אִתִּ֤י מִלְּבָנוֹן֙ כַּלָּ֔ה אִתִּ֖י מִלְּבָנ֣וֹן תָּב֑וֹאִי תָּשׁ֣וּרִי ׀ מֵרֹ֣אשׁ אֲמָנָ֗ה מֵרֹ֤אשׁ שְׂנִיר֙ וְחֶרְמ֔וֹן מִמְּעֹנ֣וֹת אֲרָי֔וֹת מֵֽהַרְרֵ֖י נְמֵרִֽים׃
Sumama ka sa akin mula sa Lebanon, aking nobya; kasama ko, mula sa Lebanon ay darating ka. Tumanaw ka mula sa tuktok ng Amana, mula sa tuktok ng Senir at Hermon, mula sa mga lungga ng mga leon, mula sa mga bundok ng mga leopardo.
Ezra ben Solomon
And drink: Drink deep of love!: This is the community of Israel. This verse relates to the generation of King Solomon, when Israel enjoyed a peaceful respite from wars.
All of its people were saintly,
Cleansed of iniquity and sin,
Rejoicing in God’s service,
Forgiven through their sacrifices,
Amongst them dwelled shekhinah,
“A mother joyous amid her children” [Ps. 113:9].
Within this text you will find the term bride used six times.135From Cant. 4:8 to 5:1. This corresponds to the six appearances of the name Solomon which are regarded as designating the divine within this book, alluding to the six sefirotic dimensions.
As her name so is her praise,
She is the bride
Encompassing all
Of Wisdom’s paths.
Stamped with the seal
Of the whole.
All of its people were saintly,
Cleansed of iniquity and sin,
Rejoicing in God’s service,
Forgiven through their sacrifices,
Amongst them dwelled shekhinah,
“A mother joyous amid her children” [Ps. 113:9].
Within this text you will find the term bride used six times.135From Cant. 4:8 to 5:1. This corresponds to the six appearances of the name Solomon which are regarded as designating the divine within this book, alluding to the six sefirotic dimensions.
As her name so is her praise,
She is the bride
Encompassing all
Of Wisdom’s paths.
Stamped with the seal
Of the whole.
Haamek Sheilah
There is, however, another form of love for God where one is so powerfully bound to God with love that it causes him to forsake his human nature utterly. There is nothing greater than this path of righteousness. But the righteous ones of the earlier generations, even though they had merited to [obtain] this love, to sample life consisting of the light of spiritual delight to the extent of forgetting their physical being – though their souls constantly longed to remain within that delight and purity – they did not constantly remain in that state. At times they actually reached [this spiritual pleasure], and they clung to it with Divine inspiration, whereas at times they could not immerse their thoughts totally in this love, or even if they did have the opportunity to deeply focus and hunger for it, they still were unable to achieve [Divine inspiration]. It is because of this that at times King David refers to himself as a hasid,9Psalms 86:2: “Guard my soul, for I am righteous.” a righteous one, and at other times as an ani,10See the following verses in Psalms: “Turn to me and show me favor, for I am alone and bereft” (25:16); “I am bereft and painracked; Your salvation, O God, shall raise me high” (69:30), “A prayer of David; O Lord, incline your ear, answer me, for I am bereft and destitute” (86:1) “I have been bereft and close to death since youth” (88:16). one who is bereft (a distinction that has already been addressed in the Aggadah).11Rashi on Psalms 86:2 cites the midrash in which David is referred to as a hasid (righteous one), since he had the power to harm those who shamed or blasphemed him, and yet remained silent. See also Tractate Berachos 4a, where David refers to himself as righteous since he soiled himself with the blood [of menstruation], the fetus and the placenta in order to declare a woman permitted to her husband. Pertaining to ani, bereft, see Yalkut Shimoni on 25:16 that David considered himself bereft in comparison to God’s greatness in addressing the needs of the people of Israel. However, according to our understanding [of these terms], he referred to himself as a hasid because he constantly longed for that love and devekus [close bonding]. This is the implication of the word hasid, and with God’s assistance I elaborated on this at great length in my composition Rinah Shel Torah.12See Song of Songs 4:8. Because he recognized that he himself was many times unable to achieve such a state, or that he lacked the opportunity to achieve his holy soul’s longing, he [also] referred to himself as ani. For an ani is simply one who is unhappy with his lot in the area of the service of God, and [he felt bereft] that on many an occasion he could not fulfill his great want.
Ramban
HERMON, THE SIDONIANS CALL SIRION, [AND THE AMORITES CALL IT SENIR]. “But in another place Scripture states, even unto Mount Sion which is Hermon.260Further, 4:48. Thus you see that the mountain has four names [Hermon, Sirion, Senir and Sion. Scripture’s reference to this multiplicity of names is] to tell the praise of the Land of Israel because there were four kingdoms priding themselves in this; this one saying ‘After me shall it be called,’ and another saying, ‘After me shall it be called.’” This is Rashi’s language from the words of Agadah.261Chullin 60b.
It is indeed possible that this praise [that four nations were vying for this mountain] is correct but the main purport of the verse is to state that the Sidonians, children of Canaan’s firstborn,262Genesis 10:15. called Mount Hermon “Sirion” when it was formerly in their possession; and the Amorites, who now dwelled there and from whom Israel was to capture it, called it “Senir.” [Senir] is a Canaanite word for “snow,” as Rashi testified about it, and as Onkelos also rendered it, [“mountain of snow”]. And because it is a mountain of snow, also on account of its frigid temperature causing it to be bleak [and unapproachable], it is called Hermon [from the word cherem — “banned”], this being a surname of the mountain. Perhaps the name “Sirion” in the Sidonian language indicates this characteristic while the real name of the mountain [as mentioned by the Torah further on]260Further, 4:48. is Sion. The verse stating, from the top of Senir and Hermon263Song of Songs 4:8. [which would seem to indicate that these were two separate mountains], really refers to two surnames of the [same] mountain and thus means “from the top of the snow and the bleakness,” or it may mean “from the top of Senir and from the whole mountain.” Similarly, that which is stated in the Book of Chronicles, And the children of the half-tribe of Menasheh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon where they increased264I Chronicles 5:23. also means “and Senir and the whole mountain which is Mount Hermon.” Baal-hermon, however, was a city or a tower which they called “Baal,” or perhaps it was the name of one of the Baal-idols that was worshipped there.
It is possible that after Israel was in the Land, names of places were somewhat changed; this mountain was large — and they called the highest part of its summit Senir, and the second part thereof they called Hermon. Or they265I.e., the mountains mentioned in the above-quoted verses from the Song of Songs and the Book of Chronicles. may be other mountains which people after the [period of the] Torah called by these names [Senir, Hermon — and they really represent two separate mountains, but the names mentioned in the Torah indicate different names of but one mountain, as explained above]. There are many cases like this. So also, and the Hermons from the hill Mizar266Psalms 42:7. [would indicate that there were other mountains by the name of Hermon, for otherwise we have no explanation why they called “the Hermons,” in the plural].
It is indeed possible that this praise [that four nations were vying for this mountain] is correct but the main purport of the verse is to state that the Sidonians, children of Canaan’s firstborn,262Genesis 10:15. called Mount Hermon “Sirion” when it was formerly in their possession; and the Amorites, who now dwelled there and from whom Israel was to capture it, called it “Senir.” [Senir] is a Canaanite word for “snow,” as Rashi testified about it, and as Onkelos also rendered it, [“mountain of snow”]. And because it is a mountain of snow, also on account of its frigid temperature causing it to be bleak [and unapproachable], it is called Hermon [from the word cherem — “banned”], this being a surname of the mountain. Perhaps the name “Sirion” in the Sidonian language indicates this characteristic while the real name of the mountain [as mentioned by the Torah further on]260Further, 4:48. is Sion. The verse stating, from the top of Senir and Hermon263Song of Songs 4:8. [which would seem to indicate that these were two separate mountains], really refers to two surnames of the [same] mountain and thus means “from the top of the snow and the bleakness,” or it may mean “from the top of Senir and from the whole mountain.” Similarly, that which is stated in the Book of Chronicles, And the children of the half-tribe of Menasheh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon where they increased264I Chronicles 5:23. also means “and Senir and the whole mountain which is Mount Hermon.” Baal-hermon, however, was a city or a tower which they called “Baal,” or perhaps it was the name of one of the Baal-idols that was worshipped there.
It is possible that after Israel was in the Land, names of places were somewhat changed; this mountain was large — and they called the highest part of its summit Senir, and the second part thereof they called Hermon. Or they265I.e., the mountains mentioned in the above-quoted verses from the Song of Songs and the Book of Chronicles. may be other mountains which people after the [period of the] Torah called by these names [Senir, Hermon — and they really represent two separate mountains, but the names mentioned in the Torah indicate different names of but one mountain, as explained above]. There are many cases like this. So also, and the Hermons from the hill Mizar266Psalms 42:7. [would indicate that there were other mountains by the name of Hermon, for otherwise we have no explanation why they called “the Hermons,” in the plural].