"... Every relationship has a commanding quality to it. Every relationship compels the participants to behave in a way that is appropriate to the relationship. God's love for Israel is all that is needed to inspire Israel to live a certain way. Contra the traditionalists, then, what was revealed was not the specific commandments but the fact of being commanded. But, contra Kaplan, God is very much the authority - however implicit - for the commandments, just as a lover's expressions of affection are governed by the presence and implicit wishes of the beloved." (p.24, Sacred Fragments, Neil Gillman. 1990)
(יד) יוֹנָתִ֞י בְּחַגְוֵ֣י הַסֶּ֗לַע בְּסֵ֙תֶר֙ הַמַּדְרֵגָ֔ה הַרְאִ֙ינִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖ינִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑ךְ כִּי־קוֹלֵ֥ךְ עָרֵ֖ב וּמַרְאֵ֥יךְ נָאוֶֽה׃ (ס) (טו) אֶֽחֱזוּ־לָ֙נוּ֙ שֽׁוּעָלִ֔ים שֽׁוּעָלִ֥ים קְטַנִּ֖ים מְחַבְּלִ֣ים כְּרָמִ֑ים וּכְרָמֵ֖ינוּ סְמָדַֽר׃
(14) “O my dove, in the cranny of the rocks, Hidden by the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet And your face is comely.” (15) Catch us the foxes, The little foxes That ruin the vineyards— For our vineyard is in blossom.
(ח) הֲרֵי מְפֹרָשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַנְּבִיאִים שֶׁאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא גּוּף וּגְוִיָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע ב יא) "כִּי ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הוּא אֱלֹקִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת". וְהַגּוּף לֹא יִהְיֶה בִּשְׁנֵי מְקוֹמוֹת. וְנֶאֱמַר (דברים ד טו) "כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל תְּמוּנָה". וְנֶאֱמַר (ישעיה מ כה) "וְאֶל מִי תְדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה". וְאִלּוּ הָיָה גּוּף הָיָה דּוֹמֶה לִשְׁאָר גּוּפִים:
(ט) אִם כֵּן מַהוּ זֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה "וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו". (שמות לא יח) "כְּתוּבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹקִים". "יַד ה'". "עֵינֵי ה'". "אָזְנֵי ה'". וְכַיּוֹצֵא בִּדְבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ. הַכּל לְפִי דַּעְתָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם הוּא שֶׁאֵינָן מַכִּירִין אֶלָּא (הַנּוֹפוֹת) [הַגּוּפוֹת] וְדִבְּרָה תּוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְהַכּל כִּנּוּיִים הֵן. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לב מא) "אִם שַׁנּוֹתִי בְּרַק חַרְבִּי". וְכִי חֶרֶב יֵשׁ לוֹ וּבְחֶרֶב הוּא הוֹרֵג אֶלָּא מָשָׁל וְהַכּל מָשָׁל. רְאָיָה לַדָּבָר שֶׁנָּבִיא אֶחָד אוֹמֵר שֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (דניאל ז ט) "לְבוּשֵׁיִהּ כִּתְלַג חִוֵּר". וְאֶחָד רָאָהוּ (ישעיה סג א) "חֲמוּץ בְּגָדִים מִבָּצְרָה". משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עַצְמוֹ רָאָהוּ עַל הַיָּם כְּגִבּוֹר עוֹשֶׂה מִלְחָמָה. וּבְסִינַי כִּשְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר עָטוּף. לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ דְּמוּת וְצוּרָה אֶלָּא הַכּל בְּמַרְאֵה הַנְּבוּאָה וּבְמַחֲזֶה. וַאֲמִתַּת הַדָּבָר אֵין דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מֵבִין וְלֹא יְכוֹלָה לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ וּלְחָקְרוֹ. וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (איוב יא ז) "הַחֵקֶר אֱלוֹקַּ תִּמְצָא אִם עַד תַּכְלִית שַׁדַּי תִּמְצָא":
(8) Behold, it is clearly indicated in the Torah and in the Prophets that the Holy One, blessed is He! is Incorporeal for it is said: "That the Lord, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath" (Deut. 4.39); a corporeal being is incapable of being in two places simultaneously; and it is also said: "For ye saw no manner of form" (Ibid.–15); and it is moreover said: "To whom will ye liken me, that I should be equal?" (Isa. 40,25); had He been corporeal He would be like other bodies.
(9) If so, wherefore is it written in the Torah, "And there was under his feet" (Ex. 24,10), "Written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31,18), "The hand of the Lord" (Ex. 9,3), "The eyes of the Lord" (Deut. 11, 12), "The ears of the Lord" (Num. 11,18) and more like expressions? All such terminology is in accordance with the conception of sons of man who cannot recognize aught but corporeal things, and the words of the Torah is like human speech, but they are all attributes; for example, it is said: "If I whet My glittering sword," (Deut. 32. 41.); Hath He a sword, or doth He slay with a sword? But it is a metaphor, so is all metaphorical. As testimony thereto, one prophet says that he saw the Holy One, blessed is He! "His raiment was as white snow" (Dan. 7,9), and another saw Him "With crimsoned garments from Bozrah" (Isa. 63,1); Moses our Master himself saw Him at the Red Sea "as a hero engaged in battle," (Ex. 15.3) and upon Sinai as "a garbed minister of a congregation (Ex. 19.19.), to say: He hath neither form nor image, but all is a vision of prophecy and a mirage, the absolute truth of the matter no human mind comprehends or is able to fathom it or penetrate it. It is even this what it says in Scripture: "Canst thou find out the deep things of God? Canst thou attain unto the purposes of the Almighty?" (Job. 11,7).
1. How does this function as a love poem between two people?
2. How does this function as a the connection that we have/want to have with God?
3. Why are so many metaphors and images used to describe this relationship?
4. The text famously says, "My beloved is mine, and I am theirs." Why does this idea come to represent an ideal in relationships?
5. The search for one's love has been compared to a search for higher spiritual meaning - a sometimes endless search with no guarantee of success. In what ways are these worthwhile searches? In what ways are they foolish?