It all starts with a verse from the Song of Songs (3:11): "Go out and gaze, daughters of Zion, at King Solomon, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart."
But what does this have to do with seeing the Divine? The Rabbis interpret this verse as referring to the moment the Divine Presence, the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence), rested upon the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary the Israelites built in the desert. It's like they're saying: "Go out and see the Divine Presence, just like the people did when they "saw, shouted, and fell on their faces" (Leviticus 9:24)."
The text then makes a fascinating link between being able to see the Divine and circumcision. "The daughters of Zion," it says, alludes to "those who are marked for Him with circumcision." Without it, they wouldn't be able to look at the Divine Presence. They would have fallen, just like Abraham did before his circumcision, as we see in (Genesis 17:3): "Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him." Even Bilaam, the non-Israelite prophet, "falls with uncovered eyes" (Numbers 24:4, 16) when receiving his prophecy.
Why this emphasis on circumcision? Well, the text links it to a moment of readiness, of purification. Just as a storekeeper must remove impurity from his house before inviting a priest, so too must we remove any "blemish" before we can truly be in God's presence. The passage drives this point home with a powerful analogy. God desired to appear to Abraham, but a foreskin still remained on him. Only once he circumcised himself "on that very day" (Genesis 17:26), did "The Lord appear to him" (Genesis 18:1).
But the passage doesn't stop there. It goes on to offer multiple interpretations of "King Solomon" (Shelomo in Hebrew). It's not just about the historical king, but about a deeper concept of completeness, of shelemim. Solomon represents the King who desires faultless people, as God commanded Abraham: "Walk before Me and be faultless" (Genesis 17:1).
The text continues: Solomon is the King who created His creations complete. Bar Kappara even suggests that Adam and Eve were created as twenty-year-olds – in their full stature! It's a vision of a world brought into being in a state of wholeness and perfection.
And it gets even more profound. Solomon is also the King who makes peace – shalom – between his creations. We find this idea beautifully illustrated with the imagery of fire and water, seemingly opposing forces existing in harmony. He made peace between fire and Abraham, the sword and Isaac, and angels and Jacob. The heavenly beasts are of fire, and the firmament is of snow, yet "neither does this one extinguish that one, nor does that one consume this one." Even within a single angel, with its multiple faces described in (Daniel 10:6), peace reigns.
This theme of peace extends even to the plagues in Egypt! Remember the hail and fire? (Exodus 9:24) tells us, "There was hail and fire igniting [mitlakaḥat] within the hail." Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehemya offer different explanations, but the core idea is the same: even in devastation, there's a miraculous harmony, a divine purpose at work. Rav Ada compares it to two powerful legions who, despite their differences, unite to fight for their king.
The passage concludes with an exploration of the "crown" mentioned in the verse. Rabbi Yitzḥak points out that the Bible doesn't say Bathsheba made a crown for Solomon. Instead, the "crown" is interpreted as the Tent of Meeting, adorned with precious materials. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai even relates a story of a king who loved his daughter so much he called her both his sister and his mother, drawing a parallel to God's love for Israel.
Ultimately, this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah invites us to contemplate what it means to truly see the Divine. It's not just about physical sight, but about a deeper readiness, a state of wholeness, and an embrace of peace. It's about recognizing the Divine Presence in the world around us, even in the midst of seeming contradictions and chaos. It's a powerful reminder that to truly connect with the Divine, we must strive for completeness, for harmony, and for peace within ourselves and in the world. So, what does it mean for you to "go out and gaze?"
“On the day” – that is what is written: “Go out and gaze, daughters of Zion, [at King Solomon, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart]” (Song of Songs 3:11). It is speaking at the time that the Divine Presence rested upon the Tabernacle. “Go out and gaze” – just as it says: “The entire people saw, shouted, and fell on their faces” (Leviticus 9:24).30This was their reaction to seeing the Divine Presence in the Tabernacle. “The daughters of Zion [Tziyon]” – [alludes to] those who are marked [metzuyanim] for Him with circumcision, as had they not been circumcised they would not have been able to look at the Divine Presence. Rather, they would have fallen, just as Abraham our patriarch fell, as it is stated: “Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him” (Genesis 17:3). Likewise, regarding Bilam, it says: “He falls with uncovered eyes” (Numbers 24:4, 16). Likewise it says: “Moses said: This is the matter that the Lord commanded that you shall do, and the glory of the Lord will appear to you” (Leviticus 9:6). What is, “this is the matter [ze hadavar]”? It was regarding circumcision that he said to them, just as it says: “This is the reason [veze hadavar] that Joshua circumcised” (Joshua 5:4). “That the Lord commanded” – to do to Abraham; this is analogous to a storekeeper who had a friend who was a priest. There was impurity in the house of his friend [the storekeeper], who sought to bring him to his house. The priest said to him: If you wish that I will come into your house, listen to me and remove the impurity from inside your house. When the storekeeper knew that there was no impurity there, he went and brought the priest into his house. So, the Holy One blessed be He, when he sought to appear to Abraham, his beloved, a foreskin was still attached to him. Once he circumcised himself, He immediately appeared, as it is stated: “On that very day, Abraham was circumcised” (Genesis 17:26), and then: “The Lord appeared to him” (Genesis 18:1). That is why Moses said to them: ‘God commanded to have circumcision performed on Abraham your patriarch when He sought to appear to him. You too, anyone of you who has someone uncircumcised, let him come out and have himself circumcised, “and the glory of the Lord will appear to you.”’ That is why Solomon said: “Go out and gaze, daughters of Zion, at King Solomon [Shelomo],” at the king who desires faultless [shelemim] people, just as it says: “Walk before Me and be faultless” (Genesis 17:1), as the foreskin is a blemish on the body. Another matter: “At King Solomon [Shelomo]” (Song of Songs 3:11) – at the King who created His creations complete [shelemim]. He created the sun and the moon in their fullness, and all the acts of Creation were created in their full stature, as it is stated: “[The heaven and] the earth and all their hosts [tzevaam]” (Genesis 2:1).31Tzevaam is expounded as tzivyonam, in their full form. Bar Kappara said: Adam and Eve were created as twenty-year-olds. Another matter: “At King Solomon [Shelomo]” (Song of Songs 3:11) – at the King who made peace between his creations and those who love Him. He made peace between fire and Abraham32This refers to a midrash that states that Nimrod placed Abraham in a furnace and that God saved Abraham (Bereshit Rabba 39:3)., the sword and Isaac, and angels and Jacob. Another matter: “At King Solomon [Shelomo]” (Song of Songs 3:11) – at the King who makes peace between his creations. The heavenly beasts are of fire, and the firmament is of snow. The heavenly beasts are of fire, as it is stated: “The beasts were darting to and fro like the appearance of a flash” (Ezekiel 1:14). The firmament is of snow, as it is stated: “Over the heads of the beast there was the likeness of a firmament, resembling the [awesome] ice…” (Ezekiel 1:22). Neither does this one extinguish that one, nor does that one consume this one. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Dominion and fear are with Him; [He makes peace in His heights]” (Job 25:2). “Dominion” – this is Mikhael, and he is of snow; “and fear” – this is Gavriel, and he is of fire. What is “with Him”? They are devoted [mushlamim] to Him; this one does not harm that one, and that one does not harm this one. Not only does He go so far as to make peace between angel and angel, but even within one angel he makes peace, as he has five faces. That is what is written: “His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, [his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and his legs like burnished bronze, and the sound of his speech like the noise of a multitude]” (Daniel 10:6) – neither does this one extinguish that one, nor does that one extinguish this one.33The lightning and the fire are against the beryl, which is translated as resembling the sea, and the great multitude is likewise an allusion to water. It is written: “A river of fire flowed and emerged [from before Him]” (Daniel 7:10), and the firmament is of water, as it is stated: “He roofs His upper chambers with water” (Psalms 104:3). Neither does this one extinguish that one, nor does that one extinguish this one. Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Ḥanan said: “He makes peace in His heights” (Job 25:2) – the sun has never seen the concave side of the moon.34See Rosh HaShana 23b where the Gemara states that this is to prevent the moon from feeling bad. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There is no constellation that sees what preceded it, and there is no constellation that sees what is above it, only what is below it, like this person that descends a ladder, turned backwards. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: The firmament is of water and the stars of fire, and they reside one with the other and they do not harm one another. Even between the plagues He makes peace [shalom]. That is what is written: “There was hail and fire igniting [mitlakaḥat] within the hail” (Exodus 9:24). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: Bowls of hail filled with fire. Rabbi Neḥemya said: Fire and water intermingled one with the other. Rabbi Ḥanan said: The explanation of Rabbi Yehuda is that it is like the seed of a split pomegranate that can be seen from the outside. The explanation of Rabbi Neḥemya is that it is like this lantern of a lamp, in which water and oil are mixed as one, and it is kindled above them. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: What is mitlakaḥat? It means dies [maita] and regroups [umitkahala] to perform its mission in order to perform the will of its Creator. Rav Ada said: This is analogous to a king who had two powerful legions that would contend with one another. When a war involving the king came about, they made peace with one another and came and waged the king’s war. So, hail and fire contended with one another. When they saw the war of the Holy One blessed be He with Egypt, it is stated: “There was hail and fire igniting within the hail” – a miracle within a miracle. That is why it is stated: “At King Solomon [Shelomo]” (Song of Songs 3:11). “At the crown with which his mother crowned him” (Song of Songs 3:11) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: We have reviewed the entire Bible, and we have not found that Batsheva fashioned a crown for her son Solomon. Rather, “crown” – this is the Tent of Meeting, which is like this crown that is set with jewels and gems and is adorned with sky-blue, purple, and crimson wool, and fine linen. Rav Ḥoneya said: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai asked Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yosei, he said to him: ‘Did you, perchance, hear from your father, what is: “At the crown with which his mother crowned him”?’ He said to him: ‘Yes. It is analogous to a king who had an only daughter and he loved her excessively. He did not relent from loving her, to the extent he called her his sister. He did not relent from loving her to the extent he called her his mother. So, the Holy One blessed be He loved Israel. He called them: “My sister, my love, my faultless dove” (Song of Songs 5:2). He did not relent from loving them, to the extent he called them His mother. That is what is written: “Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation [ule’umi]” (Isaiah 51:4); ule’imi is written.’35Without a vav, meaning My mother. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai stood and kissed him on his head. He said to him: ‘Had I emerged into the world only to hear this explanation from your mouth, it would have been sufficient.’ Alternatively, “his mother [imo]” means his nation [umato]. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: When the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘They shall craft a Tabernacle for Me,’ he should have placed four poles upright and stretched the Tabernacle atop them. Rather, it teaches that the Holy One blessed be He showed Moses on high red fire, green fire, black fire, and white fire; He said to him: ‘In the form “that you are shown on the mountain”’ (Exodus 25:40). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Batzla: This is analogous to a king who had a magnificent garment fashioned with jewels. He said to a member of his household: ‘Fashion me one like this.’ He said to him: ‘My lord the king, am I able to craft one like it?’ He told him: ‘I in my glory, and you with your dyes.’36Do your best to approximate the garment that you see. So, Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘My God, am I able to craft like these?’ He said to him: ‘Like the form “that I [am showing you]”’ (Exodus 25:9), “with the sky-blue, the purple, and the crimson wool, and with the fine linen” (Exodus 38:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: If you craft what is above, below, I will abandon My supernal council and descend and constrict My Divine Presence into your midst below. Above, “seraphim standing” (Isaiah 6:2); below, “acacia wood standing” (Exodus 26:15). It is not written here: “Place acacia wood upright,” but rather, “standing,” as though placed among the hosts on high. That is what is written: “Seraphim standing above Him” (Isaiah 6:2). Just as above there are stars, so below37In the Tabernacle. there are stars. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: It teaches that the gold hooks in the Tabernacle looked like the stars fixed in the firmament. “On the day of his wedding” (Song of Songs 3:11) – this is Sinai. There was matrimony, as it is stated: “Sanctify them [vekidashtam]38This is expounded to mean betrothal [kidushin]. today and tomorrow” (Exodus 19:10). “And on the day of the rejoicing of his heart” (Song of Songs 3:11) – this is the giving of the Torah, as it is stated: “He gave to Moses, when He concluded [kekhaloto] [speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony]” (Exodus 31:18). Kekhalato is written.39Meaning: Like His bride. Another matter: “On the day of his wedding” (Song of Songs 3:11) – this is the Tent of Meeting. “And on the day of the rejoicing of his heart” (Song of Songs 3:11) – this is the eternal Temple. From where is it derived that there was matrimony at the Tent of Meeting? It is as it is written: “On the day that Moses concluded [kalot] erecting the Tabernacle.” Kalat is written; on the day that the bride [kala] entered the wedding canopy.
