Song of Songs Rabbah 1:17

¹“The beams of our houses are cedars, and our panels are cypresses” (Song of Songs 1:17). “The beams of our houses are cedars,” Rabbi Menaḥama [said] in the name of Rabbi Berekhya: The stones upon which Jacob our patriarch slept became like a bed and a duvet beneath him. What growth sprouted from it? “The beams of our houses are cedars.” Another matter, “the beams of our houses are cedars,” these are the righteous men and righteous women, the prophets and prophetesses, who descended from him. ²“Our panels are cypresses.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A person does not benefit from this cypress. Why? Because it bends. This is [consistent with another] opinion, of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “I am like a fresh cypress” (Hosea 14:9). It is I who bent over to eliminate the inclination of idol worship. “Ephraim: What more have I [to do with idols]” (Hosea 14:9). What do I have to do with the inclination of idol worship? “I respond [ aniti ]” (Hosea 14:9), I submitted [ uneti ] to Him: “I will gaze upon them [ va’ashurenu ]” (Hosea 14:9), did we not ashurenu ? Did we not sing song [ shira ] to You? Rather, say: It is I who bent over to eliminate the inclination of idol worship. Another matter, “our panels [ rahitenu ] are cypresses,” the place where the priests would move quickly was [overlaid] with cypress, just as you say: “He overlaid the floor of the House with boards of cypress” (I Kings 6:15). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The Torah taught proper conduct. A person should roof with cedars and floor with cypresses, as it is stated: “The beams of our houses are cedars, and our panels are cypresses.”