Introduction
In this part of the chapter, Knesset Yisrael answers the daughters of Jerusalem who asked her, "How is your beloved better than another beloved?" and she begins praising the Holy One, Blessed be He, limb by limb. Rashi explains all of these descriptions as allusions to revelations of the Shechinah: the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Splitting of the Red Sea, the Giving of the Torah and its study, the Tablets, the order of the parshiyot, and divine providence over those who toil in Torah. Let us follow the order of the verses.
My Beloved Is Radiant and Ruddy - Chesed Toward Us, Din Toward Our Enemies
דּוֹדִי צַח וְאָדוֹם דָּגוּל מֵרְבָבָה׃ - "My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand."
Rashi explains: "My beloved is radiant" - radiant and white, to whiten my sins. "Tzach" denotes a clear, white appearance, completely clean and pure, and whiteness represents the dimension of chessed and compassion. By the power of this chessed and compassion, the Holy One, Blessed be He, has mercy on us and forgives our sins. Rashi further adds: When He appeared at Sinai, He appeared as an elder issuing rulings; and likewise when He sits in judgment - "His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool," His garment like white snow and the hair of His head like pure, clean, and immaculate wool.
It is known from the kabbalists that when discussing the supreme spiritual levels - as we read from the Idra in the order of Tashlich, the "Thirteen Corrections of the Beard" (Telisar Tikunei Dikna) - the supreme realm of Keter and Atik is described, along with how there is, as it were, the concept of a beard and hair, and that hair is white hair. The Arizal teaches that the realm of the hair is exceedingly exalted and one does not delve into it, but rather occupies oneself with what is below it. This is what Scripture alludes to in "the hair of His head like pure wool."
And what praise is there in being "ruddy" (red)? Rashi explains: to exact retribution from His enemies, as it says, "Why is Your apparel red?" Red represents the dimension of strict judgment (din), which seemingly is not a praise; but she is saying: toward me, He shows chessed and compassion, while toward my enemies, judgment. "Why is Your apparel red?" is said when the Holy One, Blessed be He, comes to take vengeance upon the nations, and there it is stated: "I have stained all My garments," and "their lifeblood was sprinkled upon My garments" - as though the blood of those martyred among Israel was splattered upon His garments. The Midrash says: whenever someone is killed, a stain remains, as it were, upon the garment of the Holy One, Blessed be He, on His royal purple mantle (porphyra), and this stain causes Hashem to remember that person and avenge what the nations did to us.
"Distinguished among ten thousand" - surrounded by many legions. "Dagul" is related to banners (degalim), as armies would always march with a banner before them; and "revavah" denotes multiplicity - a vast multitude of legions surrounds Him, referring to the angels.
His Head Is Finest Gold - The Opening Words of the King
רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב׃ - "His head is finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven."
"His head" is meant here in the sense of His beginning: the beginning of His words shone like finest gold - like a golden ornament - as it is said, "The opening of Your words gives light." Already at the very opening of His words, the Holy One, Blessed be He, shone forth, showing them first that He held sovereign authority over them, and only afterward did He issue His decrees upon them.
The Midrash compares this to a king who entered a province and immediately began imposing decrees and commandments upon its people. The inhabitants immediately ask: What do we have to do with this king who suddenly arrives and commands us? What do we owe him? But if that province was at war, and the king came and fought their enemies, subdued them, and drove them out, bringing peace and prosperity in his wake - when he comes and says, "Accept my decrees," they will accept them gladly, for he proved his kingship and showed them goodness. So too the Ten Commandments open: "I am Hashem your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" - first emphasizing the boundless debt we owe Him, for a slave never managed to escape from Egypt and He brought us out of the house of bondage; and only then, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Hashem does not impose His will arbitrarily: first He says, "I have done good for you," and by virtue of that, I am worthy to reign over you.
"His locks are curled" - for every single crown and tittle in the Torah, mounds upon mounds of halachot. "Black as a raven" - because the Torah was written before Him as black fire upon white fire. Another explanation: "His locks are curled" - when He appeared at the Sea, He appeared like a young man fighting valiantly. Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself in each place according to the context: at Sinai, when He came to teach Torah, as an elder issuing rulings; at the Sea, when He came to wage war, as a young warrior; and when He sits in judgment, "His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool."
His Eyes Like Doves - Providence over the Houses of Study and Torah Scholars
עֵינָיו כְּיוֹנִים עַל אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב יֹשְׁבוֹת עַל מִלֵּאת׃ - His eyes are like doves by channels of water, bathed in milk, sitting upon the full setting.
Rashi explains: Just as doves gaze toward their dovecotes, toward their nests, so His eyes are fixed upon synagogues and houses of study, which are the sources of the Torah that is likened to water. The houses of study are "channels of water" (afikei mayim) - they bring forth (mefikim) Torah. From here we learn that the greater a person's spiritual stature, the greater the individual Divine providence over him, and the less his stature, the less providence. The verse comes to tell us that the Torah scholars who toil in Torah within synagogues and houses of study receive the greatest degree of Divine providence.
"Bathed in milk" - when they gaze upon judgment, clarifying the law to its absolute truth, vindicating the righteous by granting him according to his righteousness, and condemning the wicked by bringing his conduct upon his head. Milk represents purity: that the judgment emerges unblemished. "Sitting upon the full setting" (al mileis) - upon the fullness of the world, meaning the entirety of the world; they roam across the earth, beholding both the good and the bad. A constant, close Divine providence.
Another explanation: Torah scholars whom the Holy One, blessed be He, appoints as eyes to enlighten the world. The eyes of the world are the Torah scholars - when one does not know what to do, "and you will be our eyes": the scholar directs me to do this, advises me otherwise, and through this I know how to act; one consults a Torah scholar and doubts are dispelled. And just as doves wander from dovecote to dovecote seeking their food, so they travel from the study hall of one sage to that of another to seek the reasons and depths of the Torah. Note the distinction: a talmid chacham is still in the stage of learning, and it is of him that the verse speaks. This is also the practice in yeshivot: a student learning in Yeshivat Chevron travels to Yeshivat Brisk to hear a shiur in Seder Kodashim according to the Brisker Rav's approach; students wander from place to place to hear additional styles of learning and to study new subjects.
According to this approach: "By channels of water" - referring to the houses of study, which are the sources of the waters of Torah. "Bathed in milk" - since the verse called them eyes, and "eye" in Hebrew is feminine, it uses the feminine plural; they polish and refine themselves through the choicest milk of the Torah, clarifying its obscure and concealed teachings. "Milk" in the sense of "its richest essence" - the most exquisite and vital part of it, drawing forth the Torah's novel insights and secrets; and milk is white, signifying the clarification (libun) of its obscurities. "Sitting upon the full setting" - setting matters properly in their rightful place: there is a difficulty, a contradiction, and they toil and resolve it, "it is no contradiction; here it refers to this case, and there to that case." "Mileis" is like the setting of a precious stone - the recessed bezel into which the stone is embedded, meaning that the matter settles and fits into place with absolute precision.
Another explanation: "His eyes" (einav) - His matters (inyanav). The portions of the Torah, halachot, and Mishnayot: "like doves," which are graceful in their stride; "by channels of water" - in the houses of study; "bathed in milk" - polished and lucid as milk. Just as a dove walking along water channels is pleasing to the observer, so the Mishnayot and halachot are structured and arranged gracefully, and the traditions are properly and thoroughly clarified.
His Cheeks and Lips - The Commandments of Sinai and the Utterances of the Tent of Meeting
לְחָיָו כַּעֲרוּגַת הַבֹּשֶׂם מִגְדְּלוֹת מֶרְקָחִים שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שׁוֹשַׁנִּים נֹטְפוֹת מוֹר עֹבֵר׃ - His cheeks are like a bed of spices, towers of perfumes; His lips are roses, dripping flowing myrrh.
"His cheeks are like a bed of spices" - these are the commandments spoken at Mount Sinai, where He showed them a welcoming and smiling countenance. Laughter and smiling are visible on the cheeks: when a person smiles, his cheeks immediately stand out. The cheeks also hint at the place of speech, for at Sinai the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with us with a warm and gracious countenance.
"His lips are roses" - the utterances spoken in the Tent of Meeting, which were for favor, atonement, and pleasing fragrance: the laws of the sin offering, the guilt offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. Why were they likened to fragrant roses? Because the sacrifices were brought for reconciliation and atonement, and are termed "a pleasing aroma to Hashem." All of these possess the quality of a fragrant aroma like roses, atoning for the sins of Israel.
His Hands and His Belly - The Tablets and the Book of Vayikra
יָדָיו גְּלִילֵי זָהָב מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ מֵעָיו עֶשֶׁת שֵׁן מְעֻלֶּפֶת סַפִּירִים׃ - His hands are rods of gold set with beryl; his belly is polished ivory overlaid with sapphires.
"His hands are rods of gold" - these are the Tablets, which He gave from His right hand and are the work of His hands, as it says, "from His right hand went a fiery law for them." And what is the meaning of "rods of gold"? These are the Commandments engraved upon them, which are more desirable than gold, even much fine gold. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Nechemiah said: They were a miraculous creation; they were made of sapphire and yet they could be rolled up - an exceedingly hard stone, and nonetheless they rolled up like a scroll. Sapphire (sanpirinon) is a precious gem, and it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu became wealthy from the chips of the Tablets; the fragments he chiseled out were precious gems. And even though a diamond or hard stone cannot ordinarily be carved, everything there occurred through a miracle.
"Set with beryl" - for within the Ten Commandments He encapsulated all 613 mitzvos. The expression "filled" or "set" (memula'im) indicates that which is not visible on the surface but is contained within: one who looks at the Ten Commandments sees only ten utterances, yet it is already explained in the holy sefarim that all 613 mitzvos are alluded to therein, and there are works that delineate how every mitzvah is hinted at within them. Therefore, it is customary on the festival of Shavuos to study the 613 mitzvos, and therefore that day is called the Giving of the Torah even though only the Ten Commandments were proclaimed then - because the entire Torah is included within them.
"His belly is polished ivory" - this refers to Toras Kohanim, the Book of Vayikra, which is set in the middle of the Five Books of the Torah just as the viscera are placed in the center of the body. "Polished ivory" - it appears smooth like a plate of ivory, yet it is arranged with countless intricate nuances, gezeiros shavos, binyan av, and kal vachomer arguments. There is an entire tapestry of hermeneutical methods woven into the Torah itself: through a gezeirah shavah one draws a parallel from one passage to another, and through the other principles one determines what is liable and what is exempt. It is comparable to a telephone: on the outside, only a few buttons are visible, but whoever opens it from within discovers an intricate web of wires.
His Legs Are Pillars of Marble - The Juxtaposition of Passages
שׁוֹקָיו עַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ מְיֻסָּדִים עַל אַדְנֵי פָז מַרְאֵהוּ כַּלְּבָנוֹן בָּחוּר כָּאֲרָזִים׃ - His legs are pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold; his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar said: A pillar has a capital above and a pedestal below. A marble column does not simply rise straight like a pipe from the floor; rather, it has a broad, ornate base below, and above it stands a wide capital adorned with flowers and ornamental buds. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: The sections of the Torah likewise possess a capital above and a base below, and they are intimately linked to what precedes them and what follows them - just as a column is connected to the capital above it and the pedestal beneath it, so does each parashah possess an intrinsic link to the section before it and the section after it.
Such as the passages concerning Shemittah and Yovel, which are followed by "And if you sell anything to your neighbor," "You shall not wrong one another," "And if you shall say, 'What will we eat?'" and "If your brother becomes impoverished." Why were they placed in this order? To show that one who trades in the produce of the Seventh Year will ultimately be forced to sell himself as a slave. No passage is juxtaposed to another without purpose; there is a profound connection between the subjects. For this reason it is said, "His legs are pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold."
"Choice as the cedars" - selected like the finest cedars chosen for building, valued for their strength and height. When constructing a building, one does not select brittle cedars, but the sturdiest of all; so too, the words of Torah are chosen for their power and endurance. Another interpretation regarding "rods of gold" (gelilei zahav): they are so called because they roll (megalgelos) goodness into the world. Goodness descends to the world through the power of Torah study, the fulfillment of mitzvos, and the performance of Hashem's will. The Torah is not an automated machine from which one merely withdraws funds; rather, the study of Torah rolls forth blessing to the world. Through Torah study, divine abundance is generated in the supernal realms, and the elevation of mayin nukvin draws down abundant blessing to this world below. Thus, the blessing arrives through this rolling movement, and therefore they are called "gelilei" - because goodness is rolled into the world through them.
His Palate Is Sweet - The Sweetness of the Reward
חִכּוֹ מַמְתַקִּים וְכֻלּוֹ מַחֲמַדִּים זֶה דוֹדִי וְזֶה רֵעִי בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - His palate is full of sweetness, and he is entirely delightful; this is my Beloved and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Rashi explains: "His palate is full of sweetness" - His words are pleasant. "You shall not make a gashed wound in your flesh for the dead... I am the Lord" - faithful to pay reward. Is there any palate sweeter than this? Contemplate how wonderful it is that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives us commandments and rewards us for fulfilling them.
And what is the wonder in this? Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya says: "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to bestow merit upon Israel; therefore, He multiplied for them Torah and mitzvos." A great sage was once asked: What is so wonderful about this? It is like asking a child whether there are more uphills or downhills in the land - a ridiculous question, since every uphill going one way is a downhill coming from the other. So too here: every additional mitzvah is another opportunity for failure! Adam HaRishon had only one command to violate, while we have 613. How, then, is a multitude of mitzvos considered a merit?
One answer is found in the words of the Rambam: if a person fulfills even a single mitzvah purely for its own sake (lishmah), he has already merited the life of the World to Come through it. Remarkable: just one mitzvah performed lishmah! This is the example brought regarding Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon: "Did any special deed come to your hand?" and after he recounted that act of charity, he was told, "May my portion be from your portion" - a single deed, purely lishmah, and through it he merited the World to Come.
And there is another explanation, from Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. Consider this: you wake up in the morning, wash your hands, and wash your face - right? A civilized non-Jew also wakes up in the morning, washes his hands, and washes his face. Does he receive reward for it? No. And you? Yes. Then you sit down to eat and wash your hands; the non-Jew also maintains hygiene and washes his hands before eating. Does he receive reward? No. And you? Certainly. You called your parents to ask how they are doing - a non-Jew also calls his parents from time to time, but he is not commanded and receives no reward, while you do. You put on shoes in the morning - right shoe then left, tying the left and then the right; a non-Jew also puts on shoes, for he does not walk barefoot, yet he receives no reward for it. Look at that: you do everything a non-Jew does, yet you receive a wage while he gets nothing! Is this not "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to bestow merit upon Israel"? If He had imposed heroic tasks demanding immense exertion upon you, you might have said: "Whatever I fail to do will bring punishment." But the Holy One, blessed be He, planted so many mitzvos into your daily routine, within things you do anyway, and for all of them you receive reward!
This is what Rashi means: the Torah warns, "You shall not make a gashed wound in your flesh for the dead" - do not injure yourself, do not lacerate yourselves in mourning over the dead - "I am the Lord," Who is faithful to pay reward. A normal person does not injure himself anyway, yet you receive reward for refraining! It is like telling a child, "Eat nicely" - eat what? Ice cream! There is no need to offer prizes for eating ice cream, as the child will eat it regardless; nevertheless, he is rewarded for it. Likewise, "And when the wicked person turns away from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, upon them he shall surely live" - "upon them," meaning upon those very transgressions he committed; for one who repents out of love, his deliberate sins are transformed into merits. You committed a transgression, and the Holy One, blessed be He, counts it for you as a mitzvah! Is there any palate sweeter than this?
In summary:
In these verses, the Assembly of Israel praises her Beloved: white to show mercy and whiten our sins, red to exact retribution from our enemies, and surrounded by myriads of angels. The beginning of His words shines forth - for He revealed His kingship and benevolence before issuing His decrees; His locks are mounds upon mounds of halachos written in black fire upon white fire; His eyes watch over synagogues and study halls, and over Torah scholars who wander from sage to sage to clarify the secrets of Torah; His cheeks and lips are the utterances of Sinai and the expiating words spoken from the Tent of Meeting; His hands are the Tablets, more desirable than gold, encompassing all 613 mitzvos; His innards are Toras Kohanim (Vayikra) in the middle of the Chumashim; His legs are the parshiyos of the Torah adjoining one another like pillars to their capitals and bases; His appearance blossoms with novel insights for anyone who constantly meditates upon Him; and His palate is full of sweetness - for the Holy One, blessed be He, rewards us even for what we do naturally anyway, and even transforms sins into merits for one who repents out of love.