Midrasch zu Schir haSchirim 4:1

“Behold, you are fair, my love, behold, you are fair; your eyes are doves behind your braid; your hair is like a flock of goats that streams down from Mount Gilad. Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes that have come up from bathing, that are all paired, and there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:1–2).
“Behold, you are fair, my love, behold, you are fair” – behold you are fair in mitzvot, behold you are fair in performing acts of kindness. Behold you are fair in positive mitzvot, behold you are fair in negative mitzvot. Behold you are fair in the mitzvot of the house: in ḥalla, teruma, and tithes; behold you are fair in the mitzvot of the field: gleanings, forgotten sheaves, the corner,¹The mitzva to leave produce in a corner of the field for the poor. This and the other mitzvot of the field mentioned here are found in Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22. tithe of the poor, and ownerless property.²The requirement to declare ownerless the produce that grows in one’s field during the Sabbatical Year. Behold you are fair in diverse kinds, behold you are fair in a cloak with ritual fringes. Behold you are fair in planting, behold you are fair in orla,³It is forbidden to eat and derive benefit from fruit that grows during the first three years after a tree is planted. behold you are fair in the fruit of a fourth-year sapling. Behold you are fair in circumcision, behold you are fair in uncovering.⁴After the foreskin is severed, the membrane underneath is pulled back, exposing the corona. Behold you are fair in the Amida prayer, behold you are fair in the recitation of Shema. Behold you are fair in mezuza, behold you are fair in phylacteries. Behold you are fair in sukka, behold you are fair in the palm branch and the citron. Behold you are fair in repentance, behold you are fair in good deeds. Behold you are fair in this world, behold you are fair in the World to Come.

(Cant. 1:15:) AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY BELOVED. R. Simon ben Pazzi said: She praises him in a simple expression, and he praises her with a double expression. Why does he praise her with a double expression?³In Cant. 1:15, where the man addresses the woman, AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, is written twice, while in vs. 16, where the woman addresses the man, AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL appears only once. Because if she does not do his will, he can exchange her for another. But she praises him in simple language because she cannot exchange him for another. (Cant. 1:16:) AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY DEAR, LOVELY INDEED. Therefore (in Cant. 1:15): AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY BELOVED; AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL WITH YOUR DOVELIKE EYES. These (eyes) are the Sanhedrin.⁴Gk.: synedrion. Just as the whole body follows the eyes, so Israel follows the Sanhedrin. Whatever they (of the Sanhedrin) declare unclean is unclean; < whatever they declare > clean is clean. (Ibid.:) WITH YOUR DOVELIKE EYES. Just as in the case of a dove: When all birds are being slaughtered, they move convulsively;⁵Rt.: PRKS; cf. Gk.: phrixis (“tremor”) or phrixos (“bristling”). but the dove does not do so. Instead it stretches out its neck. So no one gives his life for the sake of the Holy One except Israel, as stated (in Ps. 44:23 [22]): INDEED, FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE SLAIN ALL DAY LONG; [WE ARE REGARDED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.] (Cant. 4:1:) <AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY BELOVED, WITH YOUR DOVELIKE EYES> BEHIND THE VEIL. In the case of a woman, when the hair of her head grows, she puts the hair behind it (i.e., the veil); and it is becoming to her. So in the case of Israel, when their Sanhedrin sat in the chamber of hewn stones, it was confined behind your veil.

“Your eyes are doves” – your eyes are the Sanhedrin, who are the eyes of the congregation. That is what is written: “It shall be, if from the eyes of the congregation” (Numbers 15:24). There are two hundred and forty-eight limbs in a person, and all of them come and go only after the eyes. So too, Israel is unable to do anything without their Sanhedrin. “Doves” – just as this dove is faultless, so too, Israel is pleasant as they walk when they ascend on the occasions of the pilgrimage festivals. Just as the dove is conspicuous, so too, Israel is conspicuous in haircut, circumcision, and ritual fringes. Just as the dove is modest, so too, Israel is modest. Just as a dove extends its neck for slaughter, so too, Israel: “For we are killed for You all day” (Psalms 44:23). Just as the dove atones for evils, so too, Israel atones for the nations, as all the seventy bulls that they sacrifice on the festival [of Sukkot] correspond to the seventy nations, so that the world will not be bereft of them. That is what is written: “In return for my love, they accuse me; but I am all prayer” (Psalms 109:4).
Just as the dove, from the time it meets its mate, it does not exchange it for another, so too Israel, from the time they came to know the Holy One blessed be He, they did not exchange Him for another. Just as the dove enters its nest and knows its nest, its dovecote, its fledglings, its chicks, and its windows, so are the three rows of Torah scholars when they sit before them,⁵Three rows of scholars would sit before the members of the Sanhedrin when the Sanhedrin would deliberate. When new judges for the Sanhedrin were needed, they were chosen from these scholars (see Sanhedrin 37a). each and every one knows his place. Just as the dove, even though you take its fledglings from beneath it, it will never forsake its dovecote, so too Israel, even though the Temple was destroyed, the three annual pilgrimage festivals were not abrogated. Just as the dove produces a new brood each and every month, so too Israel renew for themselves Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds each month. Just as the dove travels far afield and returns to its dovecote, so too Israel; that is what is written: “They will stir like a bird from Egypt” (Hosea 11:11) – this is the generation of the wilderness; “and like a dove from the land of Assyria” (Hosea 11:11) – these are the Ten Tribes. These and those, “I will settle them in their houses, the utterance of the Lord” (Hosea 11:11).
Rabbi says: There is a type of dove that they feed it, and its counterparts smell it and come to its dovecote. So too, when an elder sits and teaches, many proselytes convert at that time, such as Yitro, who heard and came, and Raḥav heard and came. So too Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, many proselytes converted at that time. What is the reason? “When he sees his children” (Isaiah 29:23); what is written thereafter? “Those of misguided spirit will attain understanding” (Isaiah 29:24).
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] was sitting and expounding, and the audience was dozing. He sought to rouse them. He said: A certain woman in Egypt bore six hundred thousand in a single womb. There was one student there, Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei was his name. He said to [Rabbi]: ‘For whom was it so?’ [Rabbi] said to him: ‘This is Yokheved, who bore Moses, who is the equivalent of six hundred thousand of Israel. That is what is written: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel” (Exodus 15:1). “The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did” (Numbers 1:54).⁶The verse does not say that God commanded Israel, but rather that He commanded Moses and Israel did what He commanded. “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10).’⁷The verse is formulated such that the last phrase quoted here can be translated as “Israel is like Moses.”
“Your eyes are doves” – like doves; your characteristic is like that of a dove; just as this dove brought light to the world, so too, Israel brings light to the world, as it is stated: “Nations will walk by your light” (Isaiah 60:3). When did the dove bring light to the world? In the days of Noah. That is what is written: “The dove came to him in the evening, and there was an olive leaf plucked in its mouth…” (Genesis 8:11). What is plucked [taraf]? Dead, just as you say: “Joseph has been torn apart [tarof toraf]” (Genesis 37:33). Rabbi Berekhya said: Had it not killed it,⁸Had the dove not plucked the olive leaf. it would have become a great tree.
From where did it bring it? Rabbi Levi said: It brought it from the branches of the Land of Israel. That is what people say: The Land of Israel was not stricken with the water of the Flood. That is what was stated by Ezekiel: “Son of man, say to it: You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not been rained upon on the day of fury” (Ezekiel 22:24). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Even the upper millstones were dissolved in the water.⁹This strengthens the question: If the destruction was so great, where did the dove find an olive branch (Maharzu). Alternatively, this supports Rabbi Levi’s answer: Since the destruction was so great, it must be that the olive branch was found in a place that remained unaffected by the Flood (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Taryi said: The gates of The Garden of Eden were opened for it, and from there it brought it. Rabbi Aivu said to him: Had it brought it from the Garden of Eden, should it not have brought a quality item such as cinnamon or balsam? Rather, it was hinting to Noah as though saying to him: My master Noah, [it is preferable to have] something bitter like this from the hand of the Holy One blessed be He and not something sweet from you.

“Behind [mibaad] your braid” – Rabbi Levi said: Any bride whose eyes are ugly, her entire body requires examination. One whose eyes are beautiful, her entire body does not require examination. When a woman braids her hair behind her, it is an ornament for her. So was the Great Sanhedrin, which convened behind the Temple, and it was an ornament of the Temple. Rabbi Abbahu said: They appeared crowded, but it was spacious for them, as in the great colloquium in Tzippori. Rabbi Levi said: [The word mibaad] is Arabic. When he wants to say: Make room for me, he says: Maved li.
“Your hair is like a flock of goats that streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad” – the mountain from whose midst I directed away streams [shegalashti], I rendered a memorial [galed] for the nations of the world. Which is that? It is the Red Sea.¹⁰This is a reference to the splitting of the sea. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: The mountain from whose midst you streamed. When a woman’s hair grows too much, she thins it [galshin]. When the flame in a lamp burns too bright, one thins [the wick].¹¹These statements are cited in order to demonstrate that the root gimmel-lamed-shin means to thin out or strip away.
What is it that I took away [higlashti] from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered [ketzuvot] ewes” – defined [ketzuvin] matters, the plunder of Egypt and the plunder of the sea. “That have come up from bathing” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai: Before the song [of Deborah], it is written: “The children of Israel continued to do what was evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 3:12). After the song it is written: “The children of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 6:1). Was this the beginning of their action?¹²Earlier it says they continued to do what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, indicating that they had already been doing so previously. But after the song it does not say they continued, rather only that they did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, implying that this was the beginning of their evil behavior. It is because the song had already atoned for the past. On a similar note it says: “These are David’s last words” (II Samuel 23:1). The first ones, where are they? Rather, the song¹³The song of David (II Samuel chap. 22). atoned for the past.
“That are all paired [matimot]” – as they are all in the middle [metuamim] between the Divine Spirit and the angel. That is what is written: “The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved [and went behind them]” (Exodus 14:19). “And there is none missing among them” – that not one of them was harmed.

Another matter: “Your hair is like a flock of goats” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away, I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? This is the Sanhedrin. What is it that you took from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, these exonerate and these convict.⁵⁹The Sanhedrin is compared to “ordered ewes” because there were a specific number of judges and specific guidelines for arriving at a verdict when the judges were split in their decision. “That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – who exonerate Israel. “That are all paired” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: If they found in his favor they exonerate him. But if not they delay to the following day, and spend [the time in] pairs (Sanhedrin 40a).⁶⁰In cases of capital punishment, the judges would spend the interval in the case in pairs, deliberating about whether there was any way to exonerate the accused. “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – Rabbi Levi said: They infer one matter from another matter. Rabbi Abba said: That the halakha is not unclear to them.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:3) – Rabbi Yudan said: The decree of the court is like the decree of the king; with their mouths they command stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation. Rabbi Ḥunya said: Blood,⁶¹Rabbi Ḥunya interprets the phrase “your lips are like a scarlet thread” as praising Israel for their observance of the laws of sacrificial offerings. as we learned: A red line encircled in the middle [of the altar] to separate between the blood of the upper part [of the altar] and the blood of the lower part (Midot 3:1). Rabbi Azarya [said] in the name of Rabbi Yuda: Just as the red line separates between the upper and the lower blood, so the Sanhedrin distinguishes between impurity and purity, between the prohibited and the permitted, between exemption and liability.

And thou shalt command (Exod. 27:20). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair (Song 1:15). R. Akiba said: The entire world was never as worthy as on the day the Song of Songs was given to Israel. Though all the writings in the Torah are holy, the Song of Songs is the most sacred. R. Eleazar the son of Azariah declared: To what may this be compared? It may be compared to a ruler who brought a measure of wheat and gave to a baker. He told him: “Sift this much fine flour, this much bran, this much coarse bran, and then take enough fine and well-sifted flour⁴Jastrow says it is a Syriac word, describing a type of white flour that makes a delicate bread. for one loaf of bread and bake it.” Similarly, all the writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the holiest of all. Proof of this is that the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed unto Israel: Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair. Thine eyes are like doves (Song 1:15).

“My beloved is mine, and I am his, who herds among the lilies” (Song of Songs 2:16).
“My beloved is mine, and I am his,” He is God for me, and I am a nation for Him. He is God for me, “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). I am a people and a nation for Him, as it is stated: “Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation” (Isaiah 51:4). He is a father to me, and I am a son to Him. He is a father to me, “For You are our Father” (Isaiah 63:16). I am a son to Him, “My son, My firstborn, Israel” (Exodus 4:22). He is a shepherd to me, “Shepherd of Israel, listen” (Psalms 80:2). I am His flock, “you, My flock, flock of My pasture” (Ezekiel 34:31). He is my guardian, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel does not slumber and does not sleep” (Psalms 121:4). I am His vineyard, as it is stated: “For the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 5:7).
He is for me against those who provoke me, and I am for Him against those who anger Him. He is for me against those who provoke me, as He smote the firstborn of Egypt, as it is stated: “I will pass in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12); “it was at midnight and the Lord smote every firstborn” (Exodus 12:29). I am for Him against those who anger Him, as I slaughtered the gods of Egypt, and likewise, “against all the gods of Egypt I will administer punishment” (Exodus 12:12), and I slaughtered them to Him, as it is stated: “Behold, will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes, and they will not stone us?” (Exodus 8:22). Likewise, “they shall each take for them a lamb for each patrilineal home” (Exodus 12:3).
He said to me: ‘Let the proportion [hamazeg] not be skewed,’ as it is stated: “Your navel is a moon-shaped goblet, may it not lack mixed wine [hamazeg]” (Song of Songs 7:3). I said to Him: ‘You are my good beloved, if only Your goodness will never be lacking from me,’ just as it says: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I will not lack” (Psalms 23:1).
Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Ilai said: He sang to me and I sang to Him; He lauded me and I lauded Him. He called me: “My sister, My love, My faultless dove” (Song of Songs 5:2), and I said to Him: “This is my beloved and this is my companion” (Song of Songs 5:16). He said to me: “Behold you are fair my love” (Song of Songs 4:1), and I said to Him: “Behold, you are fair, my beloved, pleasant too” (Song of Songs 1:16). He said to me: “Happy are you Israel, who is like you?” (Deuteronomy 33:29). I said to Him: “Who is like You among the powers, Lord?” (Exodus 15:11). He said to me: “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land” (I Chronicles 17:21). I declare the unity of His name twice daily: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “It was during those many days, that the king of Egypt died; [the children of Israel sighed due to the bondage, and they cried out, and their plea rose to God due to the bondage.] God heard their groaning…God saw the children of Israel” (Exodus 2:23–25). When He requires something, he seeks it only from me and from my hand, as it is stated: “Speak to the entire congregation of Israel, saying: [In the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb]” (Exodus 12:3). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “Pharaoh approached and the children of Israel raised [their eyes and…the Egyptians were traveling after them… the children of Israel cried out to the Lord]” (Exodus 14:10). When He requires something, He seeks it only from me, as it is stated: “Speak to the children of Israel and let them take a gift for Me” (Exodus 25:2). When I had trouble, I sought [salvation] only from Him: “The Children of Israel cried out to the Lord, as he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the Children of Israel forcefully…” (Judges 4:3). What is forcefully? It was with cursing and blaspheming. When He required something, He sought it only from me, as it is stated: “They shall make a sanctuary for Me” (Exodus 25:8).