Torah
Portion
classic
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photography The Song Of Songs

And A Passionate People

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the Jew and mankind — that enabled
the Jewish people to achieve a unique
place in history and to be distinctive
among all the nations of the world.
With this love, the Jew could be the
victim of world's madness and still
maintain his sanity. He could be
beaten, but he was never defeated.
It is instructive to note the last
words of two renowned figures who
were put to death as Jews by the
Romans during the period of the first
wring the season of
and second centuries. When Jesus
Passover, tradition
died, he cried out, "My God, my
instructs us that we are to
God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
read one of the five
When Rabbi Akiva died in torment
megillot or scrolls known as "Shir
as the flames of the Roman execu-
HaShirim — the Song of Songs," the
tioner consumed his body, he recited
story of a very tender romance
the Sh'ma with a smile on
between a shepherd and a
his lips. He declared: "All
maiden.
my life when I said the
Set in the springtime of
words, 'Thou shalt love the
the year, it describes the
Lord thy God with all thy
care and affection that
heart and soul and might' I
develops between these two
was saddened; for how was I
lovers. One of the most
to love Him with all my
memorable passages begins
soul?
Now that I am giving
with "Set me as a seal upon
my
life
and the hour of the
thy heart — as a seal upon
Sh'ma
has
come, should I
thine arm — because love is
RABBI IR WIN
not smile?"
as strong as death, passion is
GRON ER
Can we love Judaism
more powerful than the
Special to
without knowing it? For the
grave, its flashes of fire a
The Jewish News pre-modern Jew, the Bible,
very flame of the Lord."
Talmud and commentaries
How remarkable that the
were the ways in which he came to
venerable sages of ancient Israel des-
know what was required of him and
ignated this love story as part of the
how
he was to fulfill the covenant of
sacred scripture and then ordained its
his
love.
reading during the festival of
This helps explain our concern
Passover. The reason should be noted.
about and our commitment to Jewish
Jewish tradition declares that this
education, which constitutes the path
song is an allegory. This is more than
to the acquisition of Jewish devotion.
a story about romance between two
That's why Jewish education must be
young lovers; it is a saga of the love
a primary responsibility for the syna-
between God and His people. The
gogue,
must be a priority for the Jew-
figures portrayed symbolize the rela-
ish
community.
We cannot train a
tionship between the Sovereign of the
generation
of
young
Jews to love
Universe and those who revere His
their religion, their heritage and their
name. For this reason, the revered
people unless they know, understand
Rabbi Akiva declared that all the
and comprehend the objects of their
writings of scripture are holy, but the
love.
"Song of Songs" is kodesh kadashim
The rabbis did not regard the
— the holiest of all the holy writings.
Torah as a collection of laws. They
This ancient truth needs restate-
viewed the Torah as a love letter,
ment in our time. We don't under-
written
on Mt. Sinai in a moment of
stand the inner life of the Jewish peo-
divine
ecstasy.
Every Jew was a recipi-
ple by studying their laws or review-
ent of that love letter. In other cul-
ing their history. We grasp the deep-
tures, only a few of the elite were
est level of Jewish experience by con-
privileged to understand the nature
sidering this romance.
of their legacy of philosophy and reli-
The story of the Jew is the epic of
gion;
but every Jew was a rightful
a great love. It was that love —
heir
of
his heritage. Every Jew
between the Jew and his folk,
entered
the covenant of love when he
between the Jew and God, between
studied Torah and he came to know
what was required of him.
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi of Con-
Consider the wearing of the tefillin
gregation Shaarey Zedek

Shabbat Pesach VIII:
Deuteronomy 15:19-
16:17;
Numbers 28: 19-25;
Isaiah 10:32-12:6

D

which, to the uninformed, seems a
strange and baffling ritual. But we
should recognize that tefillin has beer
for the Jew a way of externalizing and
symbolizing his devotion to God.
I referred earlier to the verse "Set
me as seal upon your heart." The
sages say this refers to the Sh'ma
because the verse declares "these
words shall be upon your heart." Ar'
what about "a seal upon your hand"?
That is tefillin because it is written,
"You should bind them for a sign
upon your hand." When we wrap the
tefillin strap around the finger, we
recite a wedding vow formulated by
the prophet Hosea: "I will betroth
you unto me forever; I will betroth
you unto me with righteousness and
justice, with love and compassion;
will betroth you unto me in faithful-
ness and you shall love the Lord." In
wrapping the tefillin on the hand, we
put a wedding ring on our finger, so
to speak. Thus did the Jewish people
celebrate their love every weekday in
the manner of two lovers who wish to
express their devotion, one to the
other.

The rabbis
viewed the Torah
as a love letter.

We miss the spiritual passion in
Jewish life. Rabbi Abraham Joshua
Heschel taught us that people cannot
love without moments of rapture.
Authentic Judaism provides such
experiences of exaltation, celebration
and inwardness.
We all recognize that a romance
may have trials and troubles as well e \
joy and fulfillment. Sometimes there
is estrangement, anger or indiffer-
ence. What love has not known such
ill winds? There have been rimes of
great agony and anguish when the
people of Israel have cried out to
God as one does to a beloved friend.
But within the crucible of those expe-
riences wafs reborn the love that
endured every hardship, that createn–,
a state and redeemed a people.
Of all the songs of love, the eternal
romance of the Jewish people is our
"Shir HaShirim," our "Song of
Songs." May its music bring joy to
our hearts. May we experience its
rapture. ❑