Rabbi Akiva's Issues, A
"Whoever trills the Song of Songs in banquet halls – and treats it like a mere lyric (zemer) – has no share in the world to come" (Sanhedrin 12).
(יט) וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ הִנֵּה֩ חַג־ה' בְּשִׁל֜וֹ מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֗ימָה אֲשֶׁ֞ר מִצְּפ֤וֹנָה לְבֵֽית־אֵל֙ מִזְרְחָ֣ה הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ לִמְסִלָּ֔ה הָעֹלָ֥ה מִבֵּֽית־אֵ֖ל שְׁכֶ֑מָה וּמִנֶּ֖גֶב לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃ (כ) ויצו [וַיְצַוּ֕וּ] אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִנְיָמִ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר לְכ֖וּ וַאֲרַבְתֶּ֥ם בַּכְּרָמִֽים׃ (כא) וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם וְ֠הִנֵּה אִם־יֵ֨צְא֥וּ בְנוֹת־שִׁילוֹ֮ לָח֣וּל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒ וִֽיצָאתֶם֙ מִן־הַכְּרָמִ֔ים וַחֲטַפְתֶּ֥ם לָכֶ֛ם אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מִבְּנ֣וֹת שִׁיל֑וֹ וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם אֶ֥רֶץ בִּנְיָמִֽן׃ (כב) וְהָיָ֡ה כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣אוּ אֲבוֹתָם֩ א֨וֹ אֲחֵיהֶ֜ם לרוב [לָרִ֣יב ׀] אֵלֵ֗ינוּ וְאָמַ֤רְנוּ אֲלֵיהֶם֙ חָנּ֣וּנוּ אוֹתָ֔ם כִּ֣י לֹ֥א לָקַ֛חְנוּ אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה כִּ֣י לֹ֥א אַתֶּ֛ם נְתַתֶּ֥ם לָהֶ֖ם כָּעֵ֥ת תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ (ס) (כג) וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֙ בְּנֵ֣י בִנְיָמִ֔ן וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ נָשִׁים֙ לְמִסְפָּרָ֔ם מִן־הַמְּחֹלְל֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר גָּזָ֑לוּ וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙ אֶל־נַ֣חֲלָתָ֔ם וַיִּבְנוּ֙ אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ בָּהֶֽם׃
(19) And they said: ‘Behold, there is the feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.’ (20) And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: ‘Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; (21) and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. (22) And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to strive with us, that we will say unto them: Grant them graciously unto us; because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle; neither did ye give them unto them, that ye should now be guilty.’ (23) And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off; and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
(ה) כל כתבי הקדש מטמאין את הידים. שיר השירים וקהלת מטמאין את הידים. רבי יהודה אומר: שיר השירים מטמא את הידים, וקהלת מחלקת. רבי יוסי אומר: קהלת אינו מטמא את הידים ושיר השירים מחלקת. רבי שמעון אומר: קהלת מקלי בית שמאי ומחמרי בית הלל. אמר רבי שמעון בן עזאי: מקבל אני מפי שבעים ושנים זקן ביום שהושיבו את רבי אלעזר בן עזריה בישיבה, ששיר השירים וקהלת מטמאים את הידים. אמר רבי עקיבא: חס ושלום, לא נחלק אדם מישראל על שיר השירים שלא תטמא את הידים, שאין כל העולם כלו כדאי כיום שנתן בו שיר השירים לישראל, שכל הכתובים קדש, ושיר השירים קדש קדשים. ואם נחלקו, לא נחלקו אלא על קהלת. אמר רבי יוחנן בן יהושע בן חמיו של רבי עקיבא: כדברי בן עזאי כך נחלקו וכן גמרו.
(5) ... All sacred scriptures render the hands impure. The Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes render the hands impure. Rabbi Yehudah says: The Song of Songs renders the hands impure, but there is a dispute regarding Ecclesiastes. Rabbi Yose says: Ecclesiastes does not render the hands impure, and there is a dispute regarding The Song of Songs. Rabbi Shimon says: Ecclesiastes is among the [relative] leniencies of Beit Shammai, and the [relative] stringencies of Beit Hillel. Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai said, "I have a recieved tradition from the mouths of seventy-two elders, on the day they inducted Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria into his seat [as head] at the Academy, that The Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes render the hands impure." Rabbi Akiva said, "Mercy forbid! No one in Israel ever disputed that The Song of Songs renders the hands impure, since nothing in the entire world is worthy but for that day on which The Song of Songs was given to Israel; for all the Scriptures are holy, but The Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies! And if they did dispute, there was only a dispute regarding Ecclesiastes." Rabbi Yochanan ben Yehoshua, the son of Rabbi Akiva's father-in-law, said, "In accordance with words of Ben Azzai, thus did they dispute, and thus did they conclude."
(א) גַּם־אֵ֭לֶּה מִשְׁלֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶ֝עְתִּ֗יקוּ אַנְשֵׁ֤י ׀ חִזְקִיָּ֬ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָֽה׃
(1) These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah he'etiku.
(ח) אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל: לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיום הכפורים, שבהן בנות ירושלים יוצאות בכלי לבן שאולין, שלא לביש את מי שאין לו. כל הכלים טעונין טבילה. ובנות ירושלים יוצאות וחולות בכרמים. ומה היו אומרות: בחור, שא נא עיניך וראה, מה אתה בורר לך. אל תתן עיניך בנוי, תן עיניך במשפחה.(משלי לא) שקר החן והבל היפי אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל. ואומר תנו לה מפרי ידיה ויהללוה בשערים מעשיה. וכן הוא אומר (שיר השירים ג) צאינה וראינה בנות ציון במלך שלמה בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו ביום חתנתו וביום שמחת לבו. ביום חתנתו - זו מתן תורה. וביום שמחת לבו - זה בנין בית המקדש, שיבנה במהרה בימינו. אמן.
(8) Rabbon Simeon ben Gamaliel says, "Never were more joyous festivals in Israel than thefifteenth of Av and the Yom Kippur, for on them the maidens of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments—borrowed ones, in order not to cause shame to those who had them not of their own;—these clothes were also to be previously immersed, and thus they went out and danced in the vineyards, saying, Young men, look and observe well whom you are about to choose [as a spouse]; regard not beauty [alone], but rather look to a virtuous family, for 'Gracefulness is deceitful, and beauty is a vain thing, but the woman that feareth the Lord, she is worthy of praise' (Prov. 31:3); and it is also said (Prov. 31:31), 'Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.' And thus is it said [in allusion to this custom], 'Go out, maidens of Jerusalem, and look on King Solomon, and on the crown wherewith his mother has encircled [his head] on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the gladness of his heart' (Song of Songs 3:11); 'the day of his espousals,' alludes to the day of the gift of the law, and 'the day of the gladness of his heart,' was that when the building of the Temple was completed." May it soon be rebuilt in our days. Amen!
רבי חנינא מיעטף וקאי אפניא דמעלי שבתא אמר בואו ונצא לקראת שבת המלכה רבי ינאי לביש מאניה מעלי שבת ואמר בואי כלה בואי כלה.
R. Hanina would cover himself [in a cloak] and stand towards the beginning of Shabbat and say: Come, let us go out to greet the Sabbath queen. R. Yannai would wear a [special] garment on Sabbath eve and say Come, bride; come, bride.
(ב) הָלֹ֡ךְ וְקָֽרָאתָ֩ בְאָזְנֵ֨י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר ה' זָכַ֤רְתִּי לָךְ֙ חֶ֣סֶד נְעוּרַ֔יִךְ אַהֲבַ֖ת כְּלוּלֹתָ֑יִךְ לֶכְתֵּ֤ךְ אַחֲרַי֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּאֶ֖רֶץ לֹ֥א זְרוּעָֽה׃
(2) Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the LORD: I remember for thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
(ה) כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֤ל בָּחוּר֙ בְּתוּלָ֔ה יִבְעָל֖וּךְ בָּנָ֑יִךְ וּמְשׂ֤וֹשׂ חָתָן֙ עַל־כַּלָּ֔ה יָשִׂ֥ישׂ עָלַ֖יִךְ אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃
The Song as Key to Unlock Torah's Meaning
The rabbis say: Do not let this mashal be light in your eyes, for by means of this mashal one comes to comprehend the words of Torah. A mashal to a king who has lost a golden coin from his house or a precious pearl – does he not find it be means of a wick worth a penny? Similarly, let not this mashal be light in your eyes, for by means of this mashal one comes to comprehend the words of Torah....
- Shir HaShirim Rabbah, translated in Boyarin, Intertextuality and the Reading of Midrash, 107
(יד) יוֹנָתִ֞י בְּחַגְוֵ֣י הַסֶּ֗לַע בְּסֵ֙תֶר֙ הַמַּדְרֵגָ֔ה הַרְאִ֙ינִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖ינִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑ךְ כִּי־קוֹלֵ֥ךְ עָרֵ֖ב וּמַרְאֵ֥יךְ נָאוֶֽה׃
(14) O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.’
Midrash: Imagery
The one of the house of R. Ishmael teaches: in the hour in which Israel went out from Egypt, to what were they similar? To a dove which ran away from a hawk, and entered the cleft of a rock and found there a nesting snake. She entered within, but could not go in, because of the snake; she could not go back, because of the hawk which was waiting outside. What did the dove do? She began to cry out and beat her wings, in order that the owner of the dovecote would hear and come save her. That is how Israel appeared at the sea. They could not go down into the sea, for the sea had not yet been split for them. They could not go back, for Pharaoh was coming near. What did they do? "They were mightily afraid, and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord" (Exod. 14:10), and immediately. "The Lord saved them on that day" (Exod 14:30).
- Shir HaShirim Rabbah, as translated in Boyarin, Intertextuality, 111
Midrash: Intertexts
R. Eliezer decoded the verse in that hour that Israel stood at the sea. My dove in the cleft of the rock in the hiding place of the steep (Song 2:14), that they were hidden in the hiding place of the sea – Show me your visage; this is what is written. "Stand forth and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exod. 14:13) – Let me hear your voice; this is the singing, as it says, "Then Moses sang" (Exod. 13:1) – For your voice is lovely; this is the Song – And your visage is beautiful; for Israel were pointing with their fingers and saying, "This is my God and I will beautify Him." (Exod. 15:2)
- Shir HaShirim Rabba, translated in Boyarin, Intertextuality, 113
"And they stood (va-yityatzevu) at the base of the mountain" (Exod. 19:17).
They were gathered compactly. And their situation is referred to explicitly (meforash) in the Writings, "My dove in the cleft of the rock, hidden in the cliff" (Song 2:14).
R. Eleazar [disagreed and] said that this [Song verse] refers to the Sea [since that verse] continues, "Let me see (har'ini) your face" (ibid.), which is like what is stated [in the Torah when the people were at the Sea]: "Stand (hityatzevu) and see (u-r'u) the salvation of the Lord" (Exod. 14:13). [Moreover, the Song passage continues:] "Let me hear your voice," which is like [the adjacent Torah verse]: "And Pharaoh drew close...and the Israelites cried out to the Lord" (Exod. 14:10). [And further, the Song adds:] "For your voice (kol) is sweet," [which is like the passage:] "And their cry (kol) ascended to the Lord" (Exod. 2:23). [The Song also says:] "And your face is comely," [which corresponds to] "And the nation had faith" (Exod. 14:31).
- Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, on Exod. 19:17, translated in JPS commentary
Midrash: R. Akiva's Issues with the Nations
This is my God, and I will beautify Him (Exod. 15:2). Rabbi Akiva says: Before all the nations of the world I shall hold forth on the beauties and splendor of Him-Who-Spoke-and-the-World-Came-to-Be! For, lo, the nations of the world keep asking Israel, "What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful of women?" (Song 5:9), that for His sake you die, for His sake you are slain, as it is said, We have loved you unto death "for thus do the maidens love You (Song 1:3) – and it is said, "for Your sake we have been killed all the day" (Ps. 44:23). You are beautiful, you are heroes, come merge with us!
But Israel replies to the nations of the world: Do you know Him? Let us tell you a little of His glory: "My beloved is white and ruddy, braver than ten thousand. His head is purest gold; His hair is curls as black as a raven. His eyes are like doves by springs of water.... His cheeks are like perfumed gardens.... His palate is sweetmeats and He is all delight; This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem" (Song 5:10ff.).
And when the nations of the world hear all of this praise, they say to Israel, Let us go along with you, as it is said, "Whither is your beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither has your beloved turned, that we may seek Him with you?" (Song 6:1).
But Israel replies to the nations of the world: You have no part of Him; on the contrary, "My beloved is mine, and I am His; I am my beloved's, and He is mine; He feedeth among the lilies" (Song 2:16 and 6:3).
- Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, translated in Boyarin, Intertextuality, 118
Midrash: Degradation of Exile, Hope for Redemption
Once R. Yohanan ben Zakkai was going up to Emmaus in Judea, and he saw a girl picking barley corns from the excrement of a horse. He said to his disciples: "You see this girl – what is she?" They answered: "She is a Jewish girl." "And to whom does she belong?" "To [a foreign] horseman," they answered. Then R. Yohanan said to his disciples: "All my life I have been bothered by the verse If you do not know, O fairest of women, go follow the tracks of the sheep (Song 1:8). I would read it but not know what it meant [until now]: If you do not know [means:] you were unwilling to be subject to God, therefore you are now subjugated to the most abased of the nations."
- Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Bahodesh, 1