Midrash su Cantico dei cantici 5:16

“My beloved is mine, and I am his, who herds among the lilies” (Song of Songs 2:16).
“My beloved is mine, and I am his,” He is God for me, and I am a nation for Him. He is God for me, “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). I am a people and a nation for Him, as it is stated: “Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation” (Isaiah 51:4). He is a father to me, and I am a son to Him. He is a father to me, “For You are our Father” (Isaiah 63:16). I am a son to Him, “My son, My firstborn, Israel” (Exodus 4:22). He is a shepherd to me, “Shepherd of Israel, listen” (Psalms 80:2). I am His flock, “you, My flock, flock of My pasture” (Ezekiel 34:31). He is my guardian, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel does not slumber and does not sleep” (Psalms 121:4). I am His vineyard, as it is stated: “For the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 5:7).
He is for me against those who provoke me, and I am for Him against those who anger Him. He is for me against those who provoke me, as He smote the firstborn of Egypt, as it is stated: “I will pass in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12); “it was at midnight and the Lord smote every firstborn” (Exodus 12:29). I am for Him against those who anger Him, as I slaughtered the gods of Egypt, and likewise, “against all the gods of Egypt I will administer punishment” (Exodus 12:12), and I slaughtered them to Him, as it is stated: “Behold, will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes, and they will not stone us?” (Exodus 8:22). Likewise, “they shall each take for them a lamb for each patrilineal home” (Exodus 12:3).
He said to me: ‘Let the proportion [hamazeg] not be skewed,’ as it is stated: “Your navel is a moon-shaped goblet, may it not lack mixed wine [hamazeg]” (Song of Songs 7:3). I said to Him: ‘You are my good beloved, if only Your goodness will never be lacking from me,’ just as it says: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I will not lack” (Psalms 23:1).
Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Ilai said: He sang to me and I sang to Him; He lauded me and I lauded Him. He called me: “My sister, My love, My faultless dove” (Song of Songs 5:2), and I said to Him: “This is my beloved and this is my companion” (Song of Songs 5:16). He said to me: “Behold you are fair my love” (Song of Songs 4:1), and I said to Him: “Behold, you are fair, my beloved, pleasant too” (Song of Songs 1:16). He said to me: “Happy are you Israel, who is like you?” (Deuteronomy 33:29). I said to Him: “Who is like You among the powers, Lord?” (Exodus 15:11). He said to me: “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land” (I Chronicles 17:21). I declare the unity of His name twice daily: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “It was during those many days, that the king of Egypt died; [the children of Israel sighed due to the bondage, and they cried out, and their plea rose to God due to the bondage.] God heard their groaning…God saw the children of Israel” (Exodus 2:23–25). When He requires something, he seeks it only from me and from my hand, as it is stated: “Speak to the entire congregation of Israel, saying: [In the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb]” (Exodus 12:3). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “Pharaoh approached and the children of Israel raised [their eyes and…the Egyptians were traveling after them… the children of Israel cried out to the Lord]” (Exodus 14:10). When He requires something, He seeks it only from me, as it is stated: “Speak to the children of Israel and let them take a gift for Me” (Exodus 25:2). When I had trouble, I sought [salvation] only from Him: “The Children of Israel cried out to the Lord, as he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the Children of Israel forcefully…” (Judges 4:3). What is forcefully? It was with cursing and blaspheming. When He required something, He sought it only from me, as it is stated: “They shall make a sanctuary for Me” (Exodus 25:8).

“His palate is sweet and all of him is delightful. This is my beloved, and this is my companion, daughters of Jerusalem” (Song of Songs 5:16).
“His palate is sweet” – it is written: “For so said the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live” (Amos 5:4). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that?⁸⁸Is there any statement sweeter than this statement by God? It is written: “As I live – the utterance of the Lord God – I do not desire the death of the wicked, [but that the wicked repent from his way and live]” (Ezekiel 33:11). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? “For I do not desire the death of the one who dies, the utterance of the Lord God; facilitate repentance and live” (Ezekiel 18:32). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that? “If the wicked man turns away from his wickedness [that he did] and performs justice and righteousness, he will cause his soul to live” (Ezekiel 18:27). Is there a palate that is greater and sweeter than that?
Reish Lakish said: This is only if one has remorse for his previous actions. How so? Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: If there was a person who was completely wicked all his days and ultimately he became completely righteous, in his regard the verse states: “The wickedness of the wicked person, he will not stumble over it on the day of his repentance from his wickedness…” (Ezekiel 33:12). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Moreover, all the transgressions that he performed, the Holy One blessed be He tallies them for him as merits. That is what is written: “Myrrh, aloe, and cassia were on all your garments [bigdotekha]” (Psalms 45:9). All the betrayals [begidot] that you betrayed Me, they are like myrrh and aloe before Me.
It is taught: How old was Abraham when he recognized his Creator? Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yoḥanan both say: At the age of forty-eight Abraham recognized his Creator. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: He was three years old, as it is stated: “Because [ekev] Abraham heeded My voice” (Genesis 26:5) – the numerical value of ekev.⁸⁹Ayin – 70, kof –100, bet – 2 = 172. He died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five and heeded God’s voice for one hundred and seventy-two of them. Thus, he recognized God at the age of three. Rabbi Levi said: When he was able to lift his heel [ikva] off the ground.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: On three occasions, the Holy One blessed be He entered into a dispute [nitvake’aḥ] with Israel, and the nations of the world rejoiced with great joy but ultimately departed shamefacedly. When the prophet said to them: “Let us go now and reason together [venivakheḥa], says the Lord” (Isaiah 1:18) – the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they enter into a dispute with their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw that the nations of the world were joyful, he transformed it for [Israel] into good, as it is stated: “If your sins will be like scarlet, they will be whitened as snow; if they will be reddened like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:8). The nations of the world were astounded and said: Is that a response, is that rebuke; rather, He came only to amuse Himself with His children.
When the Holy One blessed be He said: “Hear, mountains, the Lord’s quarrel, and the strong foundations of the earth, [the Lord has a quarrel with His people,] and with Israel He will contend” (Micah 6:2), the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they enter into a dispute with their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw the joy of the nations of the world, he transformed it for them into good. That is what is written: “My people, what did I do to you and how did I tire you? Testify against Me” (Micah 6:3). “My people, remember now what [Balak king of Moav] counseled” (Micah 6:5) – the nations of the world were astounded and said: How can this be; He came only to amuse Himself with His children.
When the prophet said: “The Lord has a quarrel with Judah and will reckon with Jacob” (Hosea 12:3), the nations of the world rejoiced and said: How can they stand before their Creator? Who can enter into a dispute with his Creator? Now He will eliminate them from the world. When the Holy One blessed be He saw the joy of the nations of the world, he transformed it for them into good, as it is stated: “In the womb he was at his brother’s heels, [and in his strength he strove with God]” (Hosea 12:4).
Rabbi Yudan said: This is analogous to a widowed woman who was complaining about her son to a judge. Once she saw that the judge sentences people with fire and tar, with punishments and rods, she said: If I inform the judge of my son’s misdeeds, he will kill him. When the previous trial ended, he said to her: ‘Is this your son?’ He said to her: ‘How did this son of yours mistreat you?’ She said to him: ‘Sir, when he was in my womb he kicked me.’ He said to her: ‘This is not [cause for] a trial.’ That is what is written: “In the womb he was at his brother’s heels” (Hosea 12:4). Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Simon said: The God of Jacob our patriarch accorded him honor.⁹⁰The conclusion of the verse in Hosea is: “And in his strength he strove [sara] with God.” Rabbi Shimon interprets the word sara as related to serara, authority, and asserts that God accorded Jacob honor by granting him authority.