“How fair are your feet in sandals, daughter of a nobleman. Your rounded thighs are like ornaments, the handiwork of a master craftsman” (Song of Songs 7:2). “How fair are your feet in sandals,” Rabbi Yudan said: To praise even an ordinary person with this language would be demeaning to him, and you say: “How fair are your feet”? Rather, it is speaking only about the steps [paamei] of the pilgrimage festivals.7This is derived from the fact that the Torah says: “Three times [pe’amim] a year, all your males shall appear before the Lord God” (Exodus 23:17).
Thus, the verse here is interpreted as praising Israel for travelling to Jerusalem in celebration of the pilgrimage festivals (Etz Yosef). But are the feet not sometimes bare and sometimes covered? Rather, how fair are your feet in sandals, daughter of my beloved.8This is an alternate explanation of the midrash. The verse cannot be taken literally as praising the feet, as they are sometimes covered.
Rather, the verse is praising Israel for how they observe mitzvot that have to do with shoes, such as ḥalitza. Israel is referred to as “daughter of my beloved” because Abraham was beloved by God (Matnot Kehuna). Rabbi Berekhya said: This is what was expounded by two mountains of the world, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, who said: “How fair are your feet in sandals [bane’alim].” Your feet were so fair9The merit of traveling to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals was so great (Matnot Kehuna). that they would serve as a barrier before all troubles.
There was an incident involving one who forgot to lock the doors of his house and ascended on his way to the pilgrim festival. When he returned, he found a snake entwined in the rings of his doors.10The snake prevented anyone from entering his house while he was away. There was another incident involving one who forgot to bring his chickens into his house and ascended on his way to the pilgrim festival.
When he returned, he found cats torn to pieces before them. There was another incident involving one who forgot to bring a pile of wheat into his house and he ascended on the pilgrim festival. When he returned, he found lions surrounding the wheat. Rabbi Pinḥas said: There was an incident involving two wealthy brothers from Ashkelon who had wicked neighbors from the nations of the world. [The wicked neighbors] would say: ‘When these Jews ascend to pray in Jerusalem we will enter, plunder their houses, and destroy them.’
The time arrived and they ascended, but the Holy One blessed be He summoned for them angels in their image, who would go in and out of their houses. When they returned from Jerusalem, they distributed what they brought back with them to all their neighbors. The [wicked neighbors] said to them: ‘Where have you been?’ They said to them: ‘In Jerusalem.’ ‘When did you ascend?’ ‘On such and such day.’ ‘When did you return?’ ‘On such and such day.’
They said: ‘Blessed is the God of the Jews, whom they did not forsake, and He did not forsake them. We11The literal translation of the Hebrew is “those men.” It was not uncommon for people to refer to themselves in the third person. had thought: When these Jews ascend to pray in Jerusalem, we will enter, plunder their houses, and destroy them. But their God sent angels in their image who would go in and out of their houses, because they put their trust in Him,’ to fulfill what is stated: “How fair are your feet.”