A passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, that explores just that feeling. Specifically,
What does it all mean?
The Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw layers upon layers in this verse. The opening line, "I arose to open for my beloved," isn't just about a lover answering a knock at the door. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avuna, interpreting before Rabbi Yitzḥak, tells us it's about the Jewish people rising to the occasion, unlike the nations of the world. How so?
The verse echoes the return to Jerusalem to build the Second Temple after the Babylonian exile. As we read in (Ezra 1:5), "Then arose the heads of the patrilineal families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites…to go up to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem." Judah, because from it came the king. Benjamin, because the Temple stood on its land. The priests for their service, the Levites for the platform. All rose to answer the call.
But it wasn't as simple as that.
"To open for my beloved" also means to open in repentance. Cyrus, the Persian king, initially allowed the Jews to return and rebuild. But, as Rabbi Yoḥanan recounts, Cyrus regretted his decision when he saw the province deserted of its skilled artisans – the very Jews who were now rebuilding the Temple! He reversed his decree, hindering further return.
The passage paints a vivid picture: "The sun will be dark when it rises" (Isaiah 13:10), Rabbi Yoḥanan imagines, wishing the sun had indeed been dark that day Cyrus changed his mind. Daniel and his companions, already in Babylon, chose to return despite the challenges, prioritizing a meal in the Land of Israel and the blessing it held. They understood the value of the opportunity.
But what about Ezra? Why didn't he go up with them?
the verse says Ezra stayed behind to clarify his studies with Barukh ben Neriya. But Reish Lakish offers a deeper reason: Ezra's potential to become High Priest. Had Ezra ascended and been seen as more suitable than Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, the appointed High Priest, it would have caused strife. The satan, the heavenly accuser, was already targeting Yehoshua (Zechariah 3:1).
Rabbi Simon adds that abolishing hereditary rights is "problematic before the Holy One blessed be He." Yehoshua was a High Priest, son of a High Priest. Despite Ezra's righteousness, he wasn't entitled to the position by lineage.
The myrrh, or mor in Hebrew, is interpreted as "bitterness," or merarim. "My hands were dripping with myrrh" alludes to the bitterness of the exile, and even more specifically, according to our text, to the sin of the Golden Calf. "And my fingers with myrrh passing" – mor over – is God overlooking their bitterness, as it says, "The Lord reconsidered the evil…" (Exodus 32:14).
Finally, "onto the handles of the latch" represents the blocking of the Euphrates, preventing the Jews from fully returning to the Land of Israel. It was from there, from that point of missed opportunity, that the way was blocked. It also represents the barring of entry to the Land of Israel because of their sins.
So, what’s the takeaway? This passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah isn't just a commentary on a love poem. It’s a reminder that opportunities, especially those connected to repentance and rebuilding, are precious. It’s about recognizing the knock at the door, even when our hands are full of the "bitterness" of past mistakes. And it’s about understanding that sometimes, the reasons we miss those opportunities are more complex than they seem, intertwined with fate, leadership, and even heavenly accusations. Are we ready to answer the door when opportunity knocks?
“I arose to open for my beloved; my hands were dripping with myrrh, and my fingers with myrrh passing onto the handles of the latch” (Song of Songs 5:5). “I arose to open for my beloved” – I arose, and not the nations of the world. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avuna interpreted before Rabbi Yitzḥak: It is written: “[Then arose] the heads of the patrilineal families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites…[to go up to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem]” (Ezra 1:5); “of Judah” – as he is king; “and Benjamin” – as the Temple is in his portion; the priests because of the Temple service; and the Levites because of the platform.25The verse specifies these groups for the reasons mentioned above, but in fact Israelites of all types went up to build the Second Temple. This is in contrast to the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin (see Ezra 4:2), who presented themselves as wanting to assist in building the Temple but in fact had malicious intentions. “To open for my beloved” – in repentance. “My hands were dripping with myrrh [mor]” – bitterness [merarim]. Cyrus issued a decree: Whoever has crossed the Euphrates has crossed, and whoever has not crossed shall not cross. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “The sun will be dark when it rises” (Isaiah 13:10) – if only it had been dark on that day and did not shine. Cyrus emerged to walk in the province, and he saw that the province was deserted. He said: Why is this province deserted? Where are the goldsmiths, where are the silversmiths? They said to him: Are you not the one who decreed and said: Let all the Jews go out and build the Temple? It was they who were the goldsmiths and the silversmiths, and they have ascended to build the Temple. At that moment he decreed: Whoever has crossed the Euphrates has crossed, and whoever has not crossed shall not cross. Daniel and his associates and his comrades ascended. At that time they said: It is preferable for us to eat a meal of the Land of Israel and recite the blessing of the Land of Israel. Ezra and his associates and his comrades did not ascend at that time. Why did Ezra not ascend at that time? It was because he needed to clarify his studies before Barukh ben Neriya. So let Barukh ben Neriya ascend. Rather, they said: Barukh ben Neriya was a large, elderly man, and he could not even be loaded onto a sedan chair. Reish Lakish said: It was due to the sanctity of the Temple that Ezra did not ascend at that time, as had Ezra ascended at that time, the accuser would be able to incite strife and say, it would be preferable to have Ezra serve in the High Priesthood rather than have Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak serve as the High Priest.26The heavenly accuser was already accusing Yehoshua (see Zechariah 3:1), and this would have added to his accusations. But Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak was a High Priest son of a High Priest, and although Ezra was a righteous man, he was not as worthy to serve in the High Priesthood as [Yehoshua] was. Rabbi Simon said: Abolishing hereditary rights is problematic before the Holy One blessed be He. “Onto the handles of the latch” – it was from there that the Euphrates was blocked before them. Another matter: “I arose to open for my beloved” – I arose and not the nations of the world. “To open for my beloved” – in repentance. “My hands were dripping with myrrh [mor]” – bitterness [merarim], this is the sin of the Golden Calf, “this is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:4). “And my fingers with myrrh passing” – nevertheless “myrrh passing [mor over],” He overlooked my bitterness [avar al merari], as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered the evil…” (Exodus 32:14). “Onto the handles of the latch” – it was from there that it was locked before them so that they would not enter the Land of Israel.
