The verse we’re unpacking is Song of Songs 5:11: "His head is the finest gold; his locks are curls, black as a raven." Seems straightforward. But in the world of Jewish interpretation, nothing is ever just what it seems.
"His head [rosho] is the finest gold," the text tells us, actually refers to the Torah itself. How so? Because rosho, "head," is linked to the word reshit, "beginning," as in the verse, "The Lord made me at the beginning [reshit] of His way" (Proverbs 8:22). This connects the head to the very origin of wisdom, which, in this context, is the Torah. Rabbi Ḥunya, citing Reish Lakish, even suggests the Torah predates the creation of the world by two thousand years! How do we know? From Proverbs 8:30: "I was with Him, as a protégé; I was a delight day after day." And a day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is like a thousand years, according to Psalms 90:4: "As one thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday as it passes." Mind. Blown. The "finest gold," then, represents the invaluable words of Torah, more precious than gold itself, as Psalm 19:11 states, "They are more desirable than gold, than much fine gold."
So, what about the "locks [kevutzotav] are curls [taltalim], black as a raven?" Here, the interpretation gets even more intriguing. The text proposes that the "curls" represent the ruled lines that are scored on the parchment before a scribe writes the Torah. Imagine the meticulous preparation, the setting of the stage for the holy words to come! Another interpretation sees the curls as "heaps upon heaps [tilei tilim]" of halakhot, Jewish laws, derived from the smallest details of the letters themselves, even their crowns. Rabbi Azarya goes even further, suggesting that even the seemingly insignificant "thorns [kotzim]" of the Torah are actually a finely coiffed hairstyle [kevutzei kevutzim]—beautiful and essential. Nothing is superfluous; everything has meaning.
But how are these "thorns" sustained? "Black as a raven" – through one who engages in them early and late, the text explains. One who dedicates themselves to Torah study, rising before dawn and burning the midnight oil. Rabbi Yoḥanan believed that the amassing of Torah is best done at night, referencing Proverbs 31:15, "She arises while still night," and Lamentations 2:19, "Arise, cry out at night." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, however, argued for both day and night, based on Joshua 1:8: "You shall ponder it day and night." Reish Lakish even credits Rabbi Yoḥanan with teaching him that the true accumulation of Torah comes at night. He added that when he labored over the Torah during the day, it would illuminate for him at night, as the verse says, “You shall ponder it day and night.”
So, what can we take away from this rich tapestry of interpretation? Perhaps it's that the Torah is not a static text, but a living, breathing source of wisdom that continues to reveal its secrets to those who delve into it with dedication and passion. It’s a reminder that even the smallest details, the apparent "thorns," hold profound meaning and that the pursuit of understanding is a lifelong journey, best undertaken with both diligence and wonder.
It makes you think, doesn't it? What "thorns" in your own life might actually be hidden treasures waiting to be discovered?