Song of Songs Rabbah 5:16

¹“His palate is sweet and all of him is delightful. This is my beloved, and this is my companion, daughters of Jerusalem” (Song of Songs 5:16). “His palate is sweet” – it is written: “For so said the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live” (Amos 5:4). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? It is written: “As I live – the utterance of the Lord God – I do not desire the death of the wicked, [but that the wicked repent from his way and live]” (Ezekiel 33:11). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? “For I do not desire the death of the one who dies, the utterance of the Lord God; facilitate repentance and live” (Ezekiel 18:32). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? “If the wicked man turns away from his wickedness [that he did] and performs justice and righteousness, he will cause his soul to live” (Ezekiel 18:27). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? Reish Lakish said: This is only if one has remorse for his previous actions. How so? Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: If there was a person who was completely wicked all his days and ultimately he became completely righteous, in his regard the verse states: “The wickedness of the wicked person, he will not stumble over it on the day of his repentance from his wickedness…” (Ezekiel 33:12). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Moreover, all the transgressions that he performed, the Holy One blessed be He tallies them for him as merits. That is what is written: “Myrrh, aloe, and cassia were on all your garments [ bigdotekha ]” (Psalms 45:9). All the betrayals [ begidot ] that you betrayed Me, they are like myrrh and aloe before Me. It is taught: How old was Abraham when he recognized his Creator? Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yoḥanan both say: At the age of forty-eight Abraham recognized his Creator. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: He was three years old, as it is stated: “Because [ ekev ] Abraham heeded My voice” (Genesis 26:5) – the numerical value of ekev . – 70, kof –100, bet – 2 = 172. He died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five and heeded God’s voice for one hundred and seventy-two of them. Thus, he recognized God at the age of three. Rabbi Levi said: When he was able to lift his heel [ ikva ] off the ground. ²Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: On three occasions, the Holy One blessed be He entered into a dispute [ nitvake’aḥ ] with Israel, and the nations of the world rejoiced with great joy but ultimately departed shamefacedly. When the prophet said to them: “Let us go now and reason together [ venivakheḥa ], says the Lord” (Isaiah 1:18) – the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they enter into a dispute with their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw that the nations of the world were joyful, he transformed it for [Israel] into good, as it is stated: “If your sins will be like scarlet, they will be whitened as snow; if they will be reddened like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:8). The nations of the world were astounded and said: Is that a response, is that rebuke; rather, He came only to amuse Himself with His children. When the Holy One blessed be He said: “Hear, mountains, the Lord’s quarrel, and the strong foundations of the earth, [the Lord has a quarrel with His people,] and with Israel He will contend” (Micah 6:2), the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they enter into a dispute with their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw the joy of the nations of the world, he transformed it for them into good. That is what is written: “My people, what did I do to you and how did I tire you? Testify against Me” (Micah 6:3). “My people, remember now what [Balak king of Moav] counseled” (Micah 6:5) – the nations of the world were astounded and said: How can this be; He came only to amuse Himself with His children. When the prophet said: “The Lord has a quarrel with Judah and will reckon with Jacob” (Hosea 12:3), the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they stand before their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw the joy of the nations of the world, he transformed it for them into good, as it is stated: “In the womb he was at his brother’s heels, [and in his strength he strove with God]” (Hosea 12:4). Rabbi Yudan said: This is analogous to a widowed woman who was complaining about her son to a judge. Once she saw that the judge sentences people with fire and tar, with punishments and rods, she said: If I inform the judge of my son’s misdeeds, he will kill him. When the previous trial ended, he said to her: ‘Is this your son?’ He said to her: ‘How did this son of yours mistreat you?’ She said to him: ‘Sir, when he was in my womb he kicked me.’ He said to her: ‘This is not [cause for] a trial.’ That is what is written: “In the womb he was at his brother’s heels” (Hosea 12:4). Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Simon said: The God of Jacob our patriarch accorded him honor. ] with God.” Rabbi Shimon interprets the word sara as related to serara , authority, and asserts that God accorded Jacob honor by granting him authority. ³“His palate is sweet” – Rabbi Azarya and Rabbi Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: When Israel heard at Sinai: “I am [the Lord your God]” (Exodus 20:2), their souls departed. That is what is written: “If we continue to hear [the voice of the Lord our God we shall die]” (Deuteronomy 5:22). That is what is written: “My soul departed when he spoke” (Song of Songs 5:6). The spoken word returned before the Holy One blessed be He and said: ‘Master of the universe: You are alive and enduring, and Your Torah is alive and enduring, and You send me to the dead? They are all dead.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He then sweetened the spoken word for them. That is what is written: “The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic” (Psalms 29:4). Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: “The voice of the Lord is mighty” – for the lads; “the voice of the Lord is majestic” – for the elderly. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: The Torah that the Holy One blessed be He sent to Israel restored their souls to them. That is what is written: “The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Psalms 19:8). Another matter: “His palate is sweet” – [this is analogous] to a king who spoke harshly to his son, and [the son] was afraid and he fainted. When the king saw that he had fainted, he began embracing and kissing him, appeasing him, and saying to him: ‘What is it with you, are you not my only son and am I not your father?’ So too, when the Holy One blessed be He said: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2), their souls immediately departed. When they died, the angels began embracing and kissing them, and saying to them: ‘What is it with you? Fear not, “you are children to the Lord your God”’ (Deuteronomy 14:1), and the Holy One blessed be He sweetened the speech on His palate and said to them: ‘Are you not My children? “I am the Lord your God.” You are My people, you are beloved to Me.’ He began appeasing them until their souls were restored and they began requesting of Him. That is: “His palate is sweet.” The Torah began requesting mercy for Israel from the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, is there any king who marries off his daughter and kills a member of his household? The whole world in its entirety is joyful for me, and your children are dying?’ Immediately, their souls were restored. That is what is written: “The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Psalms 19:8). ⁴Rabbi Aḥa and Rabbi Tanḥum bar Rabbi Ḥiyya [said] in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: “Sanctify my Sabbaths” (Ezekiel 20:20) – in what way do you sanctify it? Sanctify it with food, with drink, and with clean garments, as it is written: “For it is a sign between Me and you, to know that I am the Lord…” (Exodus 31:13). “I am the Lord” – reliable to pay you a good reward. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: In the way of the world, a person performs labor with his employer, and because he sullies himself with mortar, [his employer] gives him his wages. However, the Holy One blessed be He is not so; rather, He says to Israel: ‘Do not sully yourselves with anything bad, and I will give you a good reward.’ That is what is written: “Do not make yourselves detestable” (Leviticus 11:43); “You shall not make a cut in your flesh for the dead…I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28). “I am the Lord” – reliable to pay you a good reward in the World to Come. ⁵Rabbi Yudan [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina, and Rabbi Berekhya [said] in the name of Rabbi Abbahu: It is written: “I have separated you from the peoples…” (Leviticus 20:26) – had it been stated: “I have separated the peoples from you,” there would not have been any revival for the enemies of Israel. Rather, “I have separated you from the peoples” – for one who separates the bad from the good, does not return to separate again; however, one who separates the good from the bad, he must again separate. So too, had it been stated: “I have separated the peoples from you,” there would not have been any revival for the enemies of Israel. Rather, it is stated: “I have separated you from the peoples” – to be for Me, for My name forever. Rabbi Aḥa said: From here [it may be demonstrated] that the Holy One blessed be He said to the nations of the world that they should repent and He would bring them near, under His wings. Rabbi Levi said: All the actions of Israel are different from the nations of the world, in their plowing, in their sowing, in their planting, in their reaping, in their gathering, in their threshing, on their threshing floors and in their winepresses, on their roofs, regarding their firstborn, regarding their flesh, in their shaving, and in their counting. In their plowing, as it is stated: “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey” (Deuteronomy 22:10). In their sowing, as it is stated: “You shall not sow your vineyard with diverse kinds” (Deuteronomy 22:9). In their planting, as it is stated: “You shall consider its fruit forbidden” (Leviticus 19:23). In their reaping, as it is stated: “When you reap the harvest of your land” (Leviticus 19:9). In their gathering, as it is stated: “And you forget a sheaf in the field” (Deuteronomy 24:19). In their threshing, as it is stated: “You shall not muzzle an ox in its threshing” (Deuteronomy 25:4). On their threshing floors and in their winepresses, as it is stated: “The fullness of your harvest and the outflow of your presses you shall not delay” (Exodus 22:28), and it is written: “Like the produce of the threshing floor, and like the produce of the winepress” (Numbers 18:30). On their roofs, as it is stated: “You shall make a guardrail for your roof” (Deuteronomy 22:8). In their shaving, as it is stated: “You shall not mar the edge of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27). In their counting, as it is stated: “When you take a census of the children of Israel…” (Exodus 30:12). Israel counts by the moon and the nations of the world count by the sun. ⁶Rabbi Berekhya said two, one in the name of Kahana and one in the name of Rabbi Levi. One in the name of Kahana: She lauded Him and He lauded her. She lauded Him from top to bottom, and He lauded her from bottom to top. She lauded him from top to bottom, because He was On High and rested His Divine Presence on earth. He lauded her from bottom to top, as she is on the lowest level and He is destined to elevate her, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will set you on high” (Deuteronomy 28:1). One in the name of Rabbi Levi: [This is analogous] to a king who betrothed a noblewoman and said: I request to see her. When he saw her, he began to praise her and to laud her. That is what is written: “This, your stature, is likened to a date palm” (Song of Songs 7:8). She too said, I wish to see him. When she saw him, she began with lauding, as she lauded him: “His palate is sweet and all of him is delightful.”