Schir haSchirim 2:5 Talmud-Verweise: Tractate Soferim

R. Isaac Nappaḥa began his discourse as follows: Stay me with dainties¹⁹Cant. 2, 5, Heb. באשישות. refers to the well-founded²⁰מאוששות, meaning ‘strong, firm’. halakoth; refresh me with apples refers to the ’aggadoth²¹Inserted by GRA; not in V. H reads: ‘these are the words of Torah’. whose fragrance is pleasant like that of apples. For I am love-sick—R. Isaac said: In the past when money was plentiful²²And people enjoyed leisure and an easy existence. one longed to hear a word of the halakah,²³Which requires time for concentration of thought and serious application of the mind. but now that money is scarce²⁴And there is a hard struggle to earn a livelihood. one longs to hear²⁵So GRA. V omits ‘but now … hear’. [The reading of H is: ‘but now that money is scarce, and especially when we are oppressed by (lit. sick from) the government, one longs to hear a word from Scripture and a word of ’aggadah’.] a word of ’aggadah.²⁶Which is easy, consoling and entertaining.