Musar zu Schir haSchirim 1:7

I shall copy what I have said on a verse in the Song of Songs, and then we shall return to our subject. (Song of Songs 1:7): "Tell me, You whom my soul loves, how will You graze Your flock? How will you make them lie down in the afternoon, etc." Rashi explains that the congregation of Israel hereby says before the Holy One Blessed be He, as a wife to her husband: "Tell me, You whom my soul loves, how will You graze Your flock, [Israel], and how will You make them lie down in the afternoon, in the exile of the idolators, which is a time of suffering for them as the [hot] afternoon is a time of suffering for the flock?" And the Holy One Blessed be He answers (Ibid. 8): "If you do not know, you fairest of the women, [Israel], then go out in the footsteps of the sheep," which Rashi explains: "If you do not know, My congregation and My assembly, the fairest of the women among the other nations, how you will graze and rescue yourselves from those who press you to stay among them, so that your sons not go lost, reflect upon the ways of your forefathers, who received My Torah and kept My 'keeping' and My mitzvoth, and walk in their ways, and, also, in reward for this, you will graze your kids, among the princes of the peoples. And thus did Jeremiah say (Jeremiah 31:24): "Make road markers for yourself… set your heart to the path, etc." Now, as to the answer of the Holy One Blessed be He, does Israel not know [by themselves] that it is a mitzvah to walk in the path of our forefathers? But, in truth, this is a deep matter. The congregation of Israel asked for counsel, what to do at this time, when we are without influence and steeped in many troubles and the yetzer hara entices us to remove from ourselves the yoke of Torah, so that thereby the yoke of the idolators might be eased from us. Therefore the term "grazing" is used, which connotes influence, and "how will You make them lie down," as explained by Rashi. The Holy One Blessed be He responds: "If you do not know, you fairest of the women, go out in the footsteps of the sheep." That is, reflect upon the ways of your fathers. For it is known that Israel's invocation of the L-rd's remembrance of "the merit of the fathers" in almost every prayer is contingent upon our walking to some extent in their ways. And though we will not be able to achieve even a fraction of a fraction of their holy ways (not to speak of "walking in their ways"), as Scripture said (Joshua 14:15): "the greatest of the giants," concerning which Chazal have said [Bereshith Rabbah 14:6] that this refers to Abraham and the other forefathers (apparently also in this regard) — in any event, if we see to it to attain what our intellects can attain of their holy ways and to grasp a little of their holy conduct, then their exalted merit will avail us to bring us to all good — which will not be the case if we "turn a shirking shoulder" and refuse to walk in their ways at all, in which instance, the remembrance of their merit will not be to our honor. I shall adduce one instance, which is not even a fraction of a fraction of their holy ways: Why did the Holy One Blessed be He exalt Abraham so greatly because of the akeidah [the binding of Isaac]? Is it not true even in our days that if the Holy One Blessed be He commanded one to sacrifice his son as a burnt-offering he would not refuse? But the truth is, as Rambam writes, that his [greatness in his] trial was his acquiescence in it with absolute love. Witness his rising for it early in the morning, splitting the wood by himself, and waiting three days until the place [of the sacrifice] appeared to him. And there were several [other] trials included in this, as we find in the Midrash: that the Satan appeared in the form of a river, which Abraham had to cross on the way to the akeidah, walking neck-deep in the water and crying: "Save, O L-rd, for water has come to soul!" and the [apparition] vanished, all of this indicating his perfect love for the L-rd and his complete acquiescence [in His command].

And all this is alluded to in short in the answer of the Holy One Blessed be He to the congregation of Israel (Song of Songs 1:7): "How will you graze?", which connotes "influence." How will you make them lie down in the afternoon?", which connotes the severity of the time. "If you do not know, etc…. in the footsteps of the sheep," which alludes to reflection upon the ways of our forefathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If we walk in their ways, He will grant us influence, as our fathers had, and there will be attenuated for us the severity of the times in all of our dwelling places.