Midrash sur Le Cantique des Cantiques 2:4

“He brought me to the wine house, and his banner over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4).
“He brought me to the wine house,” Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Meir says: The congregation of Israel said: ‘The evil inclination gained control over me like wine, and I said of the calf: “This is your god, Israel”’ (Exodus 32:4). When wine enters a person, it confuses him. Rabbi Yehuda said to him: Enough, Meir, one does not expound Song of Songs disparagingly, but rather, favorably, as Song of Songs was given only in praise of Israel. What, then, is “he brought me to the wine house”? The congregation of Israel said: The Holy One blessed be He brought me to a large wine cellar, this is Sinai. He gave me there banners of Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds, and I accepted them with great love.
Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: The congregation of Israel said: The Holy One blessed be He brought me to a large wine cellar, this is Sinai. He gave me there the Torah, which is expounded with forty-nine approaches for purity and with forty-nine approaches for impurity, the numerical value of “his banner [vediglo].⁴⁷Vav is equivalent to 6, dalet to 4, gimmel to 3, lamed–to 30, and vav to 6, which together equal 49. I accepted it with great love, as it is stated: “And his banner over me is love.”
Rabbi Yona said: Two colleagues who engage in a matter of halakha, this one says the source of the halakha, and that one does not say the source of the halakha, the Holy One blessed be He says: “His banner [vediglo] over me is love.”⁴⁸Although he cannot provide a source for his ruling, and therefore his conclusion is inaccurate, his efforts in Torah study are nonetheless beloved in the eyes of God. The word diglo is interpreted as referring to his incomplete [dilugo] studies (Maharzu). Rabbi Aḥa said: An ignoramus who calls love hate, e.g. [instead of] “you shall love” [ve’ahavta], [he says] “you shall hate” [ve’ayavta], the Holy One blessed be He says: His mistake [dilugo] is beloved to Me. Rabbi Yisakhar said: A child who calls Moshe Masheh, Aharon Aharan, Efron Efran, the Holy One blessed be He says: His ridicule [liglugo]⁴⁹The letters lamed and dalet are both lingual letters so liglugo replaces dilugo. is beloved to Me. Rabbi Ḥunya said: In the past, if a person would point to the image [of a king] with his finger, he would be punished.⁵⁰It was considered a lack of respect to point at a picture or statue of the king. Now, a person places his hand on a mention of God’s name and he is not harmed. Moreover, the Holy One blessed be He says: His thumb [gudalo] over Me is love.
The Rabbis say: Even if a child skips the mention of God’s name several times he is not harmed. Moreover, the Holy One blessed be He says: His omission [dilugo] is beloved to Me. Rabbi Berekhya said: Even all the subterfuge [digulin] that Jacob employed regarding his father, just as it says: “And the hides of the goat kids, she placed on his hands” (Genesis 27:16), the Holy One blessed be He says: ‘I rest My Divine Presence over them.’ That is what is written: “You shall make sheets of goats’ hair” (Exodus 26:7). Moreover, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “His banner [vediglo] over me is love,” his subterfuge [vedigulo] over me is love.
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi: The congregation of Israel said: ‘The Holy One blessed be He brought me to a large wine cellar, this is Sinai. There, I saw Mikhael and his banner, Gavriel and his banner, and my eyes saw heavenly rites and I loved them.’ At that time the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Since the desire of My children is for banners, they will encamp with banners.’ That is what is written: “Each at his banner according to the insignia” (Numbers 2:2).

(Numb. 2:2:) <THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL CAMP,> EACH WITH HIS STANDARD, UNDER THE BANNERS FOR THEIR FATHERS' HOUSES…. This text is related (to Ps. 20:6 [5]): LET US SHOUT FOR JOY IN YOUR SALVATION, AND IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD LET US SET UP OUR STANDARDS…. Israel said: Lord God, we are shouting for joy IN YOUR SALVATION,⁶⁰Tanh., Numb. 1:10; Numb. 2:2. which you have brought about for us in your name. (Ibid.:) LET US SHOUT FOR JOY IN YOUR SALVATION. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 14:30): SO THE LORD SAVED WYWSh', voweled as (wayyosha') ISRAEL ON THAT DAY.⁶¹Above, Lev. 6:13, 18, and the notes there. The written text (ketiv) reads {WYSh'} SO <THE LORD> WAS SAVED (WYWSh, voweled as wayyiwwasha' in the passive). Israel, as it were, was redeemed; and like them God was redeemed. (Ps. 20:6 [5], cont.:) AND IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD LET US SET UP OUR STANDARDS, for God has inserted his name]⁶²The whole bracketed section which ends here began in section 3 and represents a missing page in Buber’s primary Oxford Ms. among our names⁶³E.g, the El (“God”) in “Israel.” and has appointed us standards, as stated (in Numb. 2:2): EACH WITH HIS STANDARD, UNDER THE BANNERS. The Holy One cherished Israel with great love,⁶⁴Numb. R. 2:3. in that he appointed them standards like <those of> the ministering angels, so that they would be recognizable, the children of Reuben by themselves, the children of Simeon by themselves, <etc>; but where is it shown that he loved them? Where it is stated (in Cant. 2:4): [HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE BANQUET HOUSE,] AND HIS STANDARD OVER ME IS LOVE. To what is the matter comparable? To a rich person who had a storehouse full of wine. He went in to inspect it and found it to be vinegar. <When> he went to leave the storehouse, he found there one cask of [good] wine. He said this cask is worth as much to me as the full storehouse. Similarly the Holy One has created seventy nations, but of them all he has found pleasure only in Israel, as stated (in Cant. 2:4): HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE BANQUET HOUSE (literally: HOUSE OF WINE [YYN]). <Now> Y (yod) plus Y (yod), <which> equals twenty, plus N (nun), <which stands for> fifty, results in seventy; and of all those <seventy nations> he loved only Israel. It is so stated (ibid., cont.): AND HIS STANDARD OVER ME IS LOVE. It also says (in Cant. 6:8-9): THERE ARE SIXTY QUEENS…. ONE IS MY DOVE, MY PERFECT ONE.

Wine alludes only to Torah, as it is said: For thy love is better than wine (Song 1:2), and He hath brought me to the banqueting-house, and his hammer over me is love (Song 2:4).

Another interpretation (of Numb. 2:2), “Each with his standard, under the banners.” This text is related (to Cant. 2:4), “He brought me unto the banquet house, [and His standard (dgl) over me is love].” What is the meaning of “He brought me unto the banquet house?”⁶⁸Numb. R. 2:3. The midrash is seeking the connection between BANQUET HOUSE and HIS STANDARD. When the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed upon mount Sinai, there descended with Him twenty-two thousand chariots of angels, as stated (in Ps. 68:18), “The chariots of God are two myriads, thousands for a doubling.”⁶⁹The midrash interprets these words to mean: TWO MYRIADS (of 10,000 each) PLUS A THOUSAND DOUBLED for a total of 22,000. Now they all were arranged by standards (rt.: dgl). It is therefore stated (in Cant. 5:10), “the most prominent (rt.: dgl) of ten thousand.” When Israel saw them, as they were arrayed by standards (rt.: dgl), they yearned for standards. They said, “O that we might be arrayed with standards like them!” It is therefore stated (in Cant. 2:4), “He brought me unto the banquet house, [and His standard (dgl) over me is love].” The banquet house (literally: house of wine) is Mount Sinai, on which Torah was given, since [Torah] is compared to wine, as stated (in Prov. 9:5, where wisdom is saying), “and drink of the wine I have mixed.” Ergo (in Cant. 2:4), “He brought me unto the house of wine,” namely to Sinai. (Ibid., cont.,) “And His standard over me is love.” They said, “O that He may raise the standard of love over me!” And so it says (in Ps. 20:6), “Let us shout for joy in Your salvation, and in the name of our God let us set up our standards.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “Do you yearn for standards? By your life, I will fulfill your petition.” It is so stated (ibid., cont.), “may the Lord fulfill all your petitions.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, made known His love to Israel and said to Moses, “Go and make those standards like the ones for which they have yearned. (Numb. 2:2:) “Each with his standard, under the banners […the Children of Israel shall camp,] at a distance.” What is the meaning of “at a distance?”⁷⁰Cf. Numb. R. 2:9. At a distance of a mil.⁷¹Lat.: mille. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Israel shall be at a distance of two thousand cubits from the ark,” as stated (in Josh. 3:4), “Yet there shall be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits.” But Moses and Aaron shall be near to it, as stated (in Numb. 3:38), “Those who camped before the tabernacle, in front before the tent of meeting to the East, were Moses, Aaron, and his children….” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If I become angry with My children, they will mediate between Me and My children.” For that reason they are near it, but the tribes (according to Numb. 2:2) shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance. Another interpretation (of Numb. 2:2-3), “Each with his standard, under the banners […] Now those who camp in front to the East.” You find that in every place Judah is first.⁷²Numb. R. 2:10. [It is] first in the case of standards, as stated (in Numb. 2:3), “Now those who camp in front to the East shall be [those under] the standard of the camp of Judah.” So much for camping. Where is it shown for traveling? Where it is stated (in Numb. 10:14), “And [in first place traveled] the camp standard of [the Children of] Judah.” Where is it shown for sacrifices? Where it is stated (in Numb. 7:12), “And the one who offered […] on the first day was Nahshon ben Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.” Where is it shown for warfare? Where it is written (in Jud. 1:1-2), “Who shall be the first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them? Then the Lord said, ‘Let Judah go up.’” And also, when the herald [of messianic age] comes, Judah shall receive the good news first, as stated (in Nahum 2:1), “Behold over the mountains the feet of the herald announcing peace; celebrate your festivals, O Judah, fulfill your vows.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “In this world you yearned for standards and I fulfilled your petition; but in the future to come, by virtue of the banners, I shall redeem you; and in the merit of the forefathers, that are called mountains, I shall leap over (rt.: dlg) the end, as stated (in Cant. 2:8), ‘The voice of my beloved! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains….’”

[(Numb. 2:2:) EACH WITH HIS STANDARD, UNDER THE BANNERS.] This text is related (to Cant. 2:4): HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE BANQUET HOUSE, [AND HIS STANDARD (DGL) OVER ME IS LOVE]. What is the meaning of HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE BANQUET HOUSE?⁸⁸Tanh., Numb. 1:14; Numb. R. 2:3. The midrash is seeking the connection between BANQUET HOUSE and HIS STANDARD. When the Holy One was revealed upon Mount Sinai, there descended with him twenty-two thousand chariots of angels, as stated (in Ps. 68:18): THE CHARIOTS OF GOD ARE TWO MYRIADS, THOUSANDS FOR A DOUBLING.⁸⁹The midrash interprets these words to mean: TWO MYRIADS (of 10,000 each) PLUS A THOUSAND DOUBLED for a total of 22,000. Now they all were arranged by standards (rt.: DGL). It is therefore stated (in Cant. 5:10): <MY BELOVED IS BRIGHT AND RUDDY,> THE MOST PROMINENT (rt.: DGL) OF TEN THOUSAND. When Israel saw them, as they were arrayed by standards (rt.: DGL), they yearned for standards. They said: O that we might be arrayed with standards like them! It is therefore stated (in Cant. 2:4): HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE BANQUET HOUSE, [AND HIS STANDARD (DGL) OVER ME IS LOVE]. THE BANQUET HOUSE (literally: HOUSE OF WINE) is Mount Sinai, on which Torah was given, [since <Torah> is compared to wine], as stated (in Prov. 9:5, where wisdom is saying): AND DRINK OF THE WINE I HAVE MIXED. Ergo (in Cant. 2:4): HE BROUGHT ME UNTO THE HOUSE OF WINE, namely to Sinai. (Ibid., cont.:) AND HIS STANDARD OVER ME IS LOVE. They said: O that he may raise the standard of love over me! And so it says (in Ps. 20:6 [5]): LET US SHOUT FOR JOY IN YOUR SALVATION, AND IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD LET US SET UP OUR STANDARDS. The Holy One said to them: Do you yearn for standards? By your life, I will fulfill your petition. It is so stated (ibid., cont.): MAY THE LORD FULFILL ALL YOUR PETITIONS. Immediately the Holy One made known his love to Israel and said to Moses: Go and make those standards like the ones for which they have yearned.