Ki Tissa 3

(1) Turn back, turn back,
O maid of Shulem!
Turn back, turn back,
That we may gaze upon you.
“Why will you gaze at the Shulammite
InaWith many manuscripts and editions; others read “like.” Meaning of entire line uncertain. the Mahanaim dance?” (2) How lovely are your feet in sandals,
O daughter of nobles!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
The work of a master’s hand. (3) Your navel is like a round goblet—
Let mixed wine not be lacking!—
Your belly like a heap of wheat
Hedged about with lilies.

You navel is like a round bowl. Your navel is like a basin of clear water in which they bathe, and it is made of marble, which in Arabic it is called sahar. Because the navel is shaped like a round hole, [Scripture] compares it to a round basin. This praise is not in reference to a woman’s beauty as the above praise, because in the above, her beloved praises her, but here, her friends praise her about her deeds, saying, “you are worthy to join us.” And the allegory is: It refers to the Chamber of Hewn Stone, which is situated in the “navel” [i.e., center] of the world.

"Kiss me, Bar." This is what the verse (Song of Songs 7:3) says: "Your navel is like a round goblet." Why is Israel compared to wheat? As it is written (ibid. 7:3): "Your belly is a heap of wheat." Rabbi Idi says, "Why is this wheat chosen? It is sifted from its middle and is consumed from among all the fruits, to teach that Israel is distinguished among the nations with the word 'and' [in the Shema prayer] and with the tzitzit fringes, and all [other mitzvot] are subordinate to them." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says, "What is the meaning of these grains of wheat? When they go out for sowing, they go out only in a group, and when they come in, they come in only in a group. So too, Israel, when they descended to Egypt, went down in a group, as it is said (Deuteronomy 10:22): 'Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons,' and when they ascended, they ascended only in a group, as it is said (Exodus 12:37): 'And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot.' Rabbi Chanina says on this matter of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, "Why is Israel compared to wheat? To tell you, just as when a homeowner has a son, and he comes to reckon with him, he does not say to him, 'How much low-grade straw are you storing in the storehouse, or how many bundles of straw are you storing in the storehouse, or how many bundles of chaff are you storing in the storehouse?' Rather, he gives him the thorns to burn and throws the straw to the wind. And what does he say? 'Estimate for yourself how much wheat you are storing in the storehouse,' because they are vital forever. The homeowner is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written (Psalms 24:1): 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' The son is Moses, as it is said (Numbers 12:7): 'In all My house he is trusted.' And what did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to him? 'Estimate for yourself the value of the nations.' Not so are Israel compared to chaff, which is consumed like chaff. And what do they do to the chaff? They soak it in water, as it is said (Psalms 106:11): 'And Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea.' And they are compared to thorns, as it is said (Isaiah 33:12): 'And the peoples will be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut off, they will be burned in the fire.' But Israel is compared to wheat, as it is said (Song of Songs 7:3): 'Your belly is a heap of wheat.' Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, 'Estimate for yourself how many are in Israel.' Another thing, in your stomach you have a heap of wheat. Rabbi Yudan said that this heap of wheat refers to the Torah of the priests, as all sins and guilt offerings are written in it, as it is said (Leviticus 6:2): "This is the law of the burnt offering." (Leviticus 4:2): "This is the law of the sin offering." (Leviticus 7:1): "And this is the law of the guilt offering." (Song of Solomon 7:3): "Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil." These are the words of the Torah that are soft like roses. How many commandments and nuances there are in it, how many impure and pure things there are in it! Rabbi Levi said that in the custom of the world, when a man takes a wife who is 20 or 30 years old, and he has an emission, he comes to her for sexual intercourse, but she says to him, "I have seen a red rose." And he immediately separates from her. Who caused him not to approach her? Is it the wall between them, or the fence, or the snake that bit him, or the scorpion that stung him? No, it is the words of the Torah that are soft like a rose, as it is written in it (Leviticus 18:19): "You shall not come near a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness." And similarly, if someone brings him a piece of meat that is not kosher and he is hungry to eat it, and they tell him that milk has fallen into it, he immediately withdraws his hand and does not taste it. Who caused him not to taste it? Only the words of the Torah that are soft like a rose, as it says (Leviticus 3:17): "You shall not eat any fat or any blood." Another thing, in your stomach, there is a heap of wheat. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Idi, "Are not heaps of estragon and pepper more beautiful than it, and why are they compared to wheat?" But just as one cannot live without wheat, so too one cannot live without Israel.