Chapter 5:4-5
My love reached in for the latch
And deep within me, my heart stirred.
I rose to open to my love
My hands dripping myrrh
My fingers flowing myrrh
On the doorbolt.
Even through this numbness, this complacency, My heart has stayed awake.
Its longing finally stirs me.
The beat of my yearning heart rouses me
from my paralysis.
My stubborn habits and inertia have almost prevented
my heart’s desire — the meeting of Love.
In my hesitation, I may have missed my chance for Love.I am like the Israelites who have been told they must leave Egypt immediately when Freedom calls. There is not even time to let the bread rise. I have been more concerned with my bread than my freedom.
I must rise, to open.
I rise from my couch.
I rise above my petty concerns,
I take the wide perspective and lift myself up
above all entanglements,
Only then can I open to Love.
My hands “dripping myrrh” are a sure sign
that dry hesitation has been transformed into the passion
that is necessary for me to finally act.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: Rising To Open: Kamti
Commentary
The moment has come. We rise in order to open to the blessings and challenges of this moment. The inner gesture of rising to this moment is absolutely necessary if we are to open to what life is offering.
The English part that I added to this verse, expresses both my commitment and a sense of vulnerability. I ask for a Divine reciprocity in this opening. With each repetition of the chant I strengthen my commitment to open, and also become more receptive to the Divine response (through the world) that is opening to me.
Bridge to Torah
The Torah of Behar sets us in right relationship with the land and our own hearts through the practices of Shabbat and Jubilee. We learn that the Land must rest and that imbalances of wealth must be corrected. Through rest and the forgiveness of debts, we are humbled and lifted up into the wisdom that all of Creation is One; we are integral to that oneness; and that it was always God and not us in charge. The Song of Songs helps us to rise to that realization as we reach for the door and open to a larger truth, the truth that our love supersedes all else.
Click to see Leviticus 25:1–26:2 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Questions for Contemplation
Can I rise to the challenge before me? Can I open to the blessing that is being offered just now?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 5:4-5 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.