Le Cantique des Cantiques 1:3 Commentaire : Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi & Ezra ben Solomon

“The fragrance of your ointment” [1:3]. He compares the Torah to oil. How is oil? It is a remedy for the body and makes his face clear. The Torah that he studies is similar to oil. If one puts a drop of oil into a barrel containing water, the oil drop will float to the surface. Whoever studies Torah and is full of Torah is similar. If he listens to idle talk, he forgets an amount of the Torah equal to the idle talk that he heard.⁴Yalkut Shimoni, Song of Songs, Remez, 981.

Like the fragrance of good oils. A good name is referred to as, “good oil.”¹²Alternatively, “good oils” symbolize Torah and mitzvos due to their pleasant fragrance. (Sefer Duda’im)

Your oils are of fine aroma: He calls the effulgent flow from the Glory, the gateway to the entities, “aroma.” From there it increases and flows down into the seventy branches that surround the central column. Counting it, there are seventy-one. Because of this, the text says: “from the kisses of his mouth”: from that very light.⁴²Each of the branches is “kissed” or nourished directly from His mouth, from tiferet or the central column.

Like the fragrance of good oils. That those dwelling at the ends of the earth smelled, [i.e.,] those who heard of Your good reputation when You performed awesome deeds in Egypt.

[Your name] is like flowing oil. Your name is thus called. It is said about you that “you are [like] oil that is constantly being poured forth so that your fragrance goes forth to a distance.” For such is the nature of fragrant oil, as long as it is in a sealed bottle, its fragrance does not diffuse. If one opens it and pours its oil into another vessel, its fragrance diffuses.¹³See Rashi in Maseches Avodah Zarah 35b.

Therefore young maidens love you. Yisro came upon hearing the news and converted; also Rachav Hazonah said, “For we have heard how Adonoy dried up, etc.”¹⁴Yehoshua 2:10. And because of this [she proclaimed], “For Adonoy your God, He is God in heaven, etc.”¹⁵Ibid. 2.11. According to this Rashi, “maidens” represent proselytes, and because of the plural expression [עלמות], Rashi mentions two proselytes, Yisro and Rachav. (Sifsei Chachomim)

Young maidens. Virgins, since the text compares Him to a young man whose beloved holds him dear. And according to the allegory: The “young maidens” are the other nations.