Chapter 7:8-11
Your stature seemed tall as a palm tree,
And your breasts, the clusters of its fruit.
I said, “Let me climb into that palm tree,
And take hold of its branches.”
May your breasts be like clusters
Of grapes on a vine,
The fragrance of your breath
Like apples,
And your mouth, like the best wine.
Let it flow smoothly to my beloved,
Gliding between sleepy lips,
I am my beloved’s
And his longing is for me,
Only for me.
I climb into the Tree of Life, I take hold of its branches,
I climb into my own skin,
inhabiting this body, My breath
is the sweetest fruit.
Its fragrance is the gift that I give in each moment,
my only true gift.I am given as a gift to this life,
My small life is a gift to the whole,
The cosmos longs to know itself through me! I hear this longing in the call to adventure,
the call to journey within and beyond.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: His Longing for Me
Commentary
When I fully and whole-heartedly give myself to Life as my Beloved, God as my life responds with “his longing for me”. God’s longing for me manifests as an evolutionary force calling me into my full potential. Knowing that I am fully seen, treasured for who I really am and could be, and loved unconditionally, allows me to relax and open to the adventure of my life in its uniqueness. God wants me to become self-realized.
Bridge to Torah
The Torah of Re’eh commands us to SEE! When the eyes of our hearts are open and when we are purified of conditioning, we will be able to see clearly, the choice of blessing and curse that is set before us. The Song of Songs opens our eyes through love and through the sparkling clarity of knowing the Beloved and being known completely.
The Song sets the beauty of Life and Blessing before us, and then calls us to choose Life. Wisdom and longing for wholeness are kindled in us through God’s desire for our essence. We respond to that Divine desire, by opening our eyes to see and embrace the gift of Life in this moment.
Click to see Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Question for Contemplation
Can I surrender to the evolutionary force that is calling me into my full potential?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
See also SHS Commandment 9.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 7:8-11 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.