Halakhah su Cantico dei cantici 4:78

[During Shemoneh Esrei, ] we must stand facing the Land of Israel, as it is said: "And they pray to You toward their land."³⁰I Kings 8:48. We should also face Jerusalem, [the place of] the Holy Temple and the Holy of Holies. Therefore, we, in our country,³¹The author lived in Hungary. The same rule is applicable in America as well. who dwell West of the Land of Israel, must stand facing Eastward. (Not exactly Eastward but toward Southeast.) Those living North of the Land of Israel should face Southward, and those living East, face Westward, and those living South, face Northward. Thus, all Jews turn their faces toward one place when they pray, namely toward Jerusalem and the Holy of Holies, for there is the Gateway to Heaven, through which all prayers ascend. Therefore, the Holy Temple is called talpiyos, as it is written: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built magnificently."³²Song of Songs 4:4. It is the hill to which all mouths turn.³³Tel means a hill, and piyos means mouths. Thus talpiyos means a hill to which all mouths turn. Should you be praying in a place in which you are unable to face the Land of Israel, you should direct your heart [thoughts] to your Father in Heaven, as it is said: "And they pray unto God."³⁴I Kings 8:44. If you were facing North or South and remembered during the Shemoneh Esrei that you were not standing correctly, you should not shift your feet, but turn your face Eastward. If you are unable to do so, or if you are facing Westward, you may conclude your prayers in this position and direct your heart [thoughts] towards the Holy of Holies, but do not shift your feet. Also, if you pray in a place where there are pictures on the Eastern wall, you may pray facing any side, even though it is not East.

There is also a custom of eating honey and milk on Shavuot because the Torah is compared to honey and milk as it is written "honey and milk under your tongue" (Songs 4:11)

One final comment: The events of the summer of 1982, even though fraught with much pain, are nevertheless not without a redeeming feature. Song of Songs 4:8 declares, "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon you shall come. You shall look me-rosh amanah…." Rashi explains the import of the opening words of this passage by stating that God declares to the children of Israel, "You will come with Me into exile from Lebanon and with Me from Lebanon you will return." The verse alludes to the route traveled by our ancestors as they departed from the Land of Israel. When sent into exile some were driven north through Lebanon.⁵⁸Indeed, portions of Lebanon are within the biblically designated boundaries of the Land of Israel and, moreover, are part of the territories conquered by the generation of the Exodus. The fourteenth-century traveler and rabbinic authority, R. Estori ha-Farḥi, Kaftor va-Feraḥ, chapter 11, identifies Hor ha-Har specified in Numbers 34:7 as the northern boundary of Ereẓ Yisra’el with a particular mountain in the north of Lebanon and specifically enumerates Tyre, Sidon and Beirut as cities within the consecrated territory of Ereẓ Yisra’el. Scripture testifies that God will go into exile with Israel and together with Israel He will return from the exile. The verse continues, "You shall look me-rosh amanah." Rashi interprets this phrase as meaning "You shall perceive me-rosh—because from the beginning you exhibited emunah." Thus Rashi understands the verse as meaning, "You may anticipate the redemption because from the beginning of exile you manifested belief, faith and trust in God." From the very beginning of galut Israel marched into exile with emunah, with faith and trust that the exile would end. With this faith a priori, we are able to declare with certainty, "Me-levanon tavoi—From Lebanon you shall come."

From the roots of the commandment is that which we have written about oil, as frankincense is a beautification of the sacrifice and a pleasant smell. And hence it is not fitting for a sinful woman to beautify her sacrifice. And they, may their memory be blessed, also said about this (Bamidbar Rabbah 9:13) that the proper and modest matriarchs were called frankincense, as it is stated (Song of Songs 4:6), "to the hill of frankincense" - and this one separated from their ways. And this commandment is also elucidated in the Scripture, and its matter is written in its 'colleague' - there is no need to write at length about it.