Song of Songs (Shir haShirim), attributed to King Solomon, is read during Pesach (Passover). Some also read this Megilla for Erev Shabbat (Friday evening). The Rabbis taught that Song of Songs is a metaphor for the loving relationship between G-d and Israel.

• Continuing our theme of hypertext (making connections between parts of the Tanach):
  
  [Song of Songs 1:10; Holy Scriptures, p. 1079]: Thy cheeks are comely with circlets, thy neck with beads [or, pearls].

• [Midrash, Song of Songs 1:10, 3]: R. Levi said in the name of R. Hama b. R. Hanina: This refers to the various sections of the Torah, which are linked with one another, or lead on to one another, or are suggested from one another, or show analogies to one another, or are related to one another.

• [Song of Songs 2:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1080]: I am a rose of Sharon...

[Midrash, Song of Songs 2:1, 1] OF SHARON: so called because I chanted to him a song (shirah), as it is written: Then sang Moses and the children of Israel [Exodus 15:1; Hertz, p. 270]

• [Song of Songs 2:2; Holy Scriptures, p. 1080]: As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

[Midrash, Song of Songs 2:2, 2]: AS A LILY AMONG THORNS. R. Isaac applied this verse to Rebekah, as it says, And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife [Genesis 25:20; Hertz, p. 93]. [Why repetitions of aram/Aramean]? It is to tell us that her father was a trickster [or swindler] (ram'ai), her brother was a trickster, and all the men of her place were tricksters, and this virtuous one came forth from among the midst of them. What does she resemble? A LILY AMONG THORNS.

• [Song of Songs 4:3; Holy Scriptures, p. 1081]: Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy mouth [u'midbareich] is comely...

[Deuteronomy 33:3; Hertz, p. 910]: Yea, He loveth the peoples, all His holy ones - they are in Thy hand; and they sit down at Thy feet, receiving of thy words [midbarotecha].

Nachmanides notes the two related Hebrew words cited in these verses and says [Nach, v. 5, p. 376]:

He thus states ... that Israel will take Your words upon his lips and meditate upon them always.

• [Song of Songs 4:5; Holy Scriptures, p. 1081]: Thy two breasts are like two fawns that are twins of a gazelle...

[Midrash, Song of Songs 4:5, 1] ... Just as the breasts are the beauty and ornament of a woman, so Moses and Aaron were the beauty and ornament of Israel.... Just as one breast is not greater than another, so it was with Moses and Aaron, for it is written, These are that Moses and Aaron [Exodus 6:27; Hertz, p. 235], and it is also written, These are that Aaron and Moses [Exodus 6:26; Hertz, p. 235], showing that Moses was not greater than Aaron nor was Aaron greater than Moses in knowledge of Torah. R. Abba said: They were like two fine pearls belonging to a king which he put in a balance, finding that neither weighed down the other....

• Rabbi Dovid Siegel on Isaiah ("Nachamu"), Shir Ha'shirim, Vayechi [Siegel]: http://www.torah.org/learning/haftorah/vaeschanan.html:

HaShem instructs ... "Speak to the heart and call her because her long term has been served and her sin has been forgiven." [Isaiah 40:2; Hertz, p. 776] .... [Our sages] quote a passage in Shir Hashirim referring to the era of the final redemption and the profound statement the Jewish people will make then. They plead to HaShem, "If only You could be like a brother to me." [Shir HaShirim 8:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1085]. Chazal [our sages of blessed memory] see this brotherly relationship as a reference to the indescribable compassion that [Joseph] showed his brothers. After the atrocious behavior the tribes displayed toward Joseph they could never forgive themselves for those misguided actions. They therefore delivered a message to Joseph beseeching him to forgive them without harboring any ill feelings towards them. In response to their plea, the Torah states "And Joseph comforted them and spoke to their hearts" [Genesis 50:21; Hertz, p. 190, where the translation "... and spoke kindly to them" is not literal].

• [Song of Songs 8:5; Holy Scriptures, p. 1085]: Who is she that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?...

Rabbi Yosef Kimchi, quoted in [Agnon, p. 23]:

This refers to Israel coming up from the wilderness to the land of Canaan....

Ruth is read during Shavuot (Pentecost).

• On entering or departing Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel):

[Ruth 1:1-2; Holy Scriptures, p. 1087]:

1. …and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the field of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2. And the name of the man was Elimelech ….

[Ezra 2:66-67; Holy Scriptures, p. 1149]:

66. Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;

67. Their camels … their asses….

[Midrash, v. 8; Ruth, p. 21]: See now how the Holy One, blessed be He, favours the entry into Eretz Yisrael over the departure therefrom! In the former case it is written, Their horses… their mules… their camels, etc., but in this case it is written, AND A CERTAIN MAN … WENT – like a mere stump. The reason is that in the latter case, since they were leaving the country for another land, Scripture makes no mention of their property, [but states simply] AND A CERTAIN MAN … WENT – as though empty-handed.

• On the introduction of a new character:

[Ruth 2:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1088]: And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of valour, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

[I Samuel 17:4; Holy Scriptures, p. 384]: And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, Goliath his name, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

[Midrash, v. 8; Ruth, p. 51]: In the case of wicked men, the name precedes … ‘his name,’ e.g., [Goliath example above and others cited]…. But in the case of the righteous, … ‘his name’ precedes the name, e.g., [Boaz example above and others cited]…. Because they are like their Creator, as it is said: But by My Name ‘HaShem’ I made Me not known to them [Exodus 6:3; Hertz, p. 232].

• [Ruth 3:7; Holy Scriptures, p. 1089]: And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was good, ….

[Midrash, v. 8; Ruth, p. 71]: Why was his heart good? Because he recited the grace after meals. Another interpretation: … he ate different kinds of sweet things after his meal, as they accustom the tongue to the Torah. Another interpretation …: he occupied himself with the words of the Torah, as it is said, The law of thy mouth is good to me [Psalms 119:72; Holy Scriptures, p. 965]. Another interpretation …: he sought a wife, as it is said, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing [Proverbs 18:22; Holy Scriptures, p. 1010].

• A contrast:

[Ruth 3:9; Holy Scriptures, p. 1090]: And he said: ‘Who art thou?’ And she answered: ‘I am Ruth thy handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid….’

[Genesis 39:12; Hertz, p. 148]: … she [Potiphar’s wife] caught him [Joseph] by his garment, saying: ‘Lie with me’….

[Midrash, v. 8; Ruth, p. 75]: "R. Berekiah said: Cursed be the wicked!"

R. Berekiah cites the verses quoted above to contrast the immorality of Potiphar’s wife with the modesty of Ruth. In both cases, a righteous man subdued his yetzer ha-ra (evil impulse, as experienced through his libido); Joseph resisted the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, and Boaz did not take advantage of Ruth, who is described by R. Johanan [Midrash, v. 8; Ruth, p. 52] as so beautiful that "whoever saw her was sexually excited."

Lamentations (Eicha), attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, is read on Tisha b’Av, the 9^th of Av (one of the summer months of the Jewish calendar). This date is the anniversary of the both the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians during the 6^th century BCE and the destruction of the second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

• Rabbi Yaacov Haber on D'vorim and Eicha [Haber]: http://www.shamash.org/tanach/tanach/commentary/ravhaber/devarim.haber.89

The annual cycle of parsha readings from the Torah is arranged in such a way that this week's parsha (Devarim) is always read on the Shabbos before Tisha be-Av. Those of you who were listening to the Baal Kore [literally, the Master of the Reading – the Torah reader] might have noticed that there is one verse in it which he chanted differently --to the melody of the Lamentations of Jeremiah ("Eicha") which is read on Tisha be-Av. That is the verse (Deut. 1:12 [Hertz, p. 739]): "How can I alone bear your troubles and burdens and strife?" An obvious connection with the Lamentations is in the first word of this verse, "Eicha" ("How"), which is used repeatedly in the Lamentations. But the Vilna Gaon finds a deeper connection, in the third word of this verse: "Eicha esa LEVADI ... ", ("How can I bear ALONE ... "), since a form of that word also occurs at the beginning of the Lamentations: "Eicha yashva BADAD ha-ir ..." ("How the city sits SOLITARY ..."). This gives a clue to the essence of the tragedy which we are now commemorating.... In the first chapter of Eicha, there occurs four times some variant of the phrase: "Ein menachem lah" ("There is none to comfort her [Jerusalem]"). That gives, in a nutshell, the tragedy which we mourn -- Jerusalem is alone, without any comforter.

• The following all begin with Eicha (How):

[Deut. 12:1; Hertz, p. 739]: How can I myself alone bear your encumbrance….

[Isaiah 1:21; Hertz, p. 753]: How is the faithful city become a harlot!…

[Lamentations 1:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1092]: How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!

[Midrash, v.7; Lamentations, p. 66]: R. Levi said: It may be likened to a matron who had had three groomsmen: one beheld her in happiness, a second beheld her in her infidelity, and the third beheld her in her disgrace. Similarly, Moses beheld Israel in their glory and happiness and exclaimed, ‘How can I myself bear your cumbrance!’ Isaiah beheld them in their infidelity and said, ‘How is the faithful city become a harlot!’ Jeremiah beheld them in their disgrace and exclaimed ‘How doth the city sit solitary…’

• [Lamentations 1:17; Holy Scriptures, p. 1093]: Zion spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her….

[Genesis 11:30; Hertz, p. 40]: And Sarai was barren; she had no child.

[I Samuel 1:2; Hertz, p. 950]: …but Hannah had no children.

[Jeremiah 30:17; Holy Scriptures, p. 673]: … She is Zion, there is none that careth for her.

[Midrash, v. 7; Lamentations, p. 141]: R. Levi said: Wherever it is stated ‘there is none’ it indicates that there would be in the future… as it is said ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you.’ [Isaiah 59:12; Hertz, p. 835]

• [Lamentations 4:19; Holy Scriptures, p. 1100]: Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the Heaven….

[Deut. 28:49; Hertz, p. 870]: The Lord will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the vulture swoopeth down….

[Midrash, v. 7; Lamentations, pp. 231-232]: The wife of Trajan the accursed [Roman general, then emperor] gave birth … on the night of the 9^th of Av while all the Israelites were mourning [the destruction of the Temple]. The child died on Chanuka. The Israelites said, ‘Shall we kindle the lights or not?’ They decided to light them and risk the consequences…. some persons slandered them to Trajan’s wife, saying, ‘When your child was born the Jews mourned, and when it died they kindled lights!’ She sent a letter to her husband: ‘Instead of subduing the barbarians, come and subdue the Jews who have revolted against you.’ He boarded a ship and planned to do the voyage in 10 days, but the winds brought him in five. On his arrival, he found the Jews occupied with this verse, The Lord will bring a nation against thee from far.… He said to them, ‘I am the vulture who planned to come in 10 days, but the wind brought me in five.’ He surrounded them with his legions and slaughtered them…. their blood streamed … as far as Cyprus.

Ecclesiastes (Kohellet), attributed to King Solomon, is read during Sukkot (Tabernacles).

• On the greed of the tyrannical government (the Roman empire):

[Ecclesiastes 1:7; Holy Scriptures, p. 1102]: All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full….

[Proverbs 27:20; Holy Scriptures, p. 1023-1024]: … so the eyes of man are never satiated.

A play on words: [Midrash, v. 8; Ecclesiastes, p. 24]: All wealth only goes to the kingdom of Edom [Rome], and the kingdom of Edom is never filled; for R. Levi said: It is written, so the eyes of man (adam) are never satiated, i.e., the eyes of Edom are never satiated.

• Each of the following verses seems out of place:

[Ecclesiastes 1:12; Holy Scriptures, p. 1102] I, Kohellet, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. (The verse seems more appropriate as an introduction to the book.)

[Exodus 15:9; Hertz, p. 271]: The enemy said: ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil…." (The verse seems more appropriate to the beginning of the tale recounted in the Song of the Sea.)

Several other verses that similarly seem out of place relative to their contexts are cited in [Midrash, v. 8; Ecclesiastes, pp. 37-38]. Rabbi Samuel b. R. Isaac and R.Ishmael derive from this that "Torah does not follow a chronological order." Although Torah has historical aspects, its primary purpose is not to be a historical record, but, rather, a guide for living.

• What is the lesson of searching?

[Ecclesiastes 1:13; Holy Scriptures, p. 1102]: And I applied my heart to seek and to search (la-tur) out by wisdom all things that are done under heaven….

[Numbers 13:2; Hertz, p. 623]: Send thou men, that they may spy out (ya-tur-u) the land of Canaan….

[Midrash, v. 8; Ecclesiastes, p. 38-39]: What means TO SEARCH OUT (LA-TUR) BY WISDOM? To search for wisdom, to become an explorer of wisdom, as the word is employed in Send thou men, that they may spy out (ya-tur-u) the land of Canaan; i.e., I will sit in the presence of him who teaches Scripture well or expounds Mishnah well.

Esther is read on Purim.

• [Midrash, v. IX, Esther (Proem) 7, p. 8]:

R. Levi opened with the text, But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides… [Numbers 33:55; Hertz, p. 716]. This may be applied to Saul, … when Samuel said to him, Now go and smite Amalek … [I Samuel 15:3; Hertz, p. 996]. … But Saul and the people spared Agag [I Samuel 15:9; Hertz, p. 996]. Lo, a scion shall spring forth from him who shall inflict on you hardships like thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides. Who will this be? Haman [descendant of Agag], who decreed to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish. When they all saw this, they began crying, Woe! Vayehi [usually translated And it was; alternately translated And there was woe] in the days of Achashverosh [Esther 1:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1114].

• Could there be a link between these uses of the number 127?

[Genesis 23:1; Hertz, p. 80]: And the life of Sarah was a hundred years and seven years and twenty years; ….

[Esther 1:1; Holy Scriptures, p. 1114]: … Achashverosh who reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over seven and twenty and a hundred provinces….

[Midrash, v. IX, Esther, p. 25]:

As R. Akiba was once sitting and expounding, the disciples became drowsy. In order to rouse them he said: How did Esther merit to reign over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces? Because thus said G-d: ’Let Esther the descendant of Sarah who lived 127 years come and reign over 127 provinces.’

• [Midrash, v. IX, Esther, p. 90]:

And Haman said unto King Achashverosh: There is (Yeshno) a certain people…[Esther 3:8; Holy Scriptures, p. 1117]. He of Whom it is said, The Lord is One is asleep (yashen) to His people. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘There is no sleep for Me, as it says, Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep (yishan) [Psalms 121:4; Holy Scriptures, p. 969]….

References

[Agnon] S.Y. Agnon, Present at Sinai, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1994

[Haber] Haber, Rabbi Yaacov. Rabbi Haber Torah commentaries Web site: http://www.shamash.org/tanach/tanach/commentary/ravhaber/

[Hertz] Hertz Chumash, Soncino Press

[Holy Scriptures] The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1965

[Midrash] Midrash Rabbah (often called Midrash, although there are other commentaries also called Midrash): Early commentary on the Tanach. See The Midrash, 10 volumes, Soncino Press

[Nach] Nachmanides, Rabbi Moshe (RaMBaN: Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman), Medieval Spanish commentator. See Ramban: Commentary on the Torah, 5 volume series, Shilo Publishing House, Inc., NY; Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel, ed.

[Siegel] Siegel, Rabbi Dovid: Haftara [weekly reading from N’vi’im (Prophets)] commentary Web site, http://www.torah.org/learning/haftorah/

(c) Dr. Laurence Boxer, 1999

This document is quoted with my permission in the book

Rabbi David Yehuda Costa, Ask a Rabbi.com : Judaism : Questions and Answers from the Internet, BookSurge Publishing, 2001