Ayelet ahavim (Hind of Love): On the Song of Songs

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth (Song of Songs 1:2).

These are the first spoken words of the student who yearns for the Torah, which is like the daughter of the king of kings with its perfect words. This is comparable to a king who had a single daughter, as appears in Midrash Rabbah, Exodus, chapter 33, on the verse: And let them make Me a sanctuary (Exodus 25:8). It is known that a father has authority over his daughter [see m. Ketubot 4:4], a principle derived from the verse: I gave my daughter to this man (Deuteronomy 22:16), as explained in the first chapter of b. Kiddushin [3b]. Now, the man referred to in that verse would have said, “I hope the father of this young girl will give her to me as a wife.” Although he could have addressed her through a third party, or spoken to her himself, he did not want to do so, since that would be less respectable than approaching her father. The same applies to the Torah—a person can understand it on his own, or from teachers, but this speaker wished to hear it only from the Lord himself.

This idea is taught by the sages on the verse: And all your children shall be taught of the Lord (Isaiah 54:13):

This concludes the quotation, blessed be He who chose the sages and their words, as all their statements are from the living God.

In my opinion, the sages provided us here with a valuable insight; I expanded upon it in the book ‘Avotot ha-ahavah [The Bands of Love]. In fact, in order to understand that passage properly, I would have to set out here everything that I wrote there, but what can I do, as sometimes one has to be brief as well, and also it is not right to repeat oneself. Nevertheless, it must at least be stated here that each member of Israel has a special share in the Torah, and the portion of one person is not the same as that of another. Furthermore, the soul and the Torah are one, and one’s self is likewise one thing, and I offer many proofs of this in that book.

This explains the idea mentioned above, that whatever one learns from a flesh-and-blood person he will forget. The reason is that one who bestows upon another the bounty of the Torah also gives him part of his very self, part of his soul, as each one of us has a unique share in the Torah. You can find the same idea explicitly stated in a different passage a little further on, and likewise below, regarding the verse: I am a rose of Sharon (Song of Songs 2:1).

With this idea in mind, you will not find difficult the statement of the sages in the second chapter of b. Bava Meẓi‘a [33a]: If one finds his father’s lost property and his teacher’s lost property, his teacher’s lost property takes precedence. You will realize that the source of this ruling is the concept that disciples are called sons. They are indeed actual sons, as a spark from the soul of the teacher has lit up inside them, through which they have been strengthened, as the Torah and the soul are one thing.

All this is clearly indicated by the statement of Rabba bar bar Ḥana in the second chapter of b. Ḥagigah [15b]:

Many secrets can be discovered through this teaching, but this is not the place to reveal them. If you yearn for them, then find the book Avotot ha-ahavah and I will feed you gently.¹

To return to the original subject, the reason one forgets what he learned is because he was [taught by] a flesh-and-blood person, in other words, the divine part from above, which is found within him, is clothed in this matter, and just as that part of him passes on, so too his studies pass away. By contrast, in the future we will receive the emanation directly from God Himself without an intermediary, and then divine providence will be perfect. You will find the same idea in Midrash ḥazita [on the Song of Songs] a little further on, regarding how speech would emanate from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He. Consider this matter well. It should be noted that the passage which, we maintain, reveals the secrets of the previous teaching, is from the midrash of the book of Proverbs, on the verse: For the Lord gives wisdom, [out of His mouth comes knowledge and discernment] (Proverbs 2:6). That midrash reads as follows: Great is wisdom, but greater is knowledge and discernment, as it is stated: For the Lord gives wisdom, but for one whom He especially loves, out of His mouth comes knowledge and discernment (Proverbs 2:6).