Tanach
Shir HaShirim 8:5-7 שיר השירים ח׳:ה׳-ז׳
Part of: Chapter 8
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן־הַמִּדְבָּר מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל־דּוֹדָהּ תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עֽוֹרַרְתִּיךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלַתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָה יְלָדַֽתְךָ׃
Who is she that rises from the wilderness, clinging to her beloved? beneath the apple tree I aroused you, there your mother had birth pains there she who bore you suffered.
Who is she that rises from the wilderness, clinging to her beloved? beneath the apple tree I aroused you, there your mother had birth pains there she who bore you suffered.
Rashi
מתרפקת על דודה. מתחברת על דודה מודה שהיא חברתו ודבוקה בו, רפק בלשון ערבי רפקתא חבורה:
Clinging to her beloved. She is attached to her Beloved, admitting that she is His companion and attached to Him. “רפק” [is found] in the Arabic word “רפקתא,” [which means] attachment.
תחת התפוח עוררתיך. כך היא אומרת בבקשה חבת דודה תחת התפוח עוררתיך זכור כי בתחתית הר סיני העשוי על ראשי כמין תפוח שם עוררתיך והוא לשון חבת אשת נעורים המעוררת את דודה בלילות בתנומות עלי משכב מחבקתו ומנשקתו:
Beneath the apple tree I aroused you. So she says as she seeks the affection of her Beloved; “Beneath the apple tree I aroused You.” Remember that under Mount Sinai, which was suspended over my head like an apple,3Bereishis 50:21. there “I aroused You.” This is an expression of the affection of the wife of one’s youth, who arouses her beloved at night when he is asleep on his bed, and she embraces him and kisses him.
שמה חבלתך. הרי אמרנו שהקב"ה קראה אמו שם נהיתה לך לאם:
There [your mother] had birth pains. We have already stated that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, called her [Yisroel] His mother.4Above 3:11. There she became to You as a mother.
חבלתך. לשון חבלי יולדה, חבלתך באו לך חבלים ממך כמו (ירמיה י') בני יצאוני יצאו ממני:
Birth pains. An expression of birth pangs. Birth pains. Birth pangs came to her from You, as in, “my children have left me,”5Yirmiyahu 10:20. [i.e.,] they went away from me.
שִׂימֵנִי כַֽחוֹתָם עַל־לִבֶּךָ כַּֽחוֹתָם עַל־זְרוֹעֶךָ כִּֽי־עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָֽה׃
Set me as a seal upon your heart as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as harsh as the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire from the flame of God.
Set me as a seal upon your heart as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as harsh as the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire from the flame of God.
Rashi
שימני כחותם. בשביל אותה אהבה תחתמני על לבך שלא תשכחני ותראה—
Set me as a seal. For the sake of that love, seal me upon Your heart,6In the same manner that a seal is affixed on one’s hand and is not removed, so too, set me as a seal upon Your heart. (Metzudas Dovid) so that You do not forget me, and You will see.
כי עזה כמות אהבה. האהבה שאהבתיך עלי כנגד מיתתי שאני נהרגתי עליך:
For love is as strong as death. The extent of my love that I loved You is to me equal to my death, for I am killed for Your sake.7My love to You is so strong that I would choose death before relinquishing my love for You. (Metzudas Dovid)
קשה כשאול קנאה. התגר שנתקנאו ושנתגרו בי האומות בשבילך, קנאה בכל מקום אינפ"רמנט בלע"ז לשון אחיזת הלב לנקום נקם:
Jealousy is as harsh as the grave. The quarrel that the nations were jealous and quarreled with me because of You. “קִנְאָה” every place [in Scripture] means enprenment in O.F., an expression of conveying feelings to wreak vengeance.
אש שלהבת יה. רשפים של אש חזקה הבאה מכח שלהבת של גיהנם טעם הזקף הגדול הנקוד על רשפי מלמדנו על תיבת אש שהיא דבוקה לשלהבת יה לומר אש של שלהבת יה:
Fire from the flame of God. Coals of a strong fire that comes from the force of the flame of Gehinnom. The cantillation symbol of the zakef gadol, which punctuates “רִשְׁפֵּי” teaches us about the word “אֵשׁ [fire],” that it is connected to “שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה,” meaning “fire from the flame of God.”
מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יֽוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת־הָֽאַהֲבָה וּנְהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּהָ אִם־יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת־כׇּל־הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לֽוֹ׃ {ס}
Many waters cannot quench the love, and rivers cannot drown it; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love they would surely scorn him.
Many waters cannot quench the love, and rivers cannot drown it; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love they would surely scorn him.
Rashi
מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות את האהבה. על שכינם בלשון רשפים נופל עליהם לשון לא יכבו:
Many waters cannot quench the love. Since he refers to them with an expression of coals, the term “cannot quench” is appropriate for them.8The pain and suffering that Bnei Yisroel endured throughout its many exiles, “cannot quench the love [for God],” which remains intact. (Sefer Dudaim)
מים רבים. האומות:
Many waters. The nations.
ונהרות. שריהם ומלכיהם:
And rivers. Their princes and their kings.
לא ישטפוה. על ידי חוזק ואימה ואף על ידי פתוי והסתה:
Cannot drown it. Through force or terror, or even through enticement and seduction.
אם יתן איש את כל הון ביתו. כדי להמיר אהבתך:
If a man would give all the wealth of his house. In exchange for your love.
בוז יבוזו לו. כל אלה הקב"ה ובית דינו מעידים שכך כנסת ישראל מתרפקת על דודה:
They would surely scorn him. On all these the Holy One, Blessed Is He, and His Tribunal,9Rashi adds, “and His Tribunal,” because the Verse following begins with “We...”, the plural form. (Sifsei Chachomim) testify that to this extent the congregation of Yisroel clings to her Beloved. Now—
מי זאת. הקב"ה ובית דינו אומרים על כנסת ישראל מי זאת כמה היא חשובה זאת שנתעלתה מן המדבר בכל מתנות טובות שם נתעלתה במתן תורה ובדבוק שכינה ונראית חבתה לכל ועודנה בגלותה:
Who is she. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, and His Tribunal, say about the congregation of Yisroel, “Who is she?” How very worthy she is, who was ascended from the wilderness with all the good gifts. There she became elevated at the giving of the Torah and cleaving to the Divine Presence, and her love was visible to all, and while still in her exile—