Song of Songs · Chapter 6

Where has your beloved gone. The nations taunt and provoke Yisroel, “Where has your Beloved gone?” Why has He left you abandoned like a widow? — Notes: (1) Alternatively, where has He gone? (Gra) Where has your beloved turned. When He returned and rested His Spirit upon Coresh, and he granted permission to build the Beis Hamikdosh, and they began to build, they [the nations] came and said to them, “Where has your Beloved turned?” If He is returning to you, we will seek Him with you, as the matter is stated, “Now the adversaries of Yehudah and Binyamin heard that the people of the exile were building a Temple, etc. And they approached Zerubavel, etc., ‘Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God, etc.” But their intention was sinister, [and] in order to stop them from the work. And they replied— — Notes: (2) Alternatively, what does He occupy Himself with now? (Gra) (3) Ezra 4:1-2.

"Where has your beloved gone" — the Chaldeans said: What happened to Him, that He removed His Shechinah (Divine Presence) from you? "Where has he turned" — in His hiding of His face. "That we may seek him with you" — as if to say, "let us build with you, for like you we seek your God" (cf. Ezra 4:2).

"Where has your beloved gone" — When the maidens heard her words, that they were pleasant, they said to her: "O fairest among women, if you have not found your beloved in the city, tell us where he has gone and where he has turned" — meaning, "which way did he go, that we may go with you to seek him in that place" — as if they were saying, "if you are afraid to go alone, we too will go with you in your company." And the allegorical meaning is as if the nations were saying: "if this is so, tell us where he is" — that is, "by what means will you bring him back to you, and by what means will he be appeased, and let us help you in bringing him back, so that it will be within your power to bring him back to you, and we will no longer lead you astray from following him."

"where" (anah) — to where, as in "where (anah) shall I go from Your spirit" (Psalms 139:7).

My beloved has gone down to his garden. He commanded us to build His Temple, and He will be there with us. — Notes: (4) Alternatively, He has gone to the “Garden” of Eden. (Gra) To the beds of spices. The place where the incense is burned. To graze in the gardens. And further, He has gone to graze His sheep in the gardens where they were scattered, [i.e.,] those who did not come up from the exile, He rests His Divine Presence upon them in the synagogues and in the study halls. — Notes: (5) He occupies Himself by delighting in the presence of the righteous. (Gra) And to gather roses. He listens and hearkens to those who speak His Torah, to collect their merits and to inscribe them in a memorial book before Him, as the matter is stated, “Then the men who fear Hashem spoke, etc.” And concerning your request to seek Him with us, and to build with us, “I am my Beloved’s,” but you are not His, and you shall not build with us, as the matter is stated, “It is not for you and for us to build a House for our God ,” and it states [further], “and you have no portion or right or memorial in Yerusholayim.” — Notes: (6) Malachi 3:16. (7) Ezra 4:3. (8) Nechemyah 2:20.

The second interpretation: "dodi yarad le-gano" (my beloved has gone down into his garden) — according to its plain sense. The third interpretation: "yarad le-gano" (he has gone down into his garden) — He ascended on high to be with the righteous, who are His ministers above.

"My beloved has gone down," etc. — in the manner of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, regarding the text: she gives her reply to them, saying, "my beloved," etc. This is the saying of our Rabbis, of blessed memory: "my beloved" — this is the Holy One, blessed be He; "has gone down to his garden" — this is the world; "to feed in the gardens" — these are synagogues and study houses, etc.; "and to gather lilies" — if He sees a righteous person, He smells him and takes him. That is, just as one who smells a rose draws [its fragrance] upward by inhaling it through the breath of his nostril, so He draws the soul of the righteous person up to Himself, as though kissing him — and this is "the death by a kiss" (mitat neshikah). This is her answer to them [the nations]: Let it not enter your minds to seek him together with us, for had you been endowed with the capacity for this, you would surely be unable to keep from kicking against Him. For behold, He, may He be blessed, goes down to His garden, as has been said, and takes the most excellent of the righteous, and yet I do not kick against Him, blessed be He, for putting to death the one attached to Him, may He be blessed — and needless to say I will not kick, but on the contrary, "my beloved is mine and I am his, who feeds among the lilies" — these being the aforementioned righteous ones — for even though He, may He be blessed, feeds among them and gathers them in, I will not withdraw my attachment from Him; on the contrary, I recognize that just as I cling to my Beloved, He clings to me. So it is also when He is "the one who feeds among the lilies," for to the extent that the righteous cling to Him, He causes them to cling to Himself, may He be blessed, and this attribute belongs only to me, as is known. But you, O nations of the world, do not have the strength to bear this, for you would indeed kick against me upon seeing "a righteous person who suffers" (tzaddik ve-ra lo), according to what appears to your eyes.

"My beloved has gone down into his garden" — into the holy assembly, the men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah). "To feed in the gardens" — to rejoice in synagogues and study-houses, in the manner of "Hashem shall rejoice in His works" (Psalms 104:31). "And to gather lilies" — the remnant of His people.

"My beloved has gone down to his garden" — It is as if she answers, saying, "his way is to go among gardens, and he has surely gone down there, among the beds of spices, to feed and to stroll in the gardens, and to gather lilies to bring me as a gift." And the allegorical meaning is that she answers with her words that from of old His way was to rest His Shechinah (Divine Presence) in synagogues and study halls, to listen to the song of Torah and prayer, to receive them with favor, to have them kept with Him so as to pay a good reward for them. And it is as if she were saying, "behold, through engagement in Torah and prayer I will entice him to return to me."

"to feed" (lirot) — from the language of mir'eh (pasture).

Who grazes among the roses. Who grazes his sheep in a calm and goodly pasture.

"I am my beloved's, etc." — That is to say, just as all my desire is toward my beloved, so is his desire toward me; and it is he who feeds among the lilies, to bring me a gift from them. And the allegorical meaning is to say that just as I have not chosen a foreign god, so has He not abandoned me altogether to choose the worshippers of idols; and even now He receives with favor engagement in Torah and prayer, and they are kept with Him so as to repay me a good reward for them.

You are beautiful, my beloved, as Tirtzah. And the Holy One, Blessed Is He, praises her for this [reply, and says], “You are beautiful, My beloved,” when you are desirable to Me. So it is expounded in Sifrei. — Notes: (9) I.e., where you perform deeds that please me, interpreting כתרצה as כרצויה. Alternatively, תרצה is a city in Eretz Yisroel that was captured by Yehoshua [see Yehoshua 12:24]. It is renowned for its beauty. Comely. Are you now as at first in Yerusholayim. — Notes: (10) Which is described as “perfect in beauty’ in Tehillim 50:2. Awesome as the hosts [of angels]. Legions of angels. I will cast your awe upon them so that they should not wage war and stop you from the work, as it is stated in Ezra. — Notes: (11) 5:5.

The first interpretation: "ke-Tirtzah" (as Tirzah) — the name of a province, and you will find it in the account of Ahab. "Ayumah" (terrible) — [for all who see her feel dread of her] from "ayom ve-nora" (dreadful and terrible) (Habakkuk 1:7). "Ke-nidgalot" (as an army with banners) — with him, camps that have banners. The second interpretation: He answered, when he saw (her) beautiful, that she was like an army with banners, camps bearing banners; and behold, "your hair is as a flock of goats," and "your teeth" are as ewes, and "as a piece of pomegranate" is your temple — and the meaning is: these are signs that you are My first beloved, and you shall not be mixed up with others [for you are unique, and there is none like you]; for behold, King Solomon has threescore queens, but "my dove is one"; and even the queens shall call her happy, and marvel, and say, "Who is this who looks forth as the dawn?" The third interpretation: The Shechinah said: "After you have returned in repentance [teshuvah] and sought Me, now you shall return to your kingdom as at first" — and this refers to the time of the sons of the Hasmoneans [Bnei Chashmonai], for from those days Israel reigned [again].

"You are beautiful, O my love..." — To get to the point, let us recall what our Sages, of blessed memory, said about the daughters of Zelophehad: that in Parashat Pinchas he lists Tirzah last, while in Parashat Masei he lists her second. And they said that in Parashat Masei he lists them according to their age, and Tirzah was second in age, but in Parashat Pinchas he lists them according to their wisdom and righteousness. It follows that although the common measure among them was that they were all righteous women, Tirzah was the smallest among them in wisdom and righteousness. Now let us come to the matter itself. From the time He, may He be blessed, began to cling to us: "Open for me..." "I arose..." "I opened to my beloved, but he had turned and gone" and hid His face, and because of this "the watchmen found me... they struck me, they wounded me..." Then, as I bore the sufferings, the nations of the world thought — heaven forbid! — that I would rebel against my God, when in truth it was because of my love that I was struck. And I said to them, "If you find my beloved, what will you tell him?..." and the debate continues until this point. Now He, may He be blessed, comes and speaks to the heart of His nation, and says, "You are beautiful..." — meaning: do not let it enter your mind, because of the length of the exile, that you are ugly in My eyes, and do not be ashamed that I turned and passed by and hid My face from you. And in the very place where the nations of the world should have feared you, they did the opposite — they struck you, they wounded you. For know and understand: the way of a king is to marry a woman either because of her lineage or because of her beauty. Now, regarding the way of beauty, in the analogy between us and our Creator this refers to devotion (deveikut) and merit (kishron). "You are beautiful, my love" — but not intrinsically so, only as Tirzah, who is listed last among the daughters of Zelophehad because she was the smallest in wisdom and righteousness among her sisters — so too you: although you are good, you are not perfect, and therefore I hid My face from you, and they struck you, wounded you, and many evil troubles found you. And according to what we wrote above — that the reason He "turned and passed by" was that she did not remove the transgressions at first, but was lazy, and did not set her heart from the outset upon the practical commandments — he says, in line with our approach: "You are beautiful," but like Tirzah, who was lazy about gaining wisdom and becoming established relative to her sisters, and so came last — so too you were lazy and did not open, and delayed removing the bolts of the lock until it was shamefully late. But this does not mean that I will equate you with the nations of the world, as they thought when they said to you, "We will seek him with you." Nor should you imagine to yourself that I will abandon you and place you under a prince as they have, even though I have prolonged your exile — for behold, you are "comely as Jerusalem." Now, "naveh" [comely] is a term meaning "fitting to them," that is, "no'etit" [befitting] — and this corresponds to what follows: just as Jerusalem is prepared and ready to receive the divine flow for the whole world, and is, as it were, the seat of God — because she stands opposite the Jerusalem above — and she is comely, meaning good, by virtue of her being fitting to what is above her, as we have written elsewhere regarding "like a city that is joined together" (Psalms 122:3) — so too you are comely like her: you are fitting toward your root, to receive the divine flow and cling to Me in essence. And do not wonder and say: "If so, then why am I lessened, so that instead of my terror being cast upon the idolatrous nations, that they should fear me — for the Name of Hashem is called upon me — they do the opposite: they strike me, wound me, and I become trampled underfoot by them?" Know that it is indeed true that you are "terrible," that your terror is cast over the whole world, but only "as an army with banners." That is: just as a city or a man over whom the king's banner flies is feared by people, but once the banner is removed from him this is no longer so — so too you: had the image of God been whole upon you, your terror would be cast upon all creatures; but your appearance has been "marred beyond that of any man" (Isaiah 52:14), and His, may He be blessed, banner is not in your hand — therefore they do not fear you, and they are able to prevail against you. Or, "our banner" may be understood to refer to our ornaments, which were stripped from our heads because of the golden calf, for from then the obligation of exile fell upon us, as is known, as discussed regarding the verse "they have taken my veil from me" (Song 5:7). Therefore let it not trouble you that all your enemies and all who hate you, who pursued you, laid a hand upon you. And when he had finished responding to this necessary point, he was concerned lest it be said to Him, may He be blessed: "Did You not say to me that I am beautiful, but not intrinsically, only like Tirzah — and so You have belittled our merit, and that is why the nations of the world struck us, wounded us? Does this include also the righteous who were among us in this harsh exile, whom they struck and wounded, like the Ten Martyrs of the Kingdom and their like? Would you say that it was because of the deficiency of their merit that they were struck?" On this, He, may He be blessed, says: Do not imagine that what I said includes the perfect ones (ha-sheleimim), who are called "the eyes of the congregation," as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding "and if it was hidden from the eyes of the congregation..." (Numbers 15:24). For behold, "turn your eyes away from Me" (Song 6:5) — I removed them from before Me, for it was concerning them that I said that they are "your eyes" mentioned there, the aforementioned perfect ones — needless to say that they were not like Tirzah, small in merit; on the contrary, they "overwhelmed Me" (hirhivuni) — that is, as it were, they made Me great, as in the phrase "and I will be magnified and sanctified" (Ezekiel 38:23) — for it is through the sanctification of My Name by those perfect ones that the Name of Heaven is magnified. This is the meaning of "they overwhelmed Me" — meaning, that I spoke only concerning the rest of the people. And as for why My soul did not abhor the rest of the people, or at least the wicked among them in every generation, but rather, "behold, I devise plans so that none of them be banished from Me" (2 Samuel 14:14) — the reason is this: there are several categories. There are the completely righteous, and there are the completely wicked — proud, evil, and sinful, the licentious of the generations — and there are the middling ones, the common folk lacking Torah learning, and therefore lacking full perfection. Now, concerning the completely righteous, did I not say that they "overwhelmed Me"? And concerning the completely wicked, do not wonder — for behold, "your hair" refers to the haughty ones; it is like hair, which is refuse, the excess of the body — a parable for the refuse of Israel, who are the haughty and the brazen-faced wicked of the generation. I am not amazed by this, for most children resemble their mother's brothers, and the seed of Israel is all from Jacob, but the brothers of our Matriarchs are the sons of Laban, and they were brazen-faced. For even though they, Laban's sons, would not have come into the world except by the merit of Jacob — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding "and Hashem has blessed you on my account" (Genesis 30:30), for at first Rachel his daughter was tending the flock, because he had no sons, and afterward it says, "and he gave them into the hands of his sons" (Genesis 30:35), and likewise it says, "and he heard the words of Laban's sons" (Genesis 31:1) — and behold, when Laban pursued to kill Jacob, it is said, "Jacob pitched... his brethren..." and "Laban pitched with his brethren on Mount Gilead" (Genesis 31:25) — now, Jacob's "brethren" here are really his sons, as our Sages, of blessed memory, and Rashi, of blessed memory, say — and so it says, "Laban pitched with his brethren" — they were his sons. And Laban and these sons of his sought to uproot everything — and there is no greater brazenness than this: that their very existence was by the merit of Jacob, and yet they sought to kill him, were it not that Hashem was with Jacob and removed Laban's power through the visions of the night, saying, "Take heed that you not speak with Jacob either good or evil" (Genesis 31:24). It follows that Laban's sons were brazen and licentious, and they are the brothers of our Matriarchs — so it is no wonder that licentious ones are never lacking in any generation. This is the meaning of "your hair" — they are the licentious of the people, as discussed; they have ancestry to resemble. And do not wonder at this matter, for behold, they are like "the flock of goats" — these are the goats whose power He, may He be blessed, diminished (galash), so that they should not destroy Jacob. And where did this happen? With Jacob, in Gilead, for there their tent was pitched, and these are none other than the sons of Laban. This is the meaning of "your hair is like a flock of goats that trail down from Gilead" — for there their power was diminished, as discussed, and they are the brothers of our Matriarchs. And should you say: the reason wicked ones come out from you is because of the taint of their mothers — perhaps the Egyptians had dominion over them, as with Shelomith daughter of Divri — know that, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, the nations of the world would say it is possible that the Egyptians had dominion over the men themselves, but over their wives they had no dominion. And how could He, may He be blessed, then refer to them as belonging "to the house of their fathers"? Therefore He, may He be blessed, needed to place the name Yah upon every family, saying "the Palluite, the Hezronite..." (Numbers 26), and this is what the verse means: "the tribes of Yah, a testimony to Israel" (Psalms 122:4). Do not set your heart to this evil thought, heaven forbid, for behold, "your teeth" refer to the women, as explained above regarding the verse "your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes" — they are the righteous women, like a flock of ewes who were "a garden locked" (Song 4:12), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, that they locked their doors. And perhaps this is hinted at in saying "like a flock of ewes," whose opening is covered by the fat tail. And as for the great lengths they went to so that their husbands would unite with them — bathing them, and setting up mirrors before their faces so that they would gaze upon their beauty in the mirrors to draw near their desire, and adorning themselves with these mirrors, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the verse "under the apple tree..." (Song 8:5) — do not think that they did this out of desire for intercourse; rather, it was for the sake of Heaven, so that the seed of Israel should not be lost. And the proof is that they did not rise in status on account of that bathing, for by their washing their husbands, the basin and its stand were made for washing — measure for measure — from the mirrors with which they had adorned themselves; and this is only because they acted for the sake of Heaven. And the tangible proof of their modesty is that they all bore twins, giving birth to six in a single womb, and this was only by the merit of modesty, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding "your wife shall be like a fruitful vine" (Psalms 128:3) — by virtue of her being "in the innermost part of your house" — by the merit of modesty. And they also did not give birth only to bury their children, for there was no bereavement among them — for all this is proof of their fitness. And regarding the third category — that of the common people who do not grasp the Torah — these too have something to rely upon, for "like a slice of pomegranate" in mitzvot are "your temple" — the empty ones (reikanim) among you, empty of Torah — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said of the verse: "even the empty ones among you are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate." And even though an ignoramus (am ha'aretz) is not a pious man (chasid), at least his heart is steadfast with Hashem. This is the meaning of "from behind your veil," which, as Rashi explains, means "within the lattice," and it serves as a parable for the inwardness of the heart: for from lack of learning they do not do many mitzvot, but their heart is steadfast to do so.

"You are beautiful, my love" — the exalted God said: Now, at the building of the Second Temple, do not any more remove My Shechinah from your midst, for indeed you are now beautiful through the wisdom of the men of the Great Assembly. "Comely as Jerusalem" — [meaning] the first [Jerusalem], which was the city of righteousness, for there sat the seats of judgment. "Terrible" — as in the matter of Shimon HaTzaddik (Simon the Just) with Alexander [the Great]. "As an army with banners" — you shall be, from every place, like the battle-formations of Israel.

"You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah" — When the beloved heard the pleasantness of her words and the extent of her longing for him, he sent his words to praise her, and thus he said: You are beautiful, my love, like the city of Tirzah, and it was a very beautiful city with wonderful buildings (and before Samaria was built, it was the royal city of the kings of Israel). "Comely as Jerusalem" — for it was very comely in the excellence of its order and governance. "Terrible as bannered hosts" — Because of the greatness of your importance and stature, you cast fear upon those who see you, like the banners of many camps which cast fear upon those who see them. And the allegorical meaning is to say: even though you are exiled and wayward, nevertheless you are beautiful in worthy deeds and upright character, and all the nations do not wish to destroy you utterly, as if you were a vast multitude of a people trained for war.

"as Tirzah" (katirtzah) — the name of a royal city of the kings of Israel. "comely" (na'avah) — pleasant and beautiful. "terrible" (ayumah) — from the language of eimah (dread) and fear. "as an army with banners" (kanidgalot) — from the language of degel (banner), meaning, camps possessing a banner.

Turn your eyes away from me. Like a young man whose betrothed is dear and pleasing to him, and her eyes are comely, and he says to her, “Turn away your eyes from me, for when I see you, my heart becomes haughty and proud, and my spirit becomes arrogant, and I cannot resist.” Made me haughty. They made my heart haughty, as in, “And their pride וְרָהְבָּם is toil and pain,” [and as in,] “They are haughty רַהַב but idle,” asoajier in O.F. The allegorical meaning is as follows: The Holy One, Blessed Is He, said, “In this Beis Hamikdosh, it is impossible to restore to you the Ark, the Ark cover, and the cherubim, which excessively endeared you to Me in the first Beis Hamikdosh, to show you great affection, until you betrayed Me.” — Notes: (12) Tehillim 90:10. (13) Yeshayahu 30:7. Your hair is like a flock of goats. The young, tender, and insignificant ones among you, are praiseworthy.

The first interpretation: "hirhivuni" (they have overcome me) — [they overpowered me, or] they removed my strength [rahav] and my dominion — from the root of "rahav," [as in] "ve-rahbam amal va-aven" (yet their strength is but travail and vanity) (Psalms 90:10). The third interpretation: Now you shall again be beautiful, and the nations of the world shall fear you; therefore your prophets shall cease from you — this is [the meaning of] "turn away your eyes"; therefore your Nazirites and your men of war shall return.

"Turn away your eyes from me" — [referring to] the prophets, as it is said, "and He has closed your eyes: the prophets" (Isaiah 29:10). "From me" — so that they would not meet with the burden of prophetic vision, even though they were worthy of it. "For they have overcome me" — they were the cause that I raised Myself up to take vengeance against you, since you did not listen. "Your hair" — for indeed the customs of the fathers are fitting and precious, like the hair of a flock of goats that is fit to become a valuable garment; and so you shall conduct yourselves by honored customs, as they said, "we have accepted upon ourselves the commandments, etc." — and there is no longer a need for the prophets. [6:6] "Your teeth" — the warriors, such as the sons of the Hasmoneans (the Maccabees) and the like. "As a flock of ewes" — they are righteous and precious in My eyes, like a flock of ewes that are brought in for shearing. "Paired alike" — (?) in theory and in practice. "And none is bereaved among them" — there is no rebel among them who disgraces himself [lit. burns his own dish].

"Turn your eyes away from me" — This too is from the words of the beloved; he sends his words to say to her, in a manner of affection: Turn your eyes back to me, for they have turned away from before my face; for from of old, their gazing upon me strengthened and emboldened my heart to be drawn after you. And the allegorical meaning is as if he were saying to the sages, the eyes of the congregation, that they should look and gaze into the Torah even now, and occupy themselves with it, for through it they used to add strength of old in the pamalya shel ma'lah (the heavenly retinue), and even now they should thereby endear themselves to the Omnipresent, blessed be He. It is as if to say: even though they are in exile, and engagement with Torah does not add strength as much as engagement with it in the Land of Israel, nevertheless they do add strength. "Your hair is like a flock of goats" — The hair of your head is combed and shining, like the hair of a flock of goats that were plucked and combed by the branches of thorns as they descended from their pasture on Mount Gilead, as though they had been combed with a comb. And the allegorical meaning concerns the nazirites who let the hair of their heads grow untrimmed like a flock of goats, etc., for it is combed and their hair is long and hanging downward. It is as if to say: even though there is no offering to bring in exile when the days of their nazirite vow are completed, nevertheless they are dear to Me.

"turn away" (hasebi) — from the language of turning about and returning. "they have overcome me" (hirhivuni) — an expression of overpowering strength, as in "You did embolden me (tarhiveni) with strength in my soul" (Psalms 138:3). "that trail down" (shegalshu) — an expression of the shedding of hair.

Your teeth. The officers and the mighty that are among you are entirely good. Like a counted flock. The ewe can entirely be utilized for holy purposes: its wool is for blue thread, its flesh for sacrifice, its horns for shofars, its thighs for flutes, its intestines for harp [strings], its hide for a drum. But the wicked [i.e., nations] were likened to dogs, for they are entirely unuseable for holy purposes.

"Your teeth are like a flock of ewes" — Your teeth are white in appearance and orderly, like a flock of ewes when they come up from the washing, which shine with pure whiteness. "Which are all paired" — This refers back to the teeth, to say that all the teeth are equal like twins, and there is none bereaved among them, meaning that not one of them is missing, nor damaged, nor changed in its appearance. And the allegorical meaning concerns the officers of the congregation who are appointed to cut off and destroy those liable to judgment, who are clean of oppression like a flock coming up from the washing, cleansed of dirt; and these are equal to one another, and all of them are holy, cleansed of robbery, and there will not be found among any of them the slightest trace of oppression.

"paired" (mat'imot) — from the language of te'omim (twins). "and none fails" (veshakulah) — meaning, deficiency and blemish, stated by way of a borrowed, figurative expression.

"Your temples are like a pomegranate split open" — the disciples who attained [the authority] to render halachic rulings, who are close to the eyes of the generation — like the temple is to the eyes; they are like a split-open pomegranate, which, even though it is not a whole pomegranate, is pleasant in its taste and appearance; so too they were filled with the knowledge of Hashem in theory and in practice. "Behind your veil" — from their being separated from foreign doctrines. And this is so, for indeed

"Your temples are like a split pomegranate" — The upper part of your face on either side is rounded and red mixed with white, like the appearance of a piece split off from a pomegranate; and these are hidden from within by the veil, and thereby they draw forth love and desire more than if they were exposed without a veil. And the allegorical meaning concerns the judges of the congregation, who are the "face of the generation," for they are filled with all wisdom and knowledge like a pomegranate that is full of seeds. And they conceal their wisdom in their hearts and do not glorify themselves before people. And it is as if to say: even though in exile it is the kings of the nations who appoint judges over Israel, nevertheless there will be found no one who will dare in his heart to come forward to be among the judges unless all of these qualities are found in him. (And he did not mention the praise of the lips, which he mentioned above, because they allude to the prophets, and there are none in exile. And for this reason he also did not mention the praise of speech, for it alludes to the Levites who stand on the platform (dukhan) to speak in song, and in exile there is no platform and no song. Likewise he did not mention the praise of the neck, for it alludes to the Temple, and it is destroyed. Likewise he did not mention the praise of the breasts, for they allude to the king and the High Priest, and in exile there is no king and no High Priest.)

"like a split-open [pomegranate]" (kefelach) — an expression of splitting, as in "like the nether millstone split open" (kefelach tachtit) (Job 41:16). "your temples" (rakatekh) — this is the raised part of the face beside the eye, on either side, as in "and she drove the peg into his temple" (berakato) (Judges 4:11). "behind" (miba'ad) — from within. "your veil" (letzamatekh) — this is the veil that covers the face, as in "uncover your veil" (tzamatekh) (Isaiah 47:2).

There are sixty queens. [Referring to] Avrohom and his descendants. The sons of Keturah are sixteen. Yishmael and his sons are thirteen. Yitzchok and his sons are three. The sons of Yaakov are twelve. The sons of Eisav are sixteen. [All of the above are listed] in Divrei Hayomim , and total sixty. And if you should say that Timna should be excluded because she is a woman, then count Avrohom in the number [of sixty]. — Notes: (14) Chapter 1. (15) Eisav’s granddaughter. And eighty concubines. [If you count] Noach and his sons until Avrohom, [i.e.,] all the generations of those who left the Ark, you will find them to be eighty. And just as the queens, who are the kings’ wives, are superior in greatness over the concubines, so were Avrohom and his offspring deemed greater and superior to all, as you will see. Hagar was the daughter of kings. Timna was the daughter of rulers and became Eisav’s concubine, and it states, “to the Valley of Shaveh, etc.” [meaning,] they all unanimously resolved הֻשְׁווּ=שָׁוֵה and crowned Avrohom as king over them. — Notes: (16) Bereishis 14:17. And young maidens without number. All these were divided into many families.

The third interpretation: "shishim hemah malakhot" (threescore queens) — they are the chieftains who were in Seir. "U-shmonim pilagshim" (and fourscore concubines) — Noah and his sons (and so they are in number). "Va-alamot" (and maidens) — the sons of Ishmael.

"There are threescore queens," etc. — Our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "threescore queens" — these are the six hundred thousand (sixty myriads) from twenty years old and upward who went out of Egypt; "and fourscore concubines" — these are the eight hundred thousand (eighty myriads) under twenty years of age; and "maidens without number" — these are the young children. And it is possible, according to this, to explain that He, may He be blessed, is saying: Have I not said that you are beautiful, My beloved, but, like Tirzah, only slight in perfection, apart from your eyes, which have overwhelmed Me in that they sanctified My Name — and that there are among you wicked ones and haughty ones, comparable to the hair of the head? Let it not enter your mind that therefore the entire nation is light in worth before Me, so that you should despair of those who cleave to you. For indeed there is in you a very great advantage over every other nation, and the expression "have I not" indicates that your root is very holy, from the oneness of holiness. For behold, there were sixty myriads (600,000) from twenty years old and upward, and eighty myriads (800,000) under twenty, and small children without number — and nevertheless all of them are included as one, for all of Israel is called "one soul," since all their souls derive from the root of the oneness of holiness beneath the Throne of Glory — as indicated by the fact that, concerning the sons of Esau, it says "souls" (plural), while concerning Jacob it says "seventy soul" (singular). And this is the meaning of "My dove is one," etc. (Song 6:9) — that all this multiplicity of individuals is nevertheless one; and therefore she was "My dove," in that she did not exchange Me for another in Egypt, when she went out — even though she had grown up among the idols of Egypt — despite the Egyptians' own soul being aroused against them over the matter of the lamb, which they drew out and slaughtered before their eyes. And this is the meaning of "My dove," like a dove that does not exchange its mate. And also "My perfect one" (tamati), in that she went after Moses and Aaron into the wilderness, with dough in their kneading-troughs, and did not say, "Where are the foods suitable for the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, and nursing mothers?" — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding that which Scripture states, "I remember for you the kindness of your youth, etc., your going after Me in the wilderness" (Jeremiah 2:2). And this is the meaning of "My perfect one." And from this it follows that, she being essentially one, possessed of unity, when they arrived at Mount Sinai — as it is written, "and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain" (Exodus 19:2), and it does not say "and they encamped" (plural) — for immediately they began to purify themselves of their impurity (zuhama), and acquired unity by means of the Shechinah's being present there on the mountain, which preceded them; and then she became a chariot (merkavah) to the Shechinah, who is truly her mother — as we have said regarding the verse, "and You came from the myriads of holiness" (Deuteronomy 33:2), that He left the chariots of the angels and came and rested His Shechinah upon Israel. And this is what is meant by "she is the one of her mother" (Song 6:9) — that by virtue of her being one, she became, to her mother, a chariot for her. And when the filth of the impurity was essentially ended, on the sixth day, at the standing at the giving of the Torah — for then the impurity ceased essentially, by means of the intermingling effect of the six days of preparation — for this reason they all merited alike to prophesy while awake, and neither rain nor lack of preparation held them back, as we have written elsewhere, that the impurity ceased from all of them, preparing them to prophesy. And then, needless to say, they acquired attachment (deveikut) with the Shechinah, who is their mother, so as to become a chariot to her; for even by virtue of her merely being pure and clean of impurity, she was possessed of clarity and sapphire-like brightness for the one who bore her — for after she became a chariot to the Shechinah, she was moreover pure enough to come into the midst of her mother, who, as it were, took her back into her mother's innards, and conceived from her, and bore her a second time. And this is because, upon hearing His utterances, may He be blessed, all the souls departed and were drawn up into the Shechinah as by the "death by a kiss" (mitat neshikah), and they entered into her interior, as it were, on account of their great brightness; and afterward the Shechinah, like one who gives birth to them, returned, and from within her restored the souls to the dead bodies. And this is the meaning of "she is pure to the one who bore her" — for this did not happen to Israel except by reason of great clarity, as is known. And so greatly was her stature publicized above, that "daughters" — that is, the ministering princes (sarim) of the upper worlds — saw her and declared her happy. This is the statement of the Zohar, Parashat Balak, that the ministering princes of the nations of the world all gave gifts to Israel; and so it is said in the Gemara, that there was no need even to mention the ordinary angels, for even the Angel of Death gave gifts. And it calls them "daughters," in the feminine, because they are the recipients of the divine flow for their nations — "queens" and "concubines" being the kings and princes of the nations of the world — "and they praised her," as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: that at the sounds and lightning-flashes of the giving of the Torah, the nations gathered before Balaam and said, "Perhaps the Holy One, blessed be He, is bringing a flood upon the world?" He said to them: "Hashem will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11) — and "strength" means nothing other than Torah. They answered and said: "Hashem will bless His people with peace" (Psalms 29:11). And likewise there are many innumerable statements in which the nations were praising Israel at that time. It is also possible, according to the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: "'threescore' — they are queens," etc.: sixty and eighty together are one hundred forty — they are the seventy nations who know..., etc., and the seventy who know..., etc. — they thereby indicated their opinion that it speaks of the nations. And it is possible, according to this, to say: Have I not said that you are not, at present, worthy to cleave to Me in the future bliss, but only, like Tirzah, have attained some measure of perfection, and I have divided you into unequal portions — the aspect of your eyes, the aspect of your hair, and the aspect of the "empty ones" (reikanim) of Torah within you — for even in them there are commandments? Let it not enter your mind that you are light in My eyes, and that I might perhaps choose a nation other than you, or reject a portion of the unsuitable parts of your nation. For indeed, know that the common element among all your parts, collectively, is that you have risen above every other nation — the expression alludes to your rise in the quality of holiness and the unity of the entire nation. For behold, "there are threescore queens," etc. — for every nation has, as its root, its own guardian prince (sar) above, and therefore they are reckoned in this count; and "maidens" are their souls, without number, to reckon them singly — for they do not come in a collective count as one, since they are separate, one from another. But "she is one," etc. — they are all one soul, as discussed above, until the end of the verse. And what is the praise with which the maidens and concubines praise her? It is what they say: "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn," etc. (Song 6:10) — for in only three stages did she rise, as it were, from the depths of the earth to the height of the firmament. For behold, in Egypt, when she began to look forth in true faith, her looking-forth was not yet truly bright, but only like the dawn; and immediately, through the Passover-offering and circumcision, she acquired the beauty of good deeds, but was like the moon, which cannot but have some blemish in it — and so indeed was Israel at that time, for even then, shortly afterward, they rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea. Surely this is an expression of her strength relative to her God, which is wondrous indeed: that immediately she rose and became bright as the sun, for their impurity ceased at Mount Sinai. And not only that, but immediately afterward she was "terrible as bannered hosts" (Song 6:10) — her terror being cast upon all creatures — like the terror cast by the bannered hosts, which are the four banners of the heavenly chariot; for our Sages, of blessed memory, said that there were four camps of the Shechinah at the giving of the Torah, with their banners, and therefore Israel desired the same arrangement, and it was granted to them. And this is the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the nations of the world were saying: "These are nothing but deities, whose implements are of fire — a pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud rising, and two flashes of fire going forth from between the staves of the Ark, consuming every fiery serpent and scorpion" — and therefore the terror of Israel fell upon them. And this is the meaning of "terrible as bannered hosts" — that she was terrible in that the nations of the world said this of Israel, that they were like "bannered hosts," namely the four camps of the Shechinah with their four banners — for the camps of Israel appeared, in their eyes, like the camps of the Shechinah. And so: "I am Hashem your God," who tells you that it was just as they said — for just as you desired to be made into four camps with four banners, so that I would make you into a chariot, just as there are four camps of the Shechinah with their banners, so I did — for I set aside the ministering angels, and "I went down into the garden of nuts" (Song 6:11). And this is because, behold, I have compared you, My beloved, to the nut — for when its two peels are removed from it, there are revealed within it four equal and joined parts of edible flesh. So too, after your two peels were removed from you, like the nut — these being the two "skins" of circumcision (milah) and "peri'ah" (the uncovering) — your perfection was revealed, and you merited, and became divided into four camps, like the four parts of the edible flesh of the nut; and then I descended upon you, and you became a chariot for Me. And so great was your merit that I let Myself be seen, "to look at the fruit-buds of the valley" (Song 6:11) — that is, the blossomings proceeding from the waters of the stream. And this is because, at the giving of the Torah, He, may He be blessed, brought down a flowing stream of divine emanation to pour out upon Israel, and from it they were prepared and received the holy spirit and prophecy; and even the future generations received into their souls everything that every future prophet would prophesy, and everything that every Torah scholar and every seasoned disciple would in future originate — as our Sages, of blessed memory, say in Exodus Rabbah. And this is the meaning of "to look at the fruit-buds of the valley" — how they blossomed by reason of the abundance of the stream; and what was correct according to expectation was that it was fitting that those who blossom should be the perfect, whole ones of Israel, who are likened to the vine. And this is the meaning of "I went down to look at the blossomings proceeding from the stream" — the main point being to see the blossoming of the vine. And afterward I saw that not only those likened to the vine blossomed, but also those likened to pomegranates — these being the "empty ones" (reikanim) among you, as in the verse, "your temple is like a piece of pomegranate" (Song 4:3) — and this is the meaning of "the pomegranates budded" — and it does not say "did the pomegranates bud?" (with the interrogative letter), as it would have had to, were it still referring back to the earlier "to look." But the sense of the verse is: the main purpose was to look at the fruit-buds of the valley, to see whether the vine had blossomed; and behold, the pomegranates too had budded — and how much more so, now, the vine! For even the "empty ones" of Israel prophesied: "and Hashem gave them to drink of the kisses of His mouth" — which is an extremely great attainment. Israel answers and says, "I did not know," etc. (Song 6:12) — meaning: behold, it was not through any wisdom that was in me that I attained that attainment, for indeed "I did not know"; but what I can determine to say is that it was my soul that placed me at this rank — for by reason of our souls' being related to one soul, in that they are beneath the Throne of Glory, on their account I merited this. That is to say: even now, our souls are still from there — so why should this rank (this "host," chayil) be diminished even now, in the generations of the exile (galut)? He, may He be blessed, answers and says: "the chariots of My generous people" (Song 6:12) — meaning: was not the choice free? For had you not been generous and willing (nadiv) in your choice, the quality of the soul would not have availed. And this is the meaning of "the chariots of My generous people" — meaning: it was "My people" who was then generous, and it was the generosity — his good choice, to choose the good — that raised him to the rank of being "chariots" to the Shechinah. And it says "chariots" in the plural, because the indwelling of the Shechinah is not equal in all of them, but rather in each one according to his preparation.

"There are threescore" — the opinions of the ancient sages who investigated matters of divinity were many. "And fourscore concubines" — and more numerous than these were those who investigated matters of nature. "And maidens without number" — those who teach matters of the [mundane] world.

"There are sixty queens" — It is possible that among King Solomon's wives, who were seven hundred noblewomen, there were sixty among them who were exceedingly beautiful and of praiseworthy character; and among his three hundred concubines there were eighty who were exceedingly beautiful, etc. It is as if the beloved were sending his word to say: Behold, among the king's noblewomen there are sixty who are exceedingly beautiful and of praiseworthy character, and likewise among his concubines there are eighty, and aside from these there are many young women who are exceedingly beautiful, etc. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, it is said that the offspring of Shem the son of Noah later divided into sixty peoples, and he called them by the name "queens," because they are of the seed of Shem, who was beloved by the Omnipresent, blessed be He, and blessed by the mouth of Noah his father. And the offspring of Japheth his brother later divided into eighty peoples, and he called them by the name "concubines," because they are of the seed of Japheth, who was not beloved by the Omnipresent, blessed be He, as Shem was, but was not hated before Him as Ham was. And the offspring of Ham their brother later divided into peoples without number, and he called them only by the name "maidens," because they are of the seed of Ham, who was hated by the Omnipresent, blessed be He, and cursed by the mouth of Noah his father.

"and maidens" (va'alamot) — young women, as in "maidens (alamot) love you" (above, 1:1).

But she is unique my dove. And of all of them, she is My chosen one, like a perfect dove, who is wholehearted with her mate. — Notes: (17) All the nations mentioned in the previous verse. (18) I.e., Yisroel. She is unique to her mother. To her assembly. Many arguments take place in the study halls, all of them stem from the desire to understand Torah in its fundamentals and according to its true meaning. — Notes: (19) I.e., allegorically the word לאמה is understood to mean לאומה [=nation]. She is pure to her who begot her. Yaakov saw that his bed [i.e., progeny] was perfect without any disqualification, and he thanked and praised the Omnipresent, as it is stated, “And Yisroel bowed down at the head of the of the bed.” — Notes: (20) Bereishis 47:31. He bowed in gratitude that all his children were righteous. Daughters saw her. [Other nations saw] Yisroel in her greatness. And acclaimed her. And what is their praise?

The third interpretation: "achat hi" (she is but one) — for she was not intermingled with the nations of the world.

"My dove is but one" — for she cleaved to Me like a dove to its mate. "My undefiled one" — the perfect one. "She is the only one of her mother" — [she belongs] to Sarah who bore you (cf. Isaiah 51:2), not to Abraham, from whom Ishmael also issued. "The daughters saw her and called her happy" — as in the matter of Rahab, who said, "for Hashem your God, He is God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath" (Joshua 2:11). "Queens and concubines" — the Queen of Sheba and her maidservants, as she said, "Happy are your men, happy are these your servants, etc." (I Kings 10:8).

"She is one" — But My love, who clings to Me like a dove to her mate, and is wholehearted in her love for Me, she is one and unique among them all, and none of them can be compared to her. And this is because she is the one and only child of her mother, who set her whole purpose upon smoothing the path of her ways to guide her straight with all her strength; and she is pure and clear for the sake of her mother who bore her, for her mother strove to cleanse her and polish her with the cosmetics of women. And the allegorical meaning is to say: behold, Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) is the one unique among all the nations, for the source of her hewing was holy — the Patriarchs and Matriarchs — and they rooted in her heart the love of Hashem. "The daughters saw her" — When the maidens saw her, in the excellence of her deeds and the extent of her beauty, they called her happy and praised her; and when the king's wives and his concubines saw her, they praised her, as though they themselves admitted that she surpassed them all. And the allegorical meaning concerns the sages of the nations, all of whom glorify Israel and acknowledge their praise.

"pure" (barah) — from the language of clear and clean. "and called her happy" (vaya'ashruha) — an expression of praise and acclaim, as in "happy (ashrei) is the man" (Psalms 1:1).

Who is this that gazes down. Upon us, [looking] from a high place to a low place is called “הַשְׁקָפָה.” So is the Beis Hamikdosh higher than all lands. — Notes: (21) See Maseches Kiddushin 69a. Like the [breaking] dawn. Which gradually illuminates little by little; so were the [Bnei] Yisroel during the second Beis Hamikdosh. In the beginning, Zerubavel was the governor of Yehudah, but not a king, and they were subjugated to Persia and to Greece, but afterwards, the house of Chashmonai defeated them and they became kings. Awesome as the hosts [of angels]. Awesome with her mighty men like the bannered legions of kings. All this the Holy One, Blessed Is He, praises the congregation of Yisroel, [beginning with] “You are beautiful, my beloved, as Tirtzah,” and the entire section until here. — Notes: (22) Above, verse 4.

"Who is this who looks forth" — Therefore it is fitting to wonder, for indeed Daniel and his companions, who were in exile, were watching expectantly for the light of salvation. "Fair as the moon" — which receives its light from another; so too he and his companions contemplated the words of Jeremiah, as he said, "I, Daniel, understood by the books..." (Daniel 9:2). "Clear as the sun" — through the prophecy of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who themselves prophesied concerning the salvation. "Terrible [awe-inspiring]" — as in the matter of Darius king of Persia, when he said, "and may the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow..." and "whoever shall put forth his hand to alter or to damage this house of God which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 6:12). And behold, afterward:

"Who is she who looks forth, etc." — This expression indicates a matter of praise and importance, similar to "Who would have said unto Abraham" (Genesis 21:7), and it refers back [to what precedes] to say that such was the praise with which the maidens, the queens, and the concubines praised her, and thus they said: "See who she is, and how great and important is this one who at first was looking forth and appeared like the radiance of the morning star, and after that she was raised up until she became beautiful as the moon, and after that she added yet more beauty until she became clear as the sun" — not in the manner of other women, whose beauty fades as they grow old. And the allegorical meaning is to say: how great is that nation, which each time adds upon itself fences and boundaries, to make a guard for the guarding of the Torah. "Terrible as an army with banners" — Because of her great importance and stature she casts fear upon those who see her, like banners of many camps that cast fear upon those who see them. And the allegorical meaning is to say that all the nations do not wish to destroy her utterly, as if she were a vast multitude of a people trained for war.

"who looks forth" (hanishkafah) — an expression of seeing and looking, as in "looked forth (nishkefah) through the window" (Judges 5:28). "as the dawn" (shachar) — the morning star. "terrible" (ayumah) — from the language of eimah (dread) and fear. "as an army with banners" (kanidgalot) — from the language of the banner of camps of people.

I went down to the garden of nuts. This too is the words of the Divine Presence, “Behold, I have come to this second Beis Hamikdosh, to you.” To see the moist plants of the valley. What moisture, [i.e.,] good deeds I would see in you. Whether the vine has blossomed. Whether you would blossom before Me [into] Torah scholars, scribes, and teachers. If the pomegranates had sprouted. Those who fulfill the commandments are full of merits. Why are [Bnei] Yisroel compared to a nut? Just as this nut, you see it entirely of wood [shell], and what is inside is not discernible, and you crack it and find it full of compartments of edible food, so are the [Bnei] Yisroel modest and humble in their deeds, and the students among them are not discernible, and they do not boast by announcing their own praise. But if you examine him, you find him full of wisdom. There are many additional Midrashic interpretations of this matter. Just as if this nut falls into mud, its inside does not become sullied, so are the [Bnei] Yisroel exiled among the nations and they suffer many blows, but their deeds do not become sullied.

The first interpretation: "egoz" (nut) — known in the language of the Sages, may their memory be blessed. "Ba-avei" (the green plants) — the first-ripening fruit that comes early, as in "ve-invei saggi" (and its fruit was abundant) (Daniel 4:9). "Hanetzu" (budded) — as in "alta nitzah" (the blossom shot forth) (Genesis 40:10). The second interpretation: "And I went down to the garden of nuts," to see whether the pomegranates had budded, in order to unite there. The third interpretation: And the Shechinah said, "I went down to the garden of nuts" — and the meaning is that I had ascended on high, until the vine should blossom — meaning, until Israel, who are likened to a vine, should perform [good and] pleasant deeds; and the meaning of "egoz" (nut) [whose fruit is hidden — ganuz] is that My wonders would not be seen during the exile [galut]; and do not wonder that it says "I went down," for behold, we find [the phrase] "ve-yaradti al he-harim" (and I will go down upon the mountains) (Judges 11:37).

"I went down into the garden of nuts" — I found the ten genealogical classes that went up to the Land, most of whom were unfit and unworthy of the resting of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). "To look at the green plants of the valley" — Nevertheless, I went down there with Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to look at those of good lineage who remained in Babylon. "Whether the vine budded, etc." — to see whether among them there were sages and students whose hearts turned to come to the land of Hashem, so that His Shechinah might come to rest there.

"I went down into the garden of nuts" — This too is from the words of the beloved [the lover], who said: Behold, when I parted from her I did not go to embrace the bosom of a foreign woman, rather my longing was for her, and to satisfy the longing I went down into the garden of nuts to stroll there, and to take in the scent of the leaves of the trees, and to see the plants growing on the bank of the stream, and to look whether the vine had blossomed, whether the buds of the pomegranates had grown. And the allegorical meaning is to say: even while Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) is in galut (exile), I did not choose another nation; rather I am to be found in synagogues and study houses, to receive willingly the engagement with novel teachings of the Torah and the melody of prayer.

"the green plants of the valley" (be'ivei hanachal) — in the plants, the growths, of the valley, as in "while it is yet in its greenness" (be'ibo) (Job 8:12). "budded" (haparchah) — from the language of perach (blossom). "were in flower" (heneitzu) — this is the setting of the fruit when the blossom falls, as in "put forth blossoms and brought forth flowers" (vayotze ferach vayatzetz tzitz) (Numbers 17:23).

I did not know. The congregation of Yisroel laments, “I did not know how to be aware of sin, that I should retain my glory and my greatness, and I erred over groundless hatred and controversy, which intensified during the reign of the Chashmonai kings, Horkenus and Aristoblus, until one of them brought in the Roman Empire and received the kingship from its hand and became its vassal. Since then, “my soul set me” to be “like chariots,” to let the nobility of other nations ride upon me. — Notes: (23) They were brothers who battled one another for the throne. A noble people. עַמִּי נָדִיב means] the same as עַם נָדִיב[=a noble people]. The yud is superfluous like the yud of, “the One Who took up His abode שֹׁכֵן=שֹׁכְנִי in the thornbush,” [and as in,] “stolen גְּנֻבַת=גְּנֻבְתִי by day,” [and as in,] “populous רַבַּת=רַבָּתִי.” — Notes: (24) Devarim 33:16. (25) Bereishis 31:39. (26) Eichah 1:1. My soul set me. I myself appointed them over me, as the matter is stated, “and you accustomed them to be officers in charge over you.” — Notes: (27) Yeirmiyahu 13:21.

The second interpretation: She answered, "I did not know where you were, in which garden; therefore I set my soul upon the chariots, with a willing people, to seek you."

"Before I was aware [I did not know my soul]" — The congregation of Hashem answers: Behold, I did not know then what the state of my soul was — my will and my knowledge. "My soul set me upon the chariots of my princely people" — that I chose to dwell in exile under the hand of Persia and Media, who are without doubt a princely people, as it says, "who regard not silver" (Isaiah 13:17) — even after I had been called by the prophets to come to the Holy King in His land, so that His Shechinah would rest among us.

"Before I was aware" — The beloved [the maiden] returns to lament, saying: Behold, then I did not set my heart to know and to be careful of the honor of the beloved, to open the door for him at once, and behold my soul made itself for me to become chariots, to be laden with the nobles of a people — meaning, to become enslaved and subjugated to them, in the manner of one who sits alone and forsaken. And the allegorical meaning is to say that Knesset Yisrael will lament, saying: I did not set my heart, from then, to go out from Babylon all together as Hashem commanded, and my soul made itself to be enslaved in galut (exile).

"set me" (samatni) — from the language of sim (placing) and making. "my people" (ami) — the yod is superfluous, as in "the dweller (shokhni) in the bush" (Deuteronomy 33:16), and there are many like it. "princely" (nadiv) — an expression of nobility, for it is the manner of a nobleman to give generously (lenadev) and to bestow gifts.