In Shir HaShirim Rabbah – that’s the collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs – we find a beautiful exploration of just that. It's all about unpacking the verse "as your love is better than wine." The rabbis of old weren’t just being poetic; they were digging deep into the essence of Torah and its relationship to our lives.
The text starts with the idea that matters of Torah are like water, oil, honey, and milk. Let's take water first. "Ho, everyone who is thirsty, go to water!" (Isaiah 55:1). Just as water stretches across the entire earth, as (Psalm 136:6) says, "To the One who spreads the earth over the water," so too does the Torah extend everywhere, "Its measure is longer than the earth" (Job 11:9). It's a universal teaching, a source of life, just like water. Remember, "A garden spring, a well of living water" (Song of Songs 4:15)? Well, Torah is the same: "They are life for those who find them" (Proverbs 4:22). It even comes from the heavens, like rain, just as (Exodus 20:19) says, "That I spoke to you from the heavens."
And it doesn't stop there. Just as water restores the soul, like in (Judges 15:19) when God split the hollow that was in Lehi, so too does Torah, "The Torah of the Lord is complete, restoring the soul" (Psalms 19:8). : Torah isn't just information; it's a life-giving force. It purifies us, like the water in (Ezekiel 36:25): "I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you will be purified." Torah, too, purifies, "The words of the Lord are pure words" (Psalms 12:7). It even covers our shortcomings, just as water covers the seabed (Isaiah 11:9), and as (Proverbs 10:12) says, "Love covers all transgressions." The Torah makes us beloved to God.
But here's where it gets really interesting. The text acknowledges that water has its downsides. It can become spoiled. So, the rabbis ask, is Torah the same? No! That’s where the comparison to wine comes in. The longer wine ages, the better it gets. And so it is with Torah: the longer it stays with a person, the greater they become.
And unlike water, which can be hard to identify once it's mixed in, the Torah is recognizable in a person. People can point and say, "This is a Torah scholar." And while water might not always bring joy, wine certainly does! "Wine will cause the heart of a person to rejoice" (Psalms 104:15). And so, too, do the precepts of the Lord, "causing the heart to rejoice" (Psalms 19:9).
But, uh oh, wine can be harmful too, can’t it? So, the text brings in oil! Oil is pleasant for the head and the body, and so is Torah, "Your word is a lamp to my feet" (Psalms 119:105). But what about the fact that oil can be bitter at first? That's where honey and milk come in! They're sweet, and so is Torah, "Sweeter than honey" (Psalms 19:11).
But honey has waste products. That's where milk steps in: pure and unadulterated. And together, honey and milk are a perfect mix, just like Torah: "It will be healing for your navel" (Proverbs 3:8), "they are life for those who find them" (Proverbs 4:22).
It's a layered, nuanced understanding of Torah, isn't it? But the text doesn’t stop there. It offers another layer of interpretation: "as your love is better" refers to the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – while "than wine" refers to the princes. Or, it says, "as your love is better" refers to the offerings, while "than wine" refers to the libations. Rabbi Ḥanina even suggests that if Moses knew how beloved the offerings would be, he would have sacrificed all the offerings in the Torah! Instead, he appealed to the merit of the patriarchs (Exodus 32:13).
Finally, we arrive at a powerful statement: "as your love is better" refers to the Jewish people, while "than wine" refers to the gentiles. The text even breaks down the numerical value of the Hebrew word for wine, yayin (yod-yod-nun), to equal seventy, corresponding to the seventy nations of the world. The message? Israel is more beloved to God than all the nations.
So, what does it all mean? It's more than just a simple comparison. It's about understanding the multifaceted nature of Torah – its universality, its life-giving properties, its sweetness, its purity. It’s about recognizing that Torah isn't just a set of rules or stories; it's a living, breathing entity that sustains us, guides us, and connects us to something greater than ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, it’s a little bit like a really good glass of wine.
Another matter, “as your love is better than wine”—matters of Torah were analogized to water, to oil, to honey, and to milk. To water, “ho, everyone who is thirsty, go to water” (Isaiah 55:1); just as water [extends] from one end of the earth to the other, as it is written: “To the One who spreads the earth over the water” (Psalms 136:6), so too, Torah, [extends] from one end of the earth to the other, as it is stated: “Its measure is longer than the earth” (Job 11:9). Just as water provides life to the world, as it is stated: “A garden spring, a well of living water” (Song of Songs 4:15), so too, Torah provides life to the world, as it is stated: “They are life for those who find them” (Proverbs 4:22), and it is written: “Go, purchase and eat” (Isaiah 55:1).135This phrase is interpreted as referring to Torah, and comparing it to food, which sustains life. Just as water is from the heavens, as it is stated: “At the sound of his placement of plenteous water in the heavens” (Jeremiah 10:13), so too, Torah is from the heavens, as it is stated: “That I spoke to you from the heavens” (Exodus 20:19). Just as water [rains down] with thunderous sound, as it is stated: “The voice of the Lord is on the water” (Psalms 29:3), so too, the Torah [was given] with thunderous sound, as it is stated: “It was on the third day when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning” (Exodus 19:16). Just as water restores the soul, as it is stated: “God split the hollow that was in Lehi, [and water emerged from it. He drank, and his spirit returned]” (Judges 15:19), so too, Torah: “The Torah of the Lord is complete, restoring the soul” (Psalms 19:8). Just as water purifies a person from impurity, as it is stated: “I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you will be purified” (Ezekiel 36:25), so too, Torah purifies the impure from his impurity, as it is stated: “The words of the Lord are pure words” (Psalms 12:7). Just as water purifies the body, as it is stated: “He shall immerse his flesh in water [and become pure]” (Leviticus 14:9), so too, Torah purifies the body, as it is stated: “Your saying is extremely pure” (Psalms 119:140). Just as water covers the nakedness of the sea, as it is stated: “As the water covers the seabed” (Isaiah 11:9), so too, Torah covers the nakedness of Israel, as it is stated: “Love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12). 136The Torah renders those who engage in it beloved to God. Just as water descends drop by drop but becomes streams upon streams, so too, Torah, a person studies two halakhot today and two tomorrow, until he becomes a flowing stream. Just as water, if a person is not thirsty, it is not pleasant for his body, so too, Torah, if one does not exhaust himself [in its study], it is not pleasant for his body. Just as water forsakes an elevated place and goes to a low place, so too, Torah forsakes one who is arrogant and cleaves to one who is self-effacing. Just as water is not preserved in vessels of silver and gold, but rather, in the lowliest of the vessels, so too, Torah is preserved only in one who renders himself like an earthenware vessel. Just as regarding water, a great man is not ashamed to say to his inferior: ‘Give me water to drink,’ so too, in matters of Torah, a great man is not ashamed to say to his inferior: ‘Teach me one chapter, one matter, one verse, or even one letter.’ Just as water, when a person does not know how to sail on it, he will ultimately capsize, so too, in matters of Torah, if a person does not know how to navigate them and to issue rulings in them, ultimately, he will capsize. Rabbi Ḥanina of Caesarea said: Just as water is drawn to gardens, orchards, lavatories, and bathhouses, could it be that the same is true of matters of Torah? The verse states: “For the ways of the Lord are straight” (Hosea 14:10). Rabbi Ḥama bar Ukva said: Just as water causes the plants to grow, so too, matters of Torah cause anyone who exerts himself sufficiently in their study to grow. If so, just as water becomes spoiled and foul in the jug, is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states: “[better than] wine”—just as wine, the longer it ages in the jug it improves, so too matters of Torah, the longer they age in the body of a person, the greater they become. If so, just as water is not recognizable in the body, is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states: “Wine”—just as wine is recognizable in the body, so too, matters of Torah are recognizable in the body. [People] motion, point, and say: ‘This is a Torah scholar.’ If so, just as water does not cause the heart to rejoice, is the same true of matters of Torah? The verse states: “Wine”—just as wine causes the heart to rejoice, as it is stated: “Wine will cause the heart of a person to rejoice” (Psalms 104:15), so too, matters of Torah cause the heart to rejoice, as it is stated: “The precepts of the Lord are upright, causing the heart to rejoice” (Psalms 19:9). If so, just as wine is sometimes harmful to the head and the body, is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states “oil” (Song of Songs 1:3) just as oil is pleasant for the head and the body, so too, matters of Torah are pleasant for the head and the body, as it is stated: “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalms 119:105). If so, just as oil is bitter at its outset and sweet at its culmination, is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states: “Honey and milk” (Song of Songs 4:11); just as they are sweet, so too, matters of Torah are sweet, as it is stated: “Sweeter than honey” (Psalms 19:11). If so, just as honey has waste,137This is a reference to the wax of the honeycomb, and to the elements that are found mixed in with honey before it is purified. is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states: “Milk,” just as milk is pure, so too, matters of Torah are pure, as it is written: “Gold and glass cannot equal it” (Job 28:17). If so, just as milk is bland, is the same true regarding matters of Torah? The verse states: “Honey and milk.” Just as honey and milk when they are mixed do not harm the body, so it is with matters of Torah, as it is stated: “It will be healing for your navel” (Proverbs 3:8), “as they are life for those who find them” (Proverbs 4:22). Another matter, “as your love is better,” these are the patriarchs; “than wine,” these are the princes. Alternatively, “as your love is better,” these are the offerings; “than wine,” these are the libations. Rabbi Ḥanina said: Had Moses known how beloved the offerings would be when the Israelites performed that deed,138The sin of the Golden Calf. he would have sacrificed all the offerings in the Torah. Instead, he ran to the merit of the patriarchs, as it is stated: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob your servants” (Exodus 32:13). Another matter, “as your love is better,” these are the Jewish people; “than wine [yayin],” these are the gentiles; yod, ten, yod, ten, nun, fifty, the seventy nations,139The numerical value of yod is ten and of nun is fifty, such that the numerical value of the word yayin (yod-yod-nun) is seventy, which corresponds to the seventy nations of the world. to teach you that Israel is more beloved to the Holy One blessed be He than all the nations.
