Hello and welcome to a meta-analysis of some common rabbinic approaches to reading and understanding Tanakh. Song of Songs is somewhat of an odd addition to the canon, so this is a text that takes a little more work to try to understand. It's neither narrative nor historical record nor psalmic poetry. So, how do we understand its inclusion in the canon?
(ב) כְּשֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙ בֵּ֣ין הַחוֹחִ֔ים כֵּ֥ן רַעְיָתִ֖י בֵּ֥ין הַבָּנֽוֹת׃
(ג) כְּתַפּ֙וּחַ֙ בַּעֲצֵ֣י הַיַּ֔עַר כֵּ֥ן דּוֹדִ֖י בֵּ֣ין הַבָּנִ֑ים בְּצִלּוֹ֙ חִמַּ֣דְתִּי וְיָשַׁ֔בְתִּי וּפִרְי֖וֹ מָת֥וֹק לְחִכִּֽי׃
(ד) הֱבִיאַ֙נִי֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הַיָּ֔יִן וְדִגְל֥וֹ עָלַ֖י אַהֲבָֽה׃
(ה) סַמְּכ֙וּנִי֙ בָּֽאֲשִׁישׁ֔וֹת רַפְּד֖וּנִי בַּתַּפּוּחִ֑ים כִּי־חוֹלַ֥ת אַהֲבָ֖ה אָֽנִי׃
(ו) שְׂמֹאלוֹ֙ תַּ֣חַת לְרֹאשִׁ֔י וִימִינ֖וֹ תְּחַבְּקֵֽנִי׃
(ז) הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם בְּנ֤וֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ בִּצְבָא֔וֹת א֖וֹ בְּאַיְל֣וֹת הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ ׀ וְֽאִם־תְּע֥וֹרְר֛וּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ׃ {ס}
(ח) ק֣וֹל דּוֹדִ֔י הִנֵּה־זֶ֖ה בָּ֑א מְדַלֵּג֙ עַל־הֶ֣הָרִ֔ים מְקַפֵּ֖ץ עַל־הַגְּבָעֽוֹת׃
(ט) דּוֹמֶ֤ה דוֹדִי֙ לִצְבִ֔י א֖וֹ לְעֹ֣פֶר הָֽאַיָּלִ֑ים הִנֵּה־זֶ֤ה עוֹמֵד֙ אַחַ֣ר כׇּתְלֵ֔נוּ מַשְׁגִּ֙יחַ֙ מִן־הַֽחַלֹּנ֔וֹת מֵצִ֖יץ מִן־הַחֲרַכִּֽים׃
(2) Like a lily among thorns, So is my darling (f.) among the [maidens/daughters]. (3) Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, So is my beloved (m.) among the [youths/sons]. I delight to sit in his shade, And his fruit is sweet to my mouth. (4) He brought me to the banquet room And his banner of love was over me. (5) “Sustain me with raisin cakes, Refresh me with apples, For I am faint with love.” (6) His left hand was under my head, His right arm embraced me. (7) I adjure you, O [maidens/daughters] of Jerusalem, By gazelles or by hinds of the field: Do not wake or rouse Love until it please! (8) Hark! My beloved (m.)! There he comes, Leaping over mountains, Bounding over hills. (9) My beloved (m.) is like a gazelle, Or like a young stag. There he stands behind our wall, Gazing through the window, Peering through the lattice.
1: Bein Adam L'chavero (reading Song of Songs as a human love story)
This approach is perhaps the most simple of readings. It simply requires one to read the erotic poetry as... erotic poetry. Simple as it may be, there are still ways in which this approach can yield meaningful learning.
For example, the language switches back and forth between masculine and feminine language. There could be at least three different ways to read it using this first approach:
- The poem describes a male/female couple, and the narration switches back and forth between the perspectives of the man and the woman.
- The poem's narrator has two lovers, one male and one female.
- The poem's narrator has a lover that is both male and female.
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2: Bein Adam L'makom (reading Song of Songs as a love between Human and G-d)
This approach is slightly more cerebral, and is perhaps the basis for much of the scholarship of the Kabbalists. Rather than being a literal romance between two people, the poetry describes the passionate love between the pious author and G-d.
Perhaps we might say this approach makes more sense than the first- why would the Tanakh canon include a collective of sexual poetry? Wouldn't it make more sense if the poetry was a symbolic expression of love for the Divine and Sacred One? (We're not going to unpack the perhaps questionable assumption here that sacred texts should not depict human sexuality- despite the fact that, even outside of Song of Songs, the Tanakh is rife with sexual content!)
This approach could also serve to explain the bigendered language- G-d isn't male or female, so why would the language be limited to either?
However, one potential difficulty with this approach is the taboo against anthropomorphizing G-d. While some of the Rabbis had no issues with such a thing at times (even going so far as to suggest that Moshe Rabbeinu physically restrained G-d!), this is somewhat shaky ground. It's a slippery slope into "Jesus is my boyfriend" territory.
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3: Bein Adam L'atzmo (reading Song of Songs as a metaphor for daily life experiences)
Going even further, perhaps to the point of being totally bombastic, we might peer through the poetic language to understand something extremely deep. This approach requires us to be a little bodacious. This is an approach that rests upon finding connections that are not obvious. Let me give you an example:
אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מִתְּחִלָּה אֲנִי הָיִיתִי מְבָרֵךְ בְּרִיּוֹתַי. מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ הֲרֵי הַבְּרָכוֹת מְסוּרוֹת לָכֶם וְתִהְיוּ מְבָרְכִין אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. לְפִיכָךְ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁיַּזְהִיר לְאַהֲרֹן וּלְבָנָיו, שֶׁיְּהוּ מְבָרְכִין אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִנַּיִן, מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרְאוּ דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר כֹּה תְּבָרְכוּ. כֹּה תְּבָרְכוּ. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: הַשְׁקִיפָה מִמְּעוֹן קָדְשְׁךָ מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמְּךָ (דברים כו, טו). אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, לַכֹּהֲנִים אַתָּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁיְּבָרְכוּ אוֹתָנוּ. אֵין אָנוּ צְרִיכִין אֶלָּא לְבִרְכָתְךָ וְלִהְיוֹתֵנוּ מִתְבָּרְכִין מִפִּיךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הַשְׁקִיפָה מִמְּעוֹן קָדְשְׁךָ. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לַכֹּהֲנִים שֶׁיְּהוּ מְבָרְכִין אֶתְכֶם, אֲנִי עוֹמֵד עִמָּהֶם וּמְבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם. לְפִיכָךְ הַכֹּהֲנִים פּוֹרְשִׂין אֶת כַּפֵּיהֶם, לוֹמַר, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד אַחֲרֵינוּ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, הִנֵּה זֶה עוֹמֵד אַחַר כָּתְלֵנוּ מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן הַחַלּוֹנוֹת מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים (שה״ש ב, ט), מַה בֵּין אֶצְבָּעוֹת שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים. מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁפּוֹשְׁטִין כַּפֵּיהֶם. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: כֹּה תְּבָרְכוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “From the beginning I have blessed My people; from now on the blessings are transmitted to you. You are to bless My children,” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to caution Aaron and his children to bless Israel. How is this shown? From what they have read [on the matter] (in Numb. 6:23), “Speak unto Aaron and unto his children, saying, ‘Thus shall you bless.’” (Numb. 6:23:) “Thus shall you bless.” This text is related (to Deut. 26:15), “Look down from Your holy dwelling, from the heavens, and bless Your people.” The congregation of Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, You tell the priests to bless us. We only need You to bless us, as stated (Deut. 26:15), ‘Look down from Your holy dwelling, [from the heavens, and bless Your people].’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “Although I have told the priests to bless you, I am standing along with them and blessing you.” For that reason the priests spread their hands. [They do so] to say, “The Holy One, blessed be He, is standing behind us.” So also it says (in allusion to the Holy One, blessed be He, in Cant. 2:9) “there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice,” [i.e. “gazing through the windows,”] from between the fingers of the priests; “peering through the lattice,” when they extend their hands. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 6:23), “Thus shall you bless.”
Did you catch the Song of Songs reference? "There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice"... from which the rabbis determine that G-d is standing behind the Kohanim when they do the Priestly Blessing, gazing between the "lattice" of their fingers. Like so:
Do you understand why this is such a bombastic approach? The rabbis take Song of Songs, not just as love poetry between people or between entities like Humankind and G-d, but as a decodable explanation of life's daily questions, like "how are the Kohanim able to transfer blessings"?