Chapter 4:3-4
Your lips like a scarlet ribbon
And your voice so sweet.
The curve of your cheek
like a pomegranate
hidden behind the thicket of your hair,
Your neck is a tower of David
Built to perfection,
A thousand shields hang upon it,
All the armor of heroes.
And You, my Beloved… this world you wear as a garment is torn and stained; ripped apart:
by war;
by greed;
by despair;
by rage.
Your magnificent garment decays in disease and injustice, Its cloth is rotting in poverty and degradation.And yet I know You truly in your incomparable beauty and perfection. Beneath that beggar’s disguise, You are my Shining King, without blemish.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: Your Voice in the Wilderness
Commentary
These words direct our attention to the lips and to the voice that emerges through that lovely outlet. That voice brings wisdom and inspiration to us.
In creating this practice I couldn’t help but be reminded that the word, midbaraych, that is translated as your voice, or your speech, or your mouth… is a homonym for your “wilderness.” I added the English words of this chant so that the images of the Song might lead us to inquire, “Can we allow the Divine voice to emerge from the deep silence of the wilderness? Can we listen and receive the beauty, majesty and wide perspective that the wilderness offers?”
When I step into the wilderness, the noise of the “civilized” world recedes and I can begin to hear another voice — more subtle, more profound, wider in its scope. It is that voice which asks for a response that is sourced in my depths.
Bridge to Torah
Vayikra means, “And God called”. Torah calls us to holiness. We are called to our priesthood as we find ways to clear the obstacles to holiness. In Torah, we do this through the korbanot (sacrifices), which literally means the vehicles for coming close to God. Shir Hashirim also opens us to that call with a voice that is so sweet. In response to that sweetness we open the channels of love. Whatever is blocking that channel must be cleared.
Click to see Leviticus 1:1–5:26 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Questions for Contemplation
Can I allow the Divine voice to emerge from the deep silence of the wilderness? Can I listen and receive the beauty, majesty and wide perspective that the wilderness offers?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 4:3-4 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.