What is the true value of love? Can it be bought? Can it be extinguished? The Song of Songs, that most beautiful and enigmatic of Biblical books, touches on this very question. In Chapter 8, verse 7, we find the line: “Much water cannot extinguish love, and rivers cannot wash it away; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be scorned.”
But what does it mean?
Well, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classic rabbinic commentary on Song of Songs, dives deep into this verse, offering some fascinating interpretations. The commentary opens by suggesting that the "much water" represents the nations of the world. How so? Because, as it says in Isaiah 17:12, "Ah, the uproar of many peoples." These "waters" – these nations – "cannot extinguish love"—specifically, the love that the Holy One, blessed be He, has for Israel, as it states in Malachi 1:2: "I loved you, said the Lord."
And those "rivers" that cannot wash away love? Shir HaShirim Rabbah again sees them as the nations of the world. Here, the commentary refers to Isaiah 7:20 and 8:7, passages speaking of a "great razor" and "the waters of the River," metaphors for the Assyrian king’s power and dominance. But even such overwhelming force, these "rivers," can't eradicate God’s love.
Then comes the really striking part: "If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be scorned." The Rabbah interprets this on multiple levels. One understanding is that even if all the nations on earth opened their treasuries and offered all their wealth for a single matter of Torah, they would never gain atonement for causing Israel to fail in even one mitzvah (commandment).
Another interpretation goes even further. Even if they gave all their money to atone for the blood of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues – those martyred for their faith during times of persecution – they still wouldn't achieve atonement. Money simply can't buy its way into the kind of love and devotion that was exemplified by Rabbi Akiva.
The commentary then shifts to stories of the rabbis themselves, illustrating this concept of love through their dedication to Torah. We hear of Rabbi Yoḥanan, who was strolling from Tiberias to Tzippori with Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba. Along the way, Rabbi Yoḥanan pointed out an agricultural estate, a vineyard, and an olive grove – all of which he had sold to dedicate himself to Torah study.
Rabbi Ḥiyya, understandably, began to cry. "I am crying because you did not leave anything for your old age!" he exclaimed. But Rabbi Yoḥanan responded, "Ḥiyya my son, is it inconsequential in your eyes what I did, that I sold something that was given in six days?" He's referring to the creation of the world in six days, as described in Exodus 20:11. The Torah, in contrast, was given over forty days, as we find in Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 9:9. Rabbi Yochanan implies that it was more than worthwhile to trade something created in six days to gain something given over forty days - the Torah.
The story doesn't end there. When Rabbi Yoḥanan died, his generation read this very verse, "If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be scorned," in his honor. Why? Because it reflected the immense love Rabbi Yoḥanan had for the Torah. According to the Yefe To’ar commentary, he will gain a portion of the plunder of the war of Gog and Magog, an end-times battle in Jewish eschatology.
Similarly, when Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya died, they saw his bier floating in the air, a sign of divine favor. And again, his generation recited this verse, emphasizing that the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Rabbi Oshaya so much that anyone thinking money could attain that kind of love would be scorned.
So, what’s the takeaway? Love, in its truest form – whether it's the love between God and Israel, or the love for Torah and wisdom – is beyond price. It can't be bought, it can't be extinguished, and it certainly can't be washed away. It's a love earned through dedication, devotion, and a willingness to sacrifice everything. And that, perhaps, is its most precious quality.