Seems straightforward, right? But the Rabbis, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, see layers of meaning here. Specifically, they focus on the Hebrew word libavtini – "you have charmed me." The spelling of this word, with a doubled letter bet, is interpreted as hinting at levavot, two hearts!
The Holy One, blessed be He, is saying: "You had one heart, but now you've given me two!" What does this mean? Well, the Rabbis offer several interpretations, each tied to a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish people.
One interpretation focuses on Egypt. God says, "You had one heart in Egypt, but you gave Me two hearts." What's the single heart? Maybe a divided loyalty, perhaps a wavering faith amidst hardship. But what brought about the two hearts? The Rabbis say it's “with the blood of the paschal offering and the blood of circumcision.” These acts of faith, performed in the face of potential danger, demonstrated a complete commitment to God.
And who is the "one bead of your necklace"? In each of these interpretations, it is Moses, who was the most outstanding and mighty among your tribes.
Another interpretation takes us to the splitting of the Red Sea. According to Shir HaShirim Rabbah, God says, "You had one heart at the sea, but you gave Me two hearts." Perhaps that initial fear and uncertainty gave way to unwavering belief as they witnessed the miracle unfolding. The “one eye” that charmed God? It was when the people stood before God at Mount Sinai and proclaimed, "Everything that God spoke we will perform and we will heed!" (Exodus 24:7). A commitment to both action and understanding.
We find another layer in the story of the Tabernacle. "You had one heart in the wilderness," God says, "but you gave Me two hearts." The single heart might represent the grumbling and complaining that sometimes arose during their desert wanderings. But the two hearts emerged with the establishment of the Tabernacle. “You have charmed me with one of your eyes – with the establishment of the Tabernacle, as it is stated: “On the day the Tabernacle was established, [the cloud covered the tabernacle]” (Numbers 9:15). This generous giving "with a good eye" (as donating generously is sometimes called in rabbinic Hebrew) and the dedication to building a sacred space, showed a renewed and doubled commitment.
The Rabbis even highlight the women of that generation, who, when faced with the incident of the Golden Calf, refused to give their nose rings to the effort. And when they heard about the laws of family purity, they immediately accepted them. These were acts of unwavering faith and commitment.
The Midrash doesn't stop there. It continues, explaining that God says, "You had one heart with the scouts, but you gave Me two hearts." In this version, the two hearts belong to Joshua and Caleb, the only scouts who brought back a positive report about the Land of Israel (Numbers 32:12). They maintained their faith even when others faltered.
And lastly, "You had one heart in the Shittim, but you gave Me two hearts." This refers to the incident with the Moabite women, where many Israelite men strayed. But one man, Pinḥas, took a stand against the transgression. "Pinḥas stood up to carry out judgment.… and it was considered righteousness for him" (Psalms 106:30–31). His courageous act, fueled by righteous zeal, represented the two hearts.
So, what's the takeaway from all of this? It's about growth, about deepening our commitment, about moving from a place of divided loyalty to one of wholehearted devotion. It's about recognizing those moments in our lives where we can choose to give not just one heart, but two. And in doing so, to truly charm the Divine. It makes you wonder, where in your own life can you offer two hearts instead of just one?