Chapter 6:6-7
Your teeth like a flock of ewes
That come up white from washing,
All of them alike, all shining and present.
The curve of your cheek
like a pomegranate
hidden behind the thicket of your hair.
When I can receive that true light,
My Beloved and I become mirrors for each other, reflecting endlessly…
Then the Light that was hidden away before Creation,
Shines out through my eyes.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: The Secret of the Pomegranate
Commentary
The pomegranate is mentioned a few times in the song. It is a fruit that leads me to explore the multi-layered complexity within the Unity of Love. The lover’s face is veiled in mystery. Beyond that veil her face is opened to reveal smooth skin, a complex husk that hides treasures of sweetness; at the center of each treasure- another seed. They say there 613 of those treasures hidden in the husk of this fruit, corresponding to the Mitzvot of Torah. The high Priest had embroidered pomegranates and golden bells on the hem of his robe. Each step sounded the tantalizing song of holiness and lured us with the fruit of the Promised Land.
Bridge to Torah
The wilderness journey described in Parshat Chukat is filled with challenge and mystery. Our path doesn’t follow a straight line. Though the destination seems to be The Promised Land flowing with milk and honey, it is the journey itself that will transform us, opening us to that flow of nurturance and sweetness. That transformation is a complex process of working through layers of heartbreak, rebellion, loss and rebirth.
For inspiration on this journey of transformation, The Song of Songs offers us the image of the pomegranate with its complex husk that hides treasures of sweetness. In Parshat Chukat, both Aaron and Miriam die, and are gathered into their people (that’s us). We take into us the priestly healing power of Aaron and the Nurturing artistry of Miriam as layers of power and beauty hidden as seeds within us. The Song of Songs helps us to call on those layers through the gift of the pomegranate.
Click to see Numbers 19:1–22:1 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Questions for Contemplation
How do we navigate the complexity, the multiplicity of our human journey with all its myriad forms and layers… without losing our focus on the Unity? How do we dive deep into those layers to excavate the sweetness… and not get lost?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 6:6-7 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.