The Song of Songs

pohaikawahine

pohaikawahine

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BB or Dauer (or anyone else that knows) - has there ever been a thread on the Song of Songs "Shir Hashirim" - several years ago I read an interview and the Rabbi who was interviewed (can't find his name right now) said it was the "holy of the holies" and I was hooked right then on trying to understand its mystery. I have a couple of books but would be really interested if there is a thread with other thoughts on it. me ke aloha pumehana, poh p.s. Is the Song of Songs used by all Jewish teachings or only some?
 
i don't think there's ever been a thread on it, but the "holy of holies" comment is originally a quote of r. aqiba's. shir ha-shirim nearly didn't make it into the canon, what with the "your breasts are like baby deer" verse, which still upsets artscroll. it is really a very complicated, in-depth kabbalistic text and i don't claim to understand it in much depth, i have not yet really begun to engage with the zoharic interpretations. i would suggest, however, that if you are interested in exploring further, you should look at the concept of the "Holy of Holies" in the Temple and find out more about what was actually in there.

b'shalom

bananabrain
 
bananabrain said:
if you are interested in exploring further, you should look at the concept of the "Holy of Holies" in the Temple and find out more about what was actually in there.

b'shalom

bananabrain
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I will do that .... mahalo nui, poh
 
pohaikawahine said:
Is the Song of Songs used by all Jewish teachings or only some?
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It is one of the five Megilloth "rolls", short books which are read in their entirety on specific days in the liturgical year; they are still longer than the book-sections which are otherwise the readings at synagogue, hence the Yiddish expression "do you have to go through the whole megillah?" for someone who is being long-winded. One megillah, Esther, was controversial (not all rabbis at the Council of Yavneh wanted it included in the canon), but none of the others have ever been questioned.

In two cases, Esther (read on Purim) and Lamentations (read on Tisha b'Av, the anniversary of the Temple's destruction), the books directly relate to the occasions when they are read; but in the other three cases, Ruth (on Shavuoth, I think?), Ecclesiastes (on Sukkoth? maybe I have those two reversed), and Song of Songs (on Pesach), the association between the book and the time is obscure. In the case of Song of Songs, the simplest theory is that it is just what it appears to be, soft-core erotica which was thought appropriate for rousing the congregation in the springtime, back when religious leaders were less opposed to sexuality; of course, you won't find any Orthodox Jews who like that interpretation.
 
aloha bob x - thank you so much for your comments. The Song of Songs is probably everything that has been suggested so far, and it is also so much more. In its essence, it is a search for a lover that is not there and in its depth it is a search for who we are and how we find that ultimate land of "milk and honey" the promise land. It is, in my view, one of the links to what is "hidden" in the Torah and she still remains hidden behind the veil. BB also suggests anothe path which is understanding the structure of the Temple and by extension the ultimate sancitity of the future Temple which can best be provided by a kabbalistic explanation. When we open our eyes and see with our souls (to help us with a deeper interpretation of beauty such as the Song of Songs, or the love poems of Rumi, or the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam) we begin to see the links to an ancient line of knowledge.

In the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam "Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou. Beside me singing in the Wilderness - and Wilderness is Paradise enow." The Flask of Wine is simply G-d intoxication; the bliss of divine love that comes when one communes with G-d in meditation (from Paramahansa Yogananda Wine of the Mystic). "Divine love" and the path to finding it will take us to paradise .... and that is what we all seek, regardless of our religious or cultural beliefs .... peace, true sovereignty .... that, to me, is the purpose of interfaith dialogues.

It was Rabbi Aqiba that asserted "the whole world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the Writings are holy, and the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies." There will always be debate about whether this is simply sexual or is it something much more sacred .... my only intent in opening the door is to continue my own search for its meaning .... that is why I was interested if there had ever been a thread on the Song of Songs. I plan to follow BB's suggestion and also go back to the looking at the Holy of Holies in the Temple itself.

I can get carried away and go on and on, but that is not my intent .... I am not good at the give and take of the dialogue, I do best by reading the thoughts of others and weaving new understandings in my personal search. he hawai'i au, poh
 
In connection with the symbolic readings, the association with the time of Passover (that is, the escape from Egypt, where "Egypt" is often in the literature taken to have secondary symbolic meanings as referring to all kinds of spiritual bondage) is something to think about as well.
 
bob x said:
In connection with the symbolic readings, the association with the time of Passover (that is, the escape from Egypt, where "Egypt" is often in the literature taken to have secondary symbolic meanings as referring to all kinds of spiritual bondage) is something to think about as well.
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It is possible that the connection with the time of Passover is related to the concept that when one "passes over" into the land of milk and honey, it takes place after the process of spiritual union .... we search, it is hidden, and when we are finally able to remove or see behind the veil (the marriage or union with g-d) we enter paradise. I believe that the Song of Songs in connection with the deep messages within the Torah tells us how to get there. I also believe that the third temple is a metaphor for the human body - the regathering takes place internally when we finally remember who we really are and we reach our full potential to bridge all the systems (the seven energy levels, the twelve pairs of cranial nerves, the three hemispheres of the brain, etc.) The "flood" described in so many cultures and religions is the upward flow of this energy field to the brain (the top of the mountain). The words are simple, but the process is lifelong and requires that one live a balanced life to bring about harmony and peace. Judiasm has a special draw for me because of the concept of the regathering and the return of the Masiach with the rebuilding of the Temple - it all fits together. Other cultures and religions have many if not all of the elements, but Judiasm in its essence has not been corrupted - the new Torah will reveal her secrets and from the Temple will open the Gates of the Garden of Eden.

In my culture and many others (this is my view) it was so silly that the ali'i (kings and queens, brothers and sisters) married each other to preserve the blood-line but the merging of the male and female energies takes place internally - that is the ultimate sexual union, it is not outwardly physical. Stories of the search for the holy grail are the outward manifestation of the internal process. So back to the Song of Songs - whoever wrote it must have been a true kabbalist, a mystic, a great teacher. I will make many errors in my interpretations, but I will keep at it because it is the way. He Hawai'i Au, poh
 
All streams of Judaism use the Song of Songs.

The traditional (Orthodox) interpretation of the text is that its an allegory of Hashem's love for the Jewish people and His covenant with them.

If you have the chance to look at an Artscroll Chumash, you'll see how heavy the commentary is in there to make sure that people do not get the 'wrong' idea of what it is about.

About its importance: Most Ashkenazi Congregations read the Song of Songs as a Megillah on Passover. So yes, it is widely used.

It wouldn't suprise me if more liberal congregations used it with the interpretation that its personal love between man and woman that is emphasized.
 
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