But that's the magic of rabbinic interpretation, where seemingly disparate threads of the Torah are woven together to reveal deeper truths. Let’s dive in.

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, right?

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.