Song of Songs Chapter 1 Verses 8-11

Last updated 8.28.24

Let’s review the flow of the verses to this point.

1. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine.
3. Because of the fragrance of your goodly in oils, your name is ‘oil poured forth.’ Therefore, the maidens loved you.
4. Draw me, we will run after you; the king brought me to his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you. We will recall your love more fragrant than wine; they have loved you sincerely.
5. I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem! Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
6. Do not look upon me [disdainfully] because I am swarthy, for the sun has gazed upon me; my mother’s sons were incensed against me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards; my own vineyard I did not keep.
7. Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where do you feed, where do you rest [the flocks] at noon, for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?

The previous comment from the female in verse 7, indicates her desire to reunite, re-establishing her previous position. Her question, beginning with, “Why should I,” reflects the people’s lack of understanding regarding the reason for their exile, and what is required (on their part) for it to end.

The exile is not a punishment. The sorrow connected to it, is itself a necessary means to an end:

The congregation of Israel says “master of the world this soul that praises you how long shall it be in the dust” Said the holy one blessed be He, By your lives! The end will come, and your souls will rejoice.” (Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:37). At first glance, we might wonder how the reply answers the question after all, the congregation of Israel also believes that the end will come its question is not if it will come, but when? God‘s answer, however, means; how can I reveal the end to you? For if I did as the end near, your souls would rejoice, even though you were still in exile. Were that to happen, your morning period would not be completed. Therefore, I must conceal it from you.
Days of Peace, Ben Ish Hai Anthology

One can compare this to having a broken arm in a cast, or having to take a bitter medicine for an infection for a set period of time. Removing or ending the required means for healing too soon, though it is desired and would bring ‘relief,’ would jeopardize the desired outcome. (This will be expounded on in verse 2:7, regarding “not awakening love before its time.”)

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Looking through all the ups and downs in their history (see verse 5 notes) one could begin to wonder what the impact of these mistakes would be.

Though many of the steps along the path to redemption may be hidden and even disguised as negative events, all paths must, by definition, eventually lead to redemption.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston, “Just in Keitz” (Torah.org)

As previously mentioned, the Torah itself:

The Torah identifies with Shir Hashirim. For the Torah is the pledge for the love around which the Song revolves. If the pledge is violated, the Torah itself stands before God’s Throne as an accuser.
‘Megillas Shir Ha-Shirim,’ Rav. Dr. Raphael Breuer

Shekinah is on earth … but a righteous person actualizes the divine potential in the world.
Daniel Matt, Zohar and Kabbalah

“The tzaddik is bit concerned only with those close to his ideals, with good and pious people. He will seek out the wicked and sinful to move them to teshuvah. … His charity, therefore, includes not only help for the materially poor and needy, but also the highest form of tzedakh: the spiritual charity of making the wicked meritorious.”
“Chassidic Dimensions – Volume Three,” Jacob Immanuel Schochet, p.93

(The Tzaddik is) … “one who gives freely and generously. By lifting up his brethren, he himself is raised.”
“On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,” Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 139

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BELOW ARE ALL “Chassidic Dimensions – Volume Three,” Jacob Immanuel Schochet

“The tzaddik is like the ladder in Jacob’s dream, of which it is said, ‘Ascended and descended on it.’ For just as he is able to bring down the effluence and to extend it, so he is able to cause his whole generation to ascend.”
p. 106

“This is the tzaddik who is able to join and bind together all worlds. As he himself is bound up with G-d on the one hand, and with the worlds on the other, he joins them all to Divinity. Thus he is the intermediary between them, the channel or funnel that serves as the passageway in both directions.”
p. 108

“The tzaddik in this world, by virtue of having reached the level of Mah (chokMAH/wisdom & self-negation) – thus becoming attached to the supernal wisdom – becomes the intermediary through which the Heavenly abundance comes to this world when he himself exists.”
p. 109

“Even as the tzaddik is the path for Divine influences to the world in general, so he is also an intermediary for the people of his generation to ascend to Divinity.”
p. 109

“How apt then, the Baal Shem Tov’s interpretation of Psalms 118:20, ‘This is the gate to G-d, tzaddikim. Tzaddikim are the gate to G-d’.”
p. 111

“(The tzaddik) … elevates them and attaches them to G-d. He is merely like a ladder through which it is easy to ascend.”
p. 114.

“The tzaddik, the leader and shepherd of Israel, is the very heart of all the people of Israel. Thus he is the very specific channel connecting above and below.”
p. 115

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“The bond which we seek to create with the Tzaddik is a spiritual one. In this sense, it is like the bond each Jew wants to create between himself and G-d.”
Crossing the Narrow Bridge, Chaim Kramer, p. 328

Receiving counsel from the tzaddik creates a bond between the giver and the receiver. In a sense, this is like a marriage. Through the transmission of his advice, a union occurs between the tzaddik and the person receiving from him
Likutey Moharan I, 7:4

“He (the tzaddik) is a talpiyot – the elevation for all to turn to.”
Tikunei Zohar 6:145b [Berachot 30a]

“You should search after a tzadik who has the power to gather in the souls and elevate them. Then your soul will be elevated with the others and renewed, and through this Torah will be brought down into the world and revealed. You must plead with G-d again and again to make you worthy of finding such a tzadik. He has the power to cleanse you of the blemishes caused by your desires and impulses and actually elevate them. When a person has a certain lust, the desire itself is a blemish which embitters the soul, as it is written, `she was bitter in her soul’ (Samuel I, 1:10) and `her soul was bitter’ (Kings II, 4:27). The soul becomes dissipated and does not radiate. It is a `hungry soul ‘ (Psalms 107:9). But by coming to the tzadik, a complete tikkun can be achieved. The tzadik has the power to purify and elevate even a person’s negative desires together with his positive, holy yearning, as it is written, `The hungry person He fills with good’ (Psalms Ibid.). `He will satisfy your soul in drought’ (Isaiah 58:10) and `He will renew your youth like the eagle’s’ — which is to say that all the days of your youth, which were passed in darkness, will be renewed. The wrongs will be corrected and you will be worthy of the name Adam. One’s body is also elevated and renewed when he comes to the tzadik.”
Likutey Moharan, I, 13:5,6

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The concept of the messiah can be compared to the “ultimate tzaddik.”

“One who attached himself to the true tzaddikim has true faith. Mashiach is the true tzaddik. One who accepts Mashiach will receive from him pure faith, and will not have misplaced his faith.”
Mashiach – Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Resarch Institute, Jerusalem, p. 86.

8. If you do not know, O fairest of women, go your way in the footsteps of the flocks and pasture your kids beside the shepherds’ dwellings.

in the case of verse 8, The response seems rather sharp

This is not to show how ‘evil’ the people were and condemn them. Rather, the rebuke is for their benefit – out of love. This is one of the teachings of what the messiah will do:

Mashiach’s job is to bring everyone back to God, even the worst sinner. … “Proper rebuke thus strengthens the soul by The rectification for one who has sinned and weakened his soul is the ‘Voice of Rebuke’.” … “There is a garden where fragrant smells and fear of God bloom. For ‘The river flows from Eden and waters the Garden…’ (Genesis 2:10) ‘River’ represents the Voice of Rebuke as in Psalms 93:3; ‘The rivers have lifted their voice.’ This ‘voice’ which waters the garden (the sweet smells) stems from Eden, the source of the ‘Song of the Future’.” … We see then that the Voice of Rebuke is rooted in Eden, which corresponds to Keter, the source of Mashiach’s vitality. … Mashiach will possess this “Voice of Rebuke” because MaShiaCh is like MaSiaCh, “one who speaks.” Since Mashiach is bound together with all souls through his sense of smell (i.e., “the nose”), he will be able to rebuke everyone properly, to arose awe within them and draw them closer to God. His voice will be the flowing “River” from Eden, from which emanate aromatic fragrances, so that everyone will be drawn to the “savory smell” of Mashiach.
Mashiach – Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 60-67.

In all cases, the words of the masculine figure are meant to guide the feminine back on track.

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Sha’ar HaGilgulim introduces another crucial concept that happens to be far too little known. It is called “mirmah u’tachboles,” or “scheming and calculating.” It is important because it explains a lot about the mysterious ways of God, specifically when it comes to redemption.

In short, it is a backdoor approach to redemption, to throw off the negative spiritual forces that stand to interfere with it. Since the Final Redemption means the end of evil, evil wants to stop redemption from ever happening. It has been VERY successful on MANY occasions.

This is particularly a problem when the Jewish people do not merit redemption, but history requires it, what the Talmud calls a “Keitz,” an “End-Time.” That is when God is “compelled” to employ mirmah u’tachboles, which has the affect of making something redemption-like look like just the opposite.

It’s a long story, and Kabbalistic, but it helps to put into perspective questionable historical events such as the sale of Yosef, the initial rejection of Dovid HaMelech, and even the Vilna Gaon’s aborted trip to Eretz Yisroel. Perhaps it even explains how a secular Jewish state can very much be an integral part of the Final Redemption.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston, “Just in Keitz” (Torah.org)

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TEXT

A logical question to ask might be, “What about the damage done … Has that impacted things?

it certainly has. The ‘vessel’ destined to receive from above is tainted. This not only calls for repair (tikkun) and continuing on one’s mission from a newly created perspective, it must be one ‘she’ has to see herself! This will enable the “Awakening from below” mentioned EARLIER etc. ….

• (link back to previous Yesod concepts and emphasis — expand more from shaare orah?

Partzufim (intro the concept) connect to temple etc …

A Partzuf is a person’s “face” or “appearance” with his or her distinctive features, head, body, arms and legs. The human form reflects that of the Tree of Life, which is one of perfect balance. In the human body, the right and left sides meet and are balanced in the center column. The human form thus expresses the alignment and balance of right and left, giver and receiver. Another expression of this alignment and balance is when Male and Female interact and join together in mutual cooperation, stimulation, giving and receiving. In the terminology of the Kabbalah, this mutual interaction takes the form of Chibur, connecting, and Zivug, pairing and mating. All these concepts of giver/receiver, right/left, male/female, mutual interaction, cooperation and stimulation are aspects of the array of Partzufim through which the ten Sefirot function in different ways on different levels to bring creation to its ultimate purpose …

…  The ultimate goal of creation is the complete revelation of God on all levels. In this rectified state, Giver and Receiver are perfectly aligned. The movement of creation towards this rectified state is characterized by various kinds of “joining” and “pairing” of the various Partzufim, some of which are more involved in “giving”, while others are more associated with “receiving”. The supreme example of creative interaction, giving and receiving, is when Man and Wife align and join together in holy union – Yichud – to parent a child who will unite in one being essential qualities of both. They accomplish this through Chibur, joining together, and Zivug, cooperative interaction. …

In a person’s inner spiritual life, the Giver is God and the person or soul, the Receiver, is the “Wife”, while the “children” are the person’s spiritual achievements and good deeds. Yichud, holy union, comes about when the receiver “joins” him or herself to God. One makes oneself the vessel for Godly light by binding all one’s limbs and faculties to His service and filling one’s mind and soul with the words of prayer coming from one’s mouth into one’s ears. When a person makes him or herself a vessel for Godly light on the level of thought, word and action, Shechinah, the Indwelling Presence, is aligned to receive from Melech, the King.

When this unification (Yichud) comes about, the receiving Partzuf of Nukva, the female, is aligned to receive from Zeir Anpin, the male. On the level of the Names of the two Partzufim involved, this union is expressed through the “joining” of the two Divine Names YHVH and ADNY to form new power-combinations. One of the better known examples of how these two names may be “joined together” is through Shiluv, “interweaving” the letters of the two names as in YAHDVNHY or AYDHNVYH, as printed in certain prayer-books. Those who know the meaning of these Shiluvim may visualize and contemplate them at appropriate points in their prayers, thereby unifying the Giver, the Holy One blessed-be-He, and the Receiver, the Shechinah.
Mishkney Elyon, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto

Revisiting the question from verse 6 … connect to ‘the great good’ in text just above ^

Messiah is associated with Tiferet .. The masculine figure is pointing/Pulling Towards something greater than their own relationship etc

8. “If you do not know, O fairest of women, go your way in the footsteps of the flocks and pasture your kids beside the shepherds’ dwellings.

It this the beginning of tsimtsum – realizing what the situation really is.

The path to follow. Ben Ish book p, 59

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The conventional interpretation of this verse is that the woman is asking her beloved where he pastures his sheep so she can find him. Yet, read literally, the verse can be translated: “tell me, you who my soul loves, how do you sustain yourself.” The Jewish people question how G-d sallows the exile. While it is true that the Jewish people have strayed from following the Torah and adhering to the commandments, and they are therefore deserving of exile, nevertheless, the question remains why G-d allows the exile, since, in exile, G-d himself is deprived, of his “sustenance”?

This revolutionary explanation, that the Jewish people are asking for G-d to bring the redemption not for their benefit but rather for his benefit, is based on the Midrash’s interpretation of a word which appears multiple times in the Song of Songs, “my spouse” (“Ra’ya’ti”). The literal translation of “Ra’ya’ti” (“my spouse”) is “the one who pastures me.” The Jewish people sustain G-d, through offering the offerings as the verse states, “my offerings my bread”. The Jewish people’s offerings in the temple is the “food” that sustains G-d.

The function of food is to connect the soul with the body. Without food, the body is weakened to the point that it cannot receive the soul’s vitality, and the soul departs from the body. This same model applies regarding the ten Divine attributes through which G-d creates the world, which the Zohar refers to as the “body.” The service of the Jewish people is the “food,” which connects the “soul,” the infinite light of G-d, with the “body,” the ten limited and finite attributes. During the time of the exile, when the Jewish people are unable to offer the offerings and unable to perform many of the commandments, the Jewish people turn to G-d and ask: “Where do you feed?” “How is the infinite light of G-d drawn into the finite attributes to create the world without the food – the service of the Jewish people”?

The same question, “where do you feed?”, can be asked from the angle of the Jewish people themselves: what is the purpose of the exile, as a consequence of straying from the Torah, if, as a result of the exile, the Jewish people are unable to keep the Torah? Instead of providing sustenance to G-d, the Jewish people are “pasturing amongst the other shepherds,” struggling to survive in the material sense, completely distracted from their spiritual purpose and mission?

In response to this powerful question, G-d tells the Jewish people: “If you do not know, O fairest of women, go your way in the footsteps of the flocks”. The Hebrew word “know” (“Te’dei”, from the root word” Da’at”) means connection. G-d explains that food is necessary to connect body and soul when a person is healthy. When one is unhealthy, suffering from an illness, which is the spiritual state of the people in exile, food will not be adequately digested and will not contribute to health. During an illness, what is necessary is not food but rather potent medicine.

“If you do not know, O fairest of women”: During the spiritual illness of exile, the person can no longer “know” and experience the knowledge and awareness of G-d. The soul cannot tap into its inner beauty. Therefore, to heal herself and the Divine attributes, the soul must “go your way in the footsteps of the flocks”. Following the footsteps of the flock evokes the image of our patriarch Jacob pasturing his father-in-law Laban’s sheep. According to the kabbalah, Jacob refined the sparks of holiness that fell within the lowest parts of creation, the “heels” of reality. During exile, when the soul descends to the most challenging environment and must overcome challenges and obstacles to its way of life, it elicits the divine attribute of victory, rooted in a far more elevated plain than the other attributes. Overcoming obstacles, then, produces the medicine, which brings “healing” to the exile and to the ten Divine attributes.

Mystical Music of the Song of Songs

Menachem Feldman, Sichos.net.

https://www.sichos.net/song-of-songs#h.cn4nzk5km4vu 

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There are two ways in which a person can be awakened. There is the person who exerts himself to a great extent, mentally and physically to refine himself, and is a rewarded with a revelation of God‘s closeness, since he has transformed himself into a receptacle for it. Furthermore, the awakening that this person experiences is one that will have a lasting effect, for he has truthfully transformed himself for the better.
Then there is the person who is spontaneously inspired, but, as is often the case, in such situations, quickly loses his inspiration. Although this awakening is in itself a true one, it nonetheless passes since it was not followed by any effort on the persons part to draw close to God. For since this inspiration stems from the heavenly awakening that radiates only at certain suspicious times, two ceases with us “awakening from above” departs.
…
There exists another fundamental difference between the love of God that resolves from the soprano awakening, and that which resolves from men’s “sacrifice” — that is, concerning what part of the person becomes near to G-d. The supernatural awakening inspires only the G-dly soul, since it is a part of God from on high and possesses an in a law of God. It is thus sensitive to a sup awakening and can be aroused from above to draw here to God.

The animal soul, conversely, is not affected by revelation. It is only awakened through man’s effort, transforming his character. …
But to transform the animal soul into a sacrifice for God, one must begin by subduing his evil inclination, I. E., By being incomplete control over his thoughts, speech and actions.
…
In a similar manner, the following verse can be explained:
“draw me, let us run after you, the king is proving into his chambers.“

“Draw me” (singular) is the supernatural awakening that draws the godly soul alone to God.

“Let us run after you” (plural) refers to man’s efforts, which caused his animal soul, too, to pursue God.

“The king has brought me into his chamber chamber.” refers to Torah, and “has brought me,” in past tense, refers to the Torah that is taught to the fetus prior to birth. This imbues one with the powered and strength to succeeded in one’s mission of transforming the animal soul later on in life.

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9. I have compared thee, O my love. To a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.

(We depart here from the translation found on Chabad.org which reads, “At the gathering of the steeds of Pharaoh’s chariots have I silenced you, my beloved.”)

The text takes us in an unexpected direction — back to Egypt. A comparison can be made between the Shekinah/the people alluded to in verse 7 and the situation in Egypt, regarding not only exile, but what the ‘solution’ to the problem they faced.

This brings us back to an interpretation of verse 4.

Draw me, we will run after you; the king brought me to his chambers.

The three parts to this verse are associated with the following sequence going from the exile in Egypt to freedom.

The Chassidic masters explain that the three clauses of the verse refer to three stages of the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people, represented in:

1. 1. The holiday of Passover.
   2. The counting of the Omer (during the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot).
   3. And the holiday of Shavuot (which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai).

“Draw me after you”: The woman is trapped by her circumstances, unable to pursue the person she loves. All she can do is call out to him to draw her near to him. To inspire her and free her from the shackles holding her back. This metaphoric scene captures the reality of the Jewish people in Egypt. They were enslaved both physically and spiritually, unable to free themselves from the shackles and the mind frame of Egypt. They cried out to G-d, and G-d rescued his beloved people. G-d pulled them out of Egypt without any effort on their part.

“Let us run!”: Once her beloved drew her near, she too can run. This corresponds to the seven weeks of counting the Omer, the seven weeks of preparation for the giving of the Torah when the Jewish people work to refine themselves in preparation for receiving the Torah. That is why the verse states, “we will run,” because, unlike in Egypt where the Jewish people were passive, during the counting of the Omer, the Jewish people invest effort, they “run”, to become closer to G-d.

“The king has brought me to his chambers”: This refers to the holiday of Shavuot, when we receive the Torah because through the study of Torah, we experience an intimate bond with G-d. We are in His innermost chamber.

this “3 part process” reflects that of the arousals from above and below mentioned in verse XXX note described as:

1. The desire of Hashem (as expressed in different ways) reflective of the previous status of the feminine/Shekinah
2. Arousal from below (sincere, reciprocal desire/action on our part) reflective of the current status of the feminine
3. Arousal from Above (fulfillment, full connection) reflective of the future elevated status of the feminine

TEXT …

Pesach Is the “Awakening from above” to elicit the “Awakening from below.” This Parallels … The voice of my beloved … Leaping over mountains” (verse 2:8) referring to the “Awakening from above” … The Sefirot HaOmer … Signifies the purifying of the seven characteristics of the animal soul   This corresponds to … “The awakening from below.” This procedure leads us to the holiday of Shavuot, The giving of the Torah,Which corresponds to the “Awakening from above” That follows the “Awakening from below” — The manifestation of his will, and his wisdom below, in this world.

Transforming the Inner Self, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi 

10. Your cheeks are comely with rows, your neck with necklaces.

11. We will make you rows of gold with studs of silver.”

Once again, we are faced with not only multiple but almost conflicting interpretations of a verse.

Is this a compliment and way of reminding her that the relationship is still firm regardless of present circumstances?

Is it a retort (More in line with verse 8) …. Materialism (really self centeredness) vs Hashem

Dubner p, 81

Look for examples of fear and desire in the text

Notess

(1)  Concepts evolve out of the exchanges — chibur!

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