Today, let's dive into a fascinating interpretation of the Song of Songs, or Shir HaShirim, from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations. It’s all about longing, redemption, and the cyclical nature of hope.
The verse we’re focusing on is “my beloved is like a gazelle.” Rabbi Yitzḥak offers a beautiful reading: the congregation of Israel is speaking to God, saying, “Master of the universe, You said to us: Come, come. You come to us first.” It's a plea, a yearning for God's presence and intervention.
But why a gazelle? Well, Rabbi Yitzḥak explains, “just as this gazelle appears and is then obscured, appears and is then obscured, so too, the first redeemer [Moses] appeared, was obscured, and appeared again.” Isn't that a powerful image? Moses, the leader who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, wasn't a constant presence. He appeared, led, and then… disappeared for a time.
How long was Moses obscured from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma tells us, three months. He finds support for this in the verse “They encountered Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 5:20). The fact that they "encountered" them implies a period of absence, a separation. As the Etz Yosef commentary points out, Moses and Aaron were in different locations during this time.
And here's where it gets really interesting. Yehuda ben Rabbi suggests this pattern isn’t just a historical event; it’s a template. "So too," he says, "the ultimate redeemer will appear to them and will then be obscured from them." The Mashiach, the Messiah, will follow a similar path.
For how long will the Messiah be obscured? Forty-five days, according to this interpretation. We find this idea rooted in the book of Daniel (12:11-12): “From the time of the abolishing of the continual offering, and the setting of the desolating detestable thing, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days… Happy is one who waits, and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Ketzarta, citing Rabbi Yona, sees those extra forty-five days as the period of the Messiah's concealment.
What will happen during those forty-five days? A period of hardship, it seems. Rabbi Yona envisions Israel picking saltwort and juniper roots for food, a stark image drawn from Job 30:4: “Who pick saltwort from bushes, and the roots of the broom are their food.”
Where will the Messiah lead them during this time? Opinions differ. Some say to the wilderness of Judah, based on Hosea 12:10: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the days of old.” Others suggest the wilderness of Siḥon and Og, drawing from Hosea 2:16-17: “Therefore, behold, I will seduce her, and I will lead her to the wilderness and I will speak to her heart. I will give her her vineyards.” Both scenarios point to a period of testing and renewal in the desert, echoing the experiences of the Israelites after the exodus from Egypt.
The passage concludes with a powerful message: anyone who believes in the Messiah, follows him, and waits, will live. Those who don't, and turn to the nations of the world, will ultimately be killed. It’s a stark warning about the importance of faith and perseverance.
But there's a glimmer of hope. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon adds that at the conclusion of the forty-five days, the Messiah will reappear and cause manna to fall for them, echoing the miraculous sustenance provided to the Israelites in the desert. He quotes Ecclesiastes 1:9: “there is nothing new under the sun.” The cycle of redemption repeats itself, mirroring the past.
So, what does this all mean for us today? This passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah reminds us that redemption isn't a one-time event. It's a process, a cycle of appearance and disappearance, hope and despair. It calls on us to maintain faith, even during times of obscurity, and to trust that even in the darkest of times, a new dawn will eventually break. The gazelle will reappear. The manna will fall again. We just have to keep waiting, and believing.