Song of Songs Rabbah 3:7

¹“Behold the bed of Solomon: sixty valiant men surround it, from the valiant of Israel, each armed with a sword, trained in war; each man, a sword on his thigh, from fear in the nights” (Song of Songs 3:7–8). “Behold the bed of Solomon: sixty valiant men surround it,” Rabbi Beivai in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yosei interpreted the verse regarding the Priestly Benediction. “Behold the bed [ mitato ],” behold his tribes [ matotav ] and his clans, just as it says: “The oaths to the tribes [ matot ]” (Habakkuk 3:9); “of Solomon [Shlomo],” of the king [of Whom it may be said that] peace [ shalom ] is His; “sixty valiant men surround it,” these are the sixty letters in the Priestly Benediction; “from the valiant of Israel,” as they bolster Israel. “Each armed with a sword,” Rabbi Azarya said: Matters that are blessed with Might, “may the Lord bless you” (Numbers 6:24), “may the Lord shine” (Numbers 6:25), “may the Lord lift” (Numbers 6:26). “Trained in war,” as they battle all sorts of calamities that exist in the world. “Each man, a sword on his thigh from fear in the nights,” for even if a person sees in his dream a sword cutting his thigh, what shall he do? He shall go to the synagogue, recite Shema , pray his prayer, hear the Priestly Benediction, and answer amen after them, and no evil matter will harm him. Therefore, He cautions the sons of Aaron and says to them: “So you shall bless the children of Israel” (Numbers 6:23). ²Rabbi Simlai interpreted the verse regarding the priestly watches. “Behold the bed [ mitato ],” behold his tribes [ matotav ] and his clans, just as you say: “The oaths to the tribes [ matot ], sela” (Habakkuk 3:9); “of Solomon [Shlomo],” to the king [of Whom it may be said] that peace [ shalom ] is His; “sixty valiant men surround it,” these are the twenty-four priestly watches, the twenty-four Levite watches, and the twelve divisions; “from the valiant of Israel,” as they protect Israel. “Each armed with a sword,” Rabbi Ze’eira and Rabbi Yehuda [said] in the name of Shmuel: These are the Torah scholars who teach the priests ritual slaughter and the laws of sprinkling and collecting, and of the handful. Rabbi Yitzḥak said in the name of Rabbi Ami: These are the inspectors of the blemishes of sacrificial animals, who collect their wages from the collection of the chamber. Rabbi Gidel bar Binyamin [said] in the name of Rabbi Yesa: There were in Jerusalem two judges of [cases concerning] robbery, and they would collect their wages from the collection of the chamber. Shmuel says: The women who would weave the curtain would collect their wages from the collection of the chamber; Rav Ḥuna said: From the collection for Temple maintenance. This one [Shmuel] deems it like an offering. That one [Rav Huna] deems it like building. “Trained in war,” as [the Sages] would teach the priests how to perform the Temple service; “each armed with a sword…,” as they would caution them when they were slaughtering so that none of the offerings would be disqualified due to pigul , and none of the offerings would be disqualified as leftovers. ³Rabbi Yoḥanan interpreted the verse regarding the Sanhedrin. “Behold the bed [ mitato ],” his tribes [ matotav ] and his clans, just as you say: “The oaths to the tribes [ matot ]” (Habakkuk 3:9); “of Solomon [Shlomo],” of the king [of Whom it may be said] that peace [ shalom ] is His; “sixty valiant men,” these are the sixty people from the people of the land; that is what is written: “And sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city” (II Kings 25:19); “from the valiant of Israel,” these are the eleven men; that is what is written: “The captain of the guards took Seraya the chief priest, Tzefanyahu the deputy priest, and the three gatekeepers. From the city he took one official [ saris ] (II Kings 25:18–19),” this is the most distinguished member of the court. Why is he called saris ? It is because he reorders and resolves [ mesares ] the halakha ; “and five men of those who see the king's face (II Kings 25:19),” this is eleven. When it says “seven [men of those who see the king’s face]” (Jeremiah 52:25), that is to add two scribes of the judges who sit before them. “From the valiant of Israel,” as they benefit Israel with their might. “Each armed with a sword,” Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Meir says: They would all study halakha like a sword, so if an incident comes before them, the halakha would not be dull for them. Rabbi Yosei says: During a trial, all of them deliberate how best to issue a verdict regarding the incident, and they fear the judgment of Gehenna. Rabbi Menaḥem son-in-law of Rabbi Elazar bar Avuna [said] in the name of Rabbi Yaakov bar Avina: If a woman comes before you to the study hall to ask you a question regarding her stain or her menstruation, look upon her as though she emerged from your loins and do not look at her covetously; fear the judgment of Gehenna. ⁴The Rabbis interpreted the verse regarding those who departed from Egypt. “Behold the bed [ mitato ],” his tribes [ matotav ] and his clans, just as it says: “The oaths of the tribes [ matot ]” (Habakkuk 3:9); “of Solomon [Shlomo],” of the king [of Whom it may be said] that peace [ shalom ] is His; “sixty valiant men,” these are the six hundred thousand who departed Egypt from twenty years of age and above; “from the valiant of Israel,” these are the six hundred thousand who departed Egypt from twenty years of age and below. “Each armed with a sword, trained in war; each man, a sword on his thigh,” for when Moses said: ‘The Holy One blessed be He told me the following principle: “All uncircumcised shall not eat from it”’ (Exodus 12:48); immediately, each and every one took his sword on his thigh and circumcised himself. Who circumcised them? Rabbi Berekhya said: Moses was the circumciser, Aaron uncovered the skin, and Joshua gave them to drink. Some say: Joshua was the circumciser, Aaron uncovered the skin, and Moses gave them to drink; that is what is written: “At that time, the Lord said to Joshua: Make flint knives for yourself and circumcise the children of Israel again, a second time” (Joshua 5:2). Why “a second time”? From here [it may be derived] that he circumcised them the first time. Immediately, “Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the children of Israel at the Hill of the Foreskins” (Joshua 5:3). What is “at the Hill of the Foreskins”? Rabbi Levi said: From here [it may be derived] that they made that hill out of foreskins. ⁵It is taught: Until a person sins, he is given terror and fear and creatures are afraid of him. Once he sins, terror and fear are imposed upon him and he is afraid of others. Know that it is so, as Rabbi said: Until Adam the first man sinned, he would hear the voice of divine speech while standing on his feet and was not afraid. Once he sinned, when he heard the voice of divine speech, he was afraid and hid, as it is stated: “I heard your voice…” (Genesis 3:10); “the man hid” (Genesis 3:8). Rabbi Aivu said: At that moment the height of Adam’s stature diminished and it became only one hundred cubits. Rabbi Levi said: Until Adam the first man sinned, he would hear a soothing divine voice. Once he sinned, he would hear a thundering voice. Until Israel sinned, they would see through the consecutive partitions and they were not afraid, shocked, and frightened. Once they sinned, they could not have even looked at an intermediary. That is what is written: “They saw the skin of Moses’s face, that it was radiant” (Exodus 34:35), and it is written: “They feared to approach him” (Exodus 34:30). Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Avun said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin: Even the intermediary was affected with them in that transgression. Until Israel sinned, what is written? “The kings of armies flee again and again” (Psalms 68:13). Rabbi Aivu said: “Angels [ malakhei ] of armies” is not written, but rather “kings [ malkhei ] of armies”—the kings of the angels. Which is they? They are Mikhael and Gavriel. They were unable to look at Moses’s face. Once [the Israelites] sinned, [Moses] was unable to look even at the most ordinary among [the angels]. That is what is written: “For I was in dread of the wrath and the fury” (Deuteronomy 9:19). Until that incident befell David, it is written: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalms 27:1). Once it befell him, it is written: “I will come upon him, and he will be weary and discouraged” (II Samuel 17:2). Until Solomon sinned, he would subjugate sharim and sharot . and sarot , in which case it means princes and princesses. Alternatively, some suggest that the text should read shedim veshedot , male and female demons. That is the text found in a parallel midrash in Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim 795. That is what is written: “I acquired for myself male and female singers [ sharim vesharot ]” (Ecclesiastes 2:8), male singers [ meshorerim ] and female singers [ meshorerot ]; “and the pleasures of people” (Ecclesiastes 2:8), bathhouses; “chests [ shida ] and wagons [ shidot ]” (Ecclesiastes 2:8), male and female demons [ sheda veshedta ] who would heat them. Once he sinned, he appointed for him “sixty valiant men…from the valiant of Israel” and positioned them to protect his bed. That is what is written: “Behold the bed…each armed with a sword,” because he was afraid of the spirits.