That's the magic of rabbinic interpretation, where seemingly disparate threads of the Torah are woven together to reveal deeper truths. Rabbi Yitzḥak, as quoted in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, sees the verse "Your hair is like a flock of goats" (Song of Songs 4:1) as a reference to the Israelite army heading into battle against Midian. But why goats? Well, the Rabbis suggest that the army’s success wasn't due to military might alone, but rather to the merit of Moses and Pinḥas. It was on their coattails, so to speak, that victory was achieved.
The text even seems to play with the wording of (Numbers 31:6) – "Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinḥas." Some suggest understanding this verse as equating Pinḥas with the rest of the soldiers! Powerful. The verse continues, "That streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad" (Song of Songs 4:1). Here, the Rabbis cleverly link the word shegaleshu, "streams down," with shegelashten, "you took away." The mountain, in this interpretation, represents the Midianite war, a "memorial for the nations of the world." But what was taken away? "Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes" (Song of Songs 4:2) – representing the meticulously organized army of twelve thousand, "One thousand per tribe from the thousands of Israel" (Numbers 31:5).
There's a fascinating detail here about the army's piety. Rabbi Huna says that not one of them put on their head t’fillin (phylacteries) before their arm t’fillin. We’re told the arm t’fillin are supposed to be donned first. Can you imagine? This seemingly small act of religious devotion was so significant that Moses praised them, and they returned unharmed! It speaks volumes about their righteousness.
Then comes a rather… intense image. "That are all paired" (Song of Songs 4:2). The Rabbis, reflecting on the historical context, explain that the soldiers, remembering the earlier sin at Shittim where Israelite men were enticed by Midianite women, entered the women's dwellings in pairs. One soldier would blacken the woman's face, while the other would remove her jewelry. The idea? To make them less appealing, preventing further sin.
The women, understandably, protested: "Are we not creations of the Holy One blessed be He that you do this to us?" The Israelites responded, "Is it not enough for you that our people received their punishment because of you?" A stark reminder of the consequences of unchecked desire and the need for boundaries.
The verse "And there is none missing among them" (Song of Songs 4:2) is interpreted to mean that not a single soldier was suspected of wrongdoing. When they reported to Moses, "Your servants took a census of the men of war under our command, and not a man is missing from among us" (Numbers 31:49), they weren't just talking about physical absence, but also moral purity.
But then, a twist! Moses challenges them. "Your statements contradict each other. You said: 'Not a man is missing from among us'… and you said: 'We brought the offering of the Lord.' If you did not sin, what is the purpose of this offering?"
The soldiers then reveal their internal struggle. Even though they didn't commit any explicit transgressions, the yetzer hara (evil inclination) was still present. The very act of resisting temptation, of blackening faces and removing jewelry, stirred something within them. The offering was for that – the acknowledgement of their human fallibility.
Moses, moved by their honesty and self-awareness, then praises them: "Your temple [rakatekh] is like a pomegranate slice" (Song of Songs 4:3) – even the empty among you is packed with mitzvot (good deeds) like this pomegranate. Resisting temptation, the Rabbis say, is a great mitzvah in itself.
The interpretation goes on, connecting the Israelites to the legacy of King David, acknowledging that Israel merited to inherit the land of Midian. It ends by circling back to the beginning: the victory was achieved through "your two breasts" (Song of Songs 4:5) – Moses, the head of the Sanhedrin, and Pinḥas.
So, what does all this tell us? It's a complex tapestry, isn't it? It shows us that even in the midst of war, questions of morality and temptation are ever-present. It reminds us that leadership, like that of Moses and Pinḥas, is crucial for maintaining ethical boundaries. And perhaps most importantly, it highlights the power of self-awareness and the importance of acknowledging our internal struggles, even when we outwardly appear righteous. Maybe that's the most beautiful and enduring lesson hidden within this interpretation of the Song of Songs.
Rabbi Yitzḥak interpreted the verse regarding the Midianite war. “Your hair is like a flock of goats” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the flocks that went to the Midianite war went only due to the merit of Moses and Pinḥas.29They were successful in the war against Midian only due to the merit of Moses and Pinḥas (Etz Yosef). That is what is written: “Moses and Elazar the priest took the gold from…” (Numbers 31:54).30Some suggest that the text should read: That is what is written: “Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinḥas” (Numbers 31:6). This verse may be understood as equating Pinḥas with the rest of those who went out to war (Matnot Kehuna). “That streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away [shegelashten], I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? This is the Midianite war. What is it that you took away from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, twelve thousand volunteers and twelve thousand conscripts, as it is stated: “One thousand per tribe from the thousands of Israel were provided, [twelve thousand mobilized soldiers]” (Numbers 31:5). Rabbi Ḥananya bar Yitzḥak said: They went to the Midianite war with twelve thousand. “That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – Rabbi Huna said: Not one of them gave precedence to the head phylacteries before the arm phylacteries,31The arm phylacteries are supposed to be donned before the head phylacteries. as, had one of them given precedence to the head phylacteries before the arm phylacteries, Moses would not have praised them and they would not have ascended from there unharmed. That is to say that they were extremely righteous. “That are all paired” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as when they would enter in pairs to the woman, one of them would blacken her face and one of them would remove her jewelry.32The war against Midian was fought in the aftermath of the events in Shitim, where Moavite and Midianite women enticed Israelites to engage in sexual immorality and idolatry. As a result, twenty-four thousand Israelites died in a plague (see Numbers 25:1–9). When the Israelites defeated the Midianite army and entered the private dwellings where the women were located to take the spoils of war, they would enter two at a time and would cause the women to look less enticing, so as to ensure that they would not sin. [The women] would say to them: ‘Are we not creations of the Holy One blessed be He that you do this to us?’ The Israelites would say to them: ‘Is it not enough for you that our people received their punishment because of you?’ That is what is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them” (Numbers 25:4). “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – that not one of them was suspected of committing a transgression. “Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:3) – when they said to Moses: “Your servants took a census of the men of war under our command, and not a man is missing from among us” (Numbers 31:49), in lewdness and in sin.33None of our men were killed, and none acted inappropriately with the captive women. “Your speech is lovely” (Song of Songs 4:3) – as they said to him: “We brought the offering of the Lord” (Numbers 31:50). Moses said to them: ‘Your statements contradict each other. You said: “Not a man is missing from among us” (Numbers 31:49) – in lewdness and in sin. And you said: “We brought the offering of the Lord.” If you did not sin, what is the purpose of this offering?’ They said to him: Moses our master, we would enter to the woman in pairs, and one of us would blacken her face and one would remove her jewelry. Is it possible that the evil inclination was not moved at all? For that moving of the evil inclination we say to bring an offering. At that moment, Moses began praising them: “Your temple [rakatekh] is like a pomegranate slice” (Song of Songs 4:3) – even the empty among you is packed with mitzvot like this pomegranate, for anyone who is confronted by the opportunity to commit a transgression and is spared from it and does not perform it has performed a great mitzva. It goes without saying: “Behind your braid [letzamatekh]” (Song of Songs 4:3) – regarding the modest and the fervent [metzumatin] among you. “Like the tower of [kemigdal] David” – regarding which [David] elevated [gidel] you in his book. Regarding what did David elevate you in his book? “Siḥon king of the Emorites.… and Og king of the Bashan.… and gave their land as an inheritance” (Psalms 136:19–21).34These verses state that God gave the land of Siḥon to Israel as an inheritance. Included in this territory was the land of Midian. The fact that Israel merited to inherit the land of Midian speaks positively of them. “Built magnificently [letalpiyot]” – a book that was stated by many mouths [piyot]. “One thousand bucklers are hung upon it” – all those tens of thousands and those thousands who went to the Midianite war and I defended them. I defended them only because of the merit of what came after one thousand generations. Not only you alone relied upon it, but rather, “all the shields of the mighty” – everyone who arises and controls and overcomes his inclination, is called mighty, like Moses in his time, David in his time, Ezra in his time. Their entire generation depends upon them. By means of whom was the Midianite war waged? It was by means of “your two breasts” (Song of Songs 4:5) – these are Moses, the head of the Sanhedrin, and Pinḥas.
