commandments on each Tablet. (Melo Haomer) Rolls of gold. These are the commandments, about which it is said, “They are more desirable than gold, than even much fine gold.” Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Nechemyah said, “They [i.e., the Tablets] were made miraculously; they were of sapphire, yet they were rolled גְּלִילֵי.” Another explanation [of ‘גְּלִילֵי’], because they [i.e., the Tablets] bring about מְגַלְגְּלוֹת much good to the world. — Notes: (64) Tehillim 19:11. Studded with precious gems. For He included in the Ten Commandments the six hundred and thirteen commandments. to the Ten Commandments. — Notes: (65) See Rashi in Shemos 24:12. There he quotes Rav Sa’adia Gaon’s Sefer Hamitzvos wherein he connects the 613 mitzvos His innards sparkle like ivory. This is [Chumash] Vayikra which was placed in the center of the five books [i.e., the Pentateuch], like the intestines, which are set in the center of the body. Sparkle like ivory overlaid with sapphires. It [Chumash Vayikra] appears as smooth as a block of ivory, and is arranged with many details, [e.g.] similar wordings, general principles, and inferences drawn from minor premises to major ones. Set in sockets of fine gold. Rabbi Elazar Hakapar said, “This pillar has a capital above and a base below.” Rabbi Shmuel the son of Gada said, “The sections of the Torah have a capital above and a base below, and they are connected [to the sections] preceding them and [to the sections] after them, e.g., the sections of the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee are [connected to] ‘And if you sell something,’ to inform you how severe a minor infraction of the Sabbatical year is,” as it appears in Tractates Sukkah and Arachin. Also, for example [the section], “May Hashem ... appoint a man over the assembly,” is [connected to] “Command...My offering, My food.” Before you command Me about My children, command them about Me [i.e., My offering], and similarly, there are many. Therefore, it is stated, ‘His legs are like pillars of marble set in, etc.’” — Notes: (66) Vayikra 25:14. (67) If one does business with produce during the Sabbatical year, he will eventually be forced to sell all his property. (68) 40b. (69) 30b. (70) Bamidbar 27:16. (71) Ibid. 28:2. (72) To appoint a leader over the congregation of Yisroel. His appearance is like Levanon. Whoever reflects and ponders over His words finds in them blossoms and sprouts, like a blooming forest. So are the words of Torah, whoever meditates over them constantly discovers new explanations in them. Chosen. Selected, like the cedars, which are chosen for building and for strength and for height. — Notes: (73) Alternatively, referring to Bnei Yisroel, who became His “chosen” people at Mount Sinai when He gave us the Torah, as Scripture states in Shemos 19:5-6. [The words of] his palate are sweet. His words are pleasant, [as in,] “And an incision for the dead you shall not make in your flesh ... I am Hashem,” faithful to pay reward. Is there a palate sweeter than this? Do not wound yourselves, and you will receive reward. [In addition,] “And when a wicked man repents from his wickedness and performs justice and righteousness, he shall live because of them.” Iniquities are accounted to him as merits [after he repents]. Is there a palate sweeter than this? — Notes: (74) Vayikra 19:28. (75) Yechezkeil 33:19.

The third interpretation: "chikko" (his mouth) — His teachings [Torot] and His commandments, "ha-nechemadim mi-zahav u-mi-paz rav" (which are more desirable than gold, than much fine gold) (Psalms 19:11). And I have already mentioned that "benot Yerushalayim" (the daughters of Jerusalem) are the thoughts of the children of Israel.

"His mouth is most sweet," etc. — Have I not said to you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that I am not troubled by my afflictions in this world, for they are for my own good, since all the happiness I hope for from my Beloved, may He be blessed, belongs to the World to Come? Now, you might answer me: but do you not see that the promises of the Torah speak only of physical things, indicating that those who fulfill the Torah have nothing beyond this? If so, it would follow that we, who suffer exile and afflictions in this world, will have nothing at all in hand in the World to Come — and if so, what benefit is there in our constant longing and attachment to my Beloved? Know, then, that this is not so. Rather, "his mouth" — He who speaks of me — His promises speak only of things that are sweetness to us, whereas the matters of the World to Come are not so, for we cannot properly appraise them or taste their pleasantness, since that [World] is spiritual and we are physical; and so "he is altogether lovely" is something desired only by way of conjecture. Indeed, even though we do not know its true nature — for it is spiritual and hidden, since "no eye has seen [it]" (Isaiah 64:3) — [Scripture] attributed the matter to Himself, may He be blessed, by saying "he is altogether" (vekhulo) and not "and his reward is" (vesekharo). This is because all the happiness that belongs to the righteous is precisely the attachment of the soul to Him, may He be blessed, and the degrees of that attachment are innumerable for each person, according to the relation of his soul and his deeds. Therefore it says "vekhulo" — for each and every one, in whatever aspect the attachment to Him, may He be blessed, takes — it is delights. And when he finished [this], he said, "this is my beloved and this is my friend," etc. — meaning: whether when I am virtuous, and He relates to me as a beloved (dod) — for it is not only in times of closeness that they are called "dodim," but also at a time of longing to draw near they are called "dodim," those who long to cling to one another, as I do to Him, may He be blessed — or whether at the time when He is "my friend" (re'i), which is when we are virtuous, for then we are friends and partners together, as was the case in the time of the [Holy] Temple — in either of these two periods, you [nations] are nothing but "daughters of Jerusalem," like the people of the villages surrounding the city, as in the expression "Jericho and her daughter-villages." This is because the souls of the destroyers of the Temple are indeed from the environs of the heavenly Jerusalem, and not from within it, as we are. Therefore I love Him, for He is very close to me, as has been said. Or it may be said: "His mouth is most sweet," etc. Let it not enter your minds that He, may He be blessed, needs us, the way that rulers, by ruling over their nation, are gratified to be His agent, may He be blessed, who bestows influence through them — but He, may He be blessed, does not value this reasoning. For behold, "his mouth," which tastes the flavor of our good deeds, is not [tasting] in the sense that we provide Him sustenance; rather, all our righteousness gives Him is sweetness and pleasantness, a satisfaction before Him, as when it is said, "we will do" (Exodus 24:7) — that is, His will — and He has sweetness from our deeds. But what we receive from Him, through every man of Israel's attachment to Him, may He be blessed — each one according to the aspect of his soul and his good deeds — that is delights, for "he is altogether," in all his aspects, delights, and not mere pleasantness alone. Moreover, through His being "my beloved" while we are in exile, and through His being "my friend" in our tranquility in Jerusalem, you, O daughters of Jerusalem, [exist only on this account] — for had it not been so, you would not have endured. In the time of exile you exist [only] in order to exile us, and in the time of tranquility you feed on the residue of Israel's abundance, so that you may serve as a scourge for us, as it is said, "and your enemies shall rule over you" (Leviticus 26:17), and many verses like it — and without us you would be nullified, for [the world] was created only for the sake of the Torah, that it be fulfilled. The nations of the world respond and say: If so, then, since His importance and greatness are so [great], and since we too benefit from His attachment to you — "Where has your beloved gone," etc., "that we may seek him with you" — perhaps he will relent toward us as well; and lest it be said, "He does not desire you, but only the children of His chosen ones, whose souls are rooted beneath His throne of glory" — they therefore opened by saying, "where has he gone," etc., meaning: behold, at the time when you were "the fairest among women," which occurred only at the standing at Mount Sinai, when your impurity ceased — something that did not cease for any [other] nation — even then he went "to Seir and to Paran," meaning, [to see] whether they would accept the Torah, as it is said, "He shone forth from Seir unto them; He appeared from Mount Paran" (Deuteronomy 33:2). And so, too, we know that He, may He be blessed, showed favor toward two nations, Ammon and Moab, for from one who turned aside, Moab brought forth David, and from Naamah, who was from Ammon, [that nation] brought forth the remnant of David's line. And this is the meaning of their saying, "do not consider the matter far-fetched" — that is, Hashem has not abandoned you throughout the length of this exile, even though you say there is none like you among the nations; for behold, see and recall, "where did your beloved go" when you were "the fairest among women" — which you are not now — and nonetheless he went to them, that is, to Edom and Ishmael. And so recall where he turned — to Ammon and Moab. Perhaps now, in your having strayed, he has returned to draw close to them, and has therefore forgotten you. If so, "let us seek him with you," since he clings even to the multitude of nations, for we are like them and they like us.

"His mouth is most sweet" — as it is said, "What does Hashem your God ask of you but to fear [Him]... for your good" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). "And he is altogether lovely" — and the entire intent is that we attain eternal life, which is more desirable than all else. "This is my beloved" — in that it is said, "because Hashem loves you" (Deuteronomy 7:8). "And this is my friend" — in that He dwells among us, as it is said, "for Hashem will not abandon His people" (I Samuel 12:22).

"His palate is most sweet" — All the words of his palate are sweet, spoken with fitting eloquence and clarity of expression, and all his deeds and movements are delightful, for they are done with great intelligence. And the allegorical meaning is to say that the words of the Torah given from His mouth are righteous judgments and upright statutes, and all His deeds are done in kindness and in mercy. "This is my beloved, etc." — Behold, one who has all these praises in him — this is my beloved and my friend; as if she were saying, this being so, how could I not yearn for him, and is there anyone to be compared to him? And the allegorical meaning is to say: know that the one who has all these in him is my God; as if she were now saying, "Judge now whether there is anyone like him, and why would you say that I should abandon him and join with you, to come under the rule of the heavenly prince who rules over you? Are not all of them as nothing compared to my God?"

"his mouth" (chiko) — this is what is above the tongue, one of the instruments of speech. "most sweet" (mamtakim) — from the language of matok (sweet).