It’s amazing what layers can be uncovered when we delve into the ancient texts. Take the verse from Song of Songs 7:14: “The mandrakes have emitted fragrance, and at our entrance are all types of delicacies, new and old; I have them in store for you, my beloved.” Seemingly a simple love poem. But in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, this verse blossoms into a rich tapestry of meaning.
The passage begins by associating the "mandrakes" – duda’im in Hebrew – with "the lads of Israel who have not tasted the taste of sin." These are the pure, untainted ones. "And at our entrance are all types of delicacies," represents, according to the text, "the daughters of Israel who have cleaved to their husbands and do not know another man." Chastity and faithfulness, then, are the initial interpretations offered for the fragrant mandrakes and the delicacies at the entrance.
But the interpretation doesn't stop there. We then encounter a fascinating discussion between Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Levi. Rabbi Yudan points out how beloved mandrakes must be to God, because in their "reward," two great tribes emerged: Issachar and Zebulun. This, of course, references the story in Genesis 30:16, where Leah hires Jacob with her son’s mandrakes.
Then comes a fascinating exchange between Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman. They unpack the story of Leah and Rachel and the mandrakes in terms of loss and reward. Rabbi Elazar says that Leah "lost" the mandrakes but was rewarded with tribes and burial in the Cave of Makhpela alongside Jacob. Rachel, on the other hand, "won" the mandrakes but "lost" tribes and burial. Then, the text subtly shifts the frame. Leah lost the mandrakes and was rewarded with tribes, but she also "lost" the birthright (which ultimately went to Joseph). Rachel "won" the mandrakes and was "rewarded" with the birthright (through her son Joseph), but she "lost" the tribes. It's a complex calculus of spiritual gains and losses.
Why this focus on mandrakes? Well, these weren’t just any ordinary plants. Mandrakes were believed to have properties that aided fertility. So, the story becomes about more than just a transaction; it's about the very future of the Israelite nation.
Rabbi Levi offers yet another layer. He connects the mandrakes to the prophet Jeremiah’s vision of two baskets of figs (Jeremiah 24:1–2). One basket contains "very good figs," representing the exile of Yekhonya, and the other "very bad figs," symbolizing the exile of Zedekiah. But, Rabbi Levi says, both the good figs and the bad figs "emitted fragrance," meaning that even in exile, both groups held the potential for redemption.
What about the "delicacies at our entrance"? The text offers two analogies. The school of Rabbi Sheila compares it to a capable wife who takes the little her husband leaves her and multiplies it. The Rabbis compare it to a sharecropper who fills baskets with fruit from the orchard and places them at the entrance, showcasing the orchard's abundance to the king. The text then applies these ideas to generations of Jewish scholars. The "early generations," like the members of the Great Assembly, Hillel, and Shammai, are like the fruit at the entrance. The "later generations," like Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, Rabbi Akiva, and their students, are like the entire orchard – even more abundant. The "new and old" delicacies refer to these different eras of wisdom.
Finally, Rabbi Abba bar Kahana brings it all home. He says that God tells Israel: “You have in store for Me and I have in store for you. You keep mitzvot and good deeds, and I keep for you in full storehouses more than all the goodness in the world.” Mitzvot are commandments, acts of loving kindness and devotion. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana bar Yudan adds that God’s storehouses are more plentiful than ours, quoting Psalms 31:20: “How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You, which You have created for those taking refuge in You.”
So, what started as a seemingly simple verse about mandrakes and delicacies becomes a profound meditation on reward and loss, exile and redemption, and the enduring relationship between God and Israel. It's a reminder that even in the smallest details of scripture, there are layers of meaning waiting to be uncovered, if only we take the time to look. And it shows us that even our smallest acts of devotion are treasured and multiplied by a loving God.