I Am the Rose of Sharon: Ani chavatzelet

Ani chavatzelet hasharon shoshanat ha’amakim

I am the rose of Sharon
A lily of the valleys. (Song of Songs 2:1)

This is a practice of blossoming forth and rooting down. Although we can’t be sure exactly what flowers these are (various translations include rose, lily, tulip, hyacinth, narcissus, lotus, crocus, wildflower), we do know that these flowers have a resonance in the prophetic traditions of Isaiah 35:1-2 (The desert shall be glad, the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom like the rose) and Hosea 14:6-8 (I will be as the dew to Israel who will blossom as the lily).

As I chant these words I am rising towards the sunlight of glory and redemption, and at the same time connecting myself to the deepest places in the world and in myself. The word for valleys (amakim) also means the depths. When we blossom from those depths, our beauty, however transient, is grounded in the fullness and power of our earthly existence.

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