How the Rabbis Connected Doves to the Sanhedrin Court is the question behind this passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah.
The first reading, it's a beautiful compliment. Poetic, even. But for the rabbis, nothing is ever just The first reading. This verse, they say, is about more than just physical beauty.
"Your eyes are doves," they begin, means "your eyes are the Sanhedrin (the supreme rabbinic court)." The Sanhedrin, you recall, was the ancient Jewish high court, the supreme council. So, how did they get from doves to a court of law? Because, as the text explains, the Sanhedrin are "the eyes of the congregation." They guide, they observe, they make judgments. Think of it like this: just as our bodies rely on our eyes to navigate the world, the Jewish people rely on the Sanhedrin for direction. We even see this idea echoed in (Numbers 15:24): “It shall be, if from the eyes of the congregation…”
Why doves specifically? Here's where it gets really interesting. The rabbis launch into a flurry of comparisons, each revealing a different facet of the Jewish people.
"Just as this dove is faultless, so too, Israel is pleasant as they walk when they ascend on the occasions of the pilgrimage festivals." Doves are seen as pure, unblemished. Similarly, the Jewish people are seen as being at their most beautiful, most pleasing to God, during the pilgrimage festivals.
And it doesn't stop there. "Just as the dove is conspicuous, so too, Israel is conspicuous in haircut, circumcision, and ritual fringes." The dove is easily identifiable, and so too are the Jewish people, through their unique customs and practices. "Just as the dove is modest, so too, Israel is modest." There's a sense of humility and restraint associated with both.
Then comes a starker comparison: "Just as a dove extends its neck for slaughter, so too, Israel: 'For we are killed for You all day' (Psalms 44:23)." This is a powerful image of sacrifice and unwavering faith, even in the face of persecution.
But it's not all about suffering. "Just as the dove atones for evils, so too, Israel atones for the nations…" This refers to the seventy bulls sacrificed during the festival of Sukkot, which, according to tradition, correspond to the seventy nations of the world. The idea is that Israel's actions have a ripple effect, benefiting all of humanity. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, this is done "so that the world will not be bereft of them."
The text continues, drawing parallels between the dove's loyalty to its mate and Israel's unwavering devotion to God. Just as the dove instinctively knows its nest, so too do Torah scholars know their place within the community. Even when separated from their home, like the dove, the Jewish people will always return. “They will stir like a bird from Egypt…and like a dove from the land of Assyria," as it says in (Hosea 11:11).
There's even a fascinating idea about how the dove attracts others. Rabbi says that just as a well-fed dove attracts others to its dovecote, so too does a wise elder attract converts to Judaism. Think of figures like Jethro and Rahab, who were drawn to the faith after hearing about its wisdom and values.
Then, the narrative shifts to a story about Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who, noticing his audience dozing off, tells a seemingly outlandish tale about an Egyptian woman giving birth to six hundred thousand children at once. It was Yokheved, the mother of Moses, he explains. In effect, Moses was the equivalent of six hundred thousand Israelites!
Finally, the interpretation circles back to the idea of the dove bringing light to the world, referencing the story of Noah's Ark. "The dove came to him in the evening, and there was an olive leaf plucked in its mouth…" (Genesis 8:11). Rabbi Berekhya points out that had the dove not killed the olive branch, "it would have become a great tree." Where did it get the branch? According to Rabbi Levi, it came from the Land of Israel, which was miraculously spared from the Flood's devastation. Others suggest it came from the Garden of Eden itself! But Rabbi Aivu offers a poignant interpretation: the dove brought something bitter from God, rather than something sweet from elsewhere, suggesting that even hardship from the Divine is preferable to ease from another source.
So, what does it all mean? This passage isn't just about doves or eyes. It's a many-sided exploration of the Jewish people: their strengths, their struggles, their unique relationship with God, and their role in the world. It reminds us that even the simplest of images can hold profound meaning, waiting to be uncovered through careful study and interpretation. And maybe, just maybe, it encourages us to look at ourselves, and each other, with a little more depth and understanding.
“Your eyes are doves” – your eyes are the Sanhedrin, who are the eyes of the congregation. That is what is written: “It shall be, if from the eyes of the congregation” (Numbers 15:24). There are two hundred and forty-eight limbs in a person, and all of them come and go only after the eyes. So too, Israel is unable to do anything without their Sanhedrin. “Doves” – just as this dove is faultless, so too, Israel is pleasant as they walk when they ascend on the occasions of the pilgrimage festivals. Just as the dove is conspicuous, so too, Israel is conspicuous in haircut, circumcision, and ritual fringes. Just as the dove is modest, so too, Israel is modest. Just as a dove extends its neck for slaughter, so too, Israel: “For we are killed for You all day” (Psalms 44:23). Just as the dove atones for evils, so too, Israel atones for the nations, as all the seventy bulls that they sacrifice on the festival [of Sukkot] correspond to the seventy nations, so that the world will not be bereft of them. That is what is written: “In return for my love, they accuse me; but I am all prayer” (Psalms 109:4). Just as the dove, from the time it meets its mate, it does not exchange it for another, so too Israel, from the time they came to know the Holy One blessed be He, they did not exchange Him for another. Just as the dove enters its nest and knows its nest, its dovecote, its fledglings, its chicks, and its windows, so are the three rows of Torah scholars when they sit before them,5Three rows of scholars would sit before the members of the Sanhedrin when the Sanhedrin would deliberate. When new judges for the Sanhedrin were needed, they were chosen from these scholars (see Sanhedrin 37a). each and every one knows his place. Just as the dove, even though you take its fledglings from beneath it, it will never forsake its dovecote, so too Israel, even though the Temple was destroyed, the three annual pilgrimage festivals were not abrogated. Just as the dove produces a new brood each and every month, so too Israel renew for themselves Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds each month. Just as the dove travels far afield and returns to its dovecote, so too Israel; that is what is written: “They will stir like a bird from Egypt” (Hosea 11:11) – this is the generation of the wilderness; “and like a dove from the land of Assyria” (Hosea 11:11) – these are the Ten Tribes. These and those, “I will settle them in their houses, the utterance of the Lord” (Hosea 11:11). Rabbi says: There is a type of dove that they feed it, and its counterparts smell it and come to its dovecote. So too, when an elder sits and teaches, many proselytes convert at that time, such as Yitro, who heard and came, and Raḥav heard and came. So too Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, many proselytes converted at that time. What is the reason? “When he sees his children” (Isaiah 29:23); what is written thereafter? “Those of misguided spirit will attain understanding” (Isaiah 29:24). Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] was sitting and expounding, and the audience was dozing. He sought to rouse them. He said: A certain woman in Egypt bore six hundred thousand in a single womb. There was one student there, Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei was his name. He said to [Rabbi]: ‘For whom was it so?’ [Rabbi] said to him: ‘This is Yokheved, who bore Moses, who is the equivalent of six hundred thousand of Israel. That is what is written: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel” (Exodus 15:1). “The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did” (Numbers 1:54).6The verse does not say that God commanded Israel, but rather that He commanded Moses and Israel did what He commanded. “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10).’7The verse is formulated such that the last phrase quoted here can be translated as “Israel is like Moses.” “Your eyes are doves” – like doves; your characteristic is like that of a dove; just as this dove brought light to the world, so too, Israel brings light to the world, as it is stated: “Nations will walk by your light” (Isaiah 60:3). When did the dove bring light to the world? In the days of Noah. That is what is written: “The dove came to him in the evening, and there was an olive leaf plucked in its mouth…” (Genesis 8:11). What is plucked [taraf]? Dead, just as you say: “Joseph has been torn apart [tarof toraf]” (Genesis 37:33). Rabbi Berekhya said: Had it not killed it,8Had the dove not plucked the olive leaf. it would have become a great tree. From where did it bring it? Rabbi Levi said: It brought it from the branches of the Land of Israel. That is what people say: The Land of Israel was not stricken with the water of the Flood. That is what was stated by Ezekiel: “Son of man, say to it: You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not been rained upon on the day of fury” (Ezekiel 22:24). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Even the upper millstones were dissolved in the water.9This strengthens the question: If the destruction was so great, where did the dove find an olive branch (Maharzu). Alternatively, this supports Rabbi Levi’s answer: Since the destruction was so great, it must be that the olive branch was found in a place that remained unaffected by the Flood (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Taryi said: The gates of The Garden of Eden were opened for it, and from there it brought it. Rabbi Aivu said to him: Had it brought it from the Garden of Eden, should it not have brought a quality item such as cinnamon or balsam? Rather, it was hinting to Noah as though saying to him: My master Noah, [it is preferable to have] something bitter like this from the hand of the Holy One blessed be He and not something sweet from you.
