Pieśń nad pieśniami 2:2 Midrasz: Midrash Lekach Tov, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma & Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)

Like a lily among the thorns. Just as the lily is pleasant among the thorns, and everyone can distinguish between the lily and the thorns, so Israel is distinct among the nations, and is distinguished from all their impurities and unpleasantness, like a lily among the thorns. And if it leans one way or the other, it is torn by the thorns. Thus, if Israel deviates from the path of the ETERNAL, immediately the nations of the world converge on their leaves, strike them, and punish them. Like a lily among the thorns. Just as this lily is difficult to gather from among the thorns, so Israel is difficult to redeem from among the nations. Like a lily among the thorns. Just as this lily is nothing but fragrance, so Israel was created for fragrance, to praise God, as it says “The people I formed for Myself that they might declare My praise” (Isaiah 43:21). Like a lily among the thorns. Just as the lily withers in a hamsin, so Israel is pained because of Esau, as it says, “And no survivor shall be left of the House of Esau” (Ovadia 1:18). Immediately, Israel sprouts up, as it says “I will be to Israel like dew; it shall blossom like the lily” (Hosea 14:16). Israel is like a lily, when it is small, it is called a “crocus,” and when it is large, it is called a “lily.” Because Israel among the nations has varied types of trouble, it is called “a lily among the thorns.”

“Like a lily among the thorns, so is my love among the girls” (Song of Songs 2:2).
“Like a lily among the thorns,” Rabbi Yitzḥak interpreted the verse regarding Rebecca, as it is stated: “Isaac was forty years old, and he took Rebecca, daughter of Betuel the Aramaean of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramaean, [to be his wife]” (Genesis 25:20). If it is to teach that she was from Padan Aram, why does the verse state: “Sister of Laban the Aramean”?¹⁴Why does the verse emphasize that her father was an Aramean and her brother was an Aramean and that she was from Padan Aram? Rather, her father was a swindler [ramai], her brother was a swindler, and the people of her area were swindlers, and this righteous woman emerged from their midst. To what is she comparable? It is to a “lily among the thorns.”
Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Simon: It is written: “Isaac sent Jacob and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban son of Betuel the Aramean,” thereby including all of them in swindling.¹⁵By mentioning “Aramean” at the end of the verse, it implies that all those mentioned in the verse were swindlers. Yet Jacob did not learn from their corrupt ways (Etz Yosef).

Rabbi Eliezer interpreted the verse regarding the redemption from Egypt. Just as this lily, when it is situated among the thorns, is difficult for its owner to pluck it, so too, the redemption of Israel was difficult for the Holy One blessed be He. That is what is written: “Or has a god sought to come and take for himself a nation from the midst of a nation…?” (Deuteronomy 4:34). Rabbi Yehoshua said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanan: It is not written here: “A nation from the midst of a people,” or “a people from the midst of a nation,” but rather, “a nation from the midst of a nation,” as these were uncircumcised and those were uncircumcised, these grew their hairlocks and those grew their hairlocks,¹⁶The reference is a to a hairstyle that was common among gentiles, known as belorit, in which they would grow a long lock of hair from the backs of their heads. these wore garments of diverse kinds and those wore garments of diverse kinds.¹⁷The Israelites and Egyptians appeared quite similar to each other in appearance and in lifestyle. If so, the attribute of justice would never have allowed Israel to be redeemed from Egypt. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Had the Holy One blessed be He not bound Himself with an oath, Israel would never have been redeemed from Egypt. That is what is written: “Therefore, say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord and I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt” (Exodus 6:6). “Therefore” is nothing other than an oath, just as it says: “Therefore, I have taken an oath to the house of Eli” (I Samuel 3:14). Rabbi Berekhya said: “With Your arm, You redeemed Your people” (Psalms 77:16), by force.¹⁸You overcame the attribute of justice by force.
Rabbi Yudan said: From “to come and take for himself a nation” until “awesome deeds” (Deuteronomy 4:34) there are seventy-two letters.¹⁹In the Hebrew text. If a person will tell you seventy-five, say to him: Exclude from them the second [mention of the word] nation [goy], which is not included in the tally. Rabbi Avin said: He redeemed them with His name, as the name of the Holy One blessed be He consists of seventy-two letters. ²⁰The second nation is Egypt, which is not included in the name of God.