Sacred, Romantic Love in Shir HaShirim
Author | |
Date Added | |
Automatically create summary | |
Summary |
Sacred, Romantic Love in Shir HaShirim
Passover 5781
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Passover 5781
by Rabbi Sydni
Saturday, April 3rd, 2021
Sacred, Romantic Love in Shir HaShirim
Many of us know all too well the feeling that prompts God’s statement about Adam in the second chapter of Genesis: לא טוב היות האדם לבדו - It is not good for the man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). We have all been lonely before, perhaps more so with the isolation inherent to the past year, whether we have missed friends and family, or whether it has felt particularly difficult for us to find love. We are human beings, and even those of us with enough hobbies to keep us occupied for a long time have an inherent need for human companionship. We each need a person or people in our lives to offer us love and support. And for many of us, we are lucky enough to find one person to be our עזר כנגדו, a fitting helper for us, someone who makes us feel part of a complete whole. In Jewish text and tradition, when we find that partnership of רעים אהובים - loving friends - we embrace the sacred.
Even (or perhaps, especially) in our Biblical canon, love and marriage are not just contractual obligations, and they are not just about creating more Israelites. Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, exemplifies love as partnership and as a path towards joy. Throughout our Song, the lovers call each other דודי (my beloved) and רעי (my friend). Their passionate love is mutual, as the female lover says, דודי לי ואני לו - My beloved is mine, and I am his (2:16). As was mentioned in a discussion during last night’s service, the graphic intensity of love in Shir HaShirim is passionate on its own, but the true holiness arises when the listener or reader recognizes that that passion is consensual. This is not a relationship built on finance or children alone, but rather, on desire for one another, on the adventure of mutual seeking.
At one moment in our Song, one of the lovers cries out to Love itself: How fair you are, Love, how beautiful! With all of your delight! (7:7). This relationship, this paradigm of love that the Talmudic Rabbi Akiva calls the Holy of Holies, is fueled by joyful wonder. On this Pesah upon which we are commanded - ושמחת בחגך - you shall be happy on your holiday, what would it mean to re-embrace that delight and adventure in our loving relationships? In a year in which we have spent a good amount of time at home, doing much of the same each day, what would it mean to surprise a loved one with fresh flowers or a fancy outing or something new and exciting? For those who are single, what would it mean to either reignite the hope for a partner, or instead, to dig deeper into what brings you meaning and fun in your decidedly non-romantic relationships?
Yes, love can certainly be practical. As Shlomo (Solomon) writes in another book said to be penned by the great king, “Two are better off than one.” They earn more together, they raise one another up, they defend each other from attackers, and they keep each other warm at night; being in a loving couple has concrete practical benefits. But I believe that in order for strength and support in any relationship to endure, a desire and appreciation for one another must exist. We need memories of delight and joy in order to stay positive and to communicate clearly when times are tough. Loving relationships need excitement and fun if they are to truly approach the sacred.
When we generate the joy of finding our עזר כנגדו, our דודי, our רעי, our gratitude has the potential to spill out into gratitude for the rest of God’s Creation, to transform into new energy for pursuing the good. Before we truly know how to love God, we must first experience the sort of passionate - I’d do anything for you - human love detailed in Shir HaShirim. As we listen to Shir HaShirim today, I challenge you to ask what our text teaches us about our own human, romantic relationships. Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameah.
Thu, December 5 2024
4 Kislev 5785
Rabbi's Sermons
Bereshit - Genesis
- Parshat Bereshit: Oct. 26, 2019, October 1, 2021, October 2, 2021, October 25, 2024
- Parshat Noah: Nov. 2, 2019, October 8, 2021, Oct. 29, 2022, Nov. 1, 2024
- Parshat Lekh-L'kha: Nov. 9, 2019, Oct. 31, 2020, Oct. 31, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 15, 2021, Nov. 8, 2024
- Parshat Vayeira: Nov. 16, 2019, Nov. 7, 2020, Nov. 7, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 22, 2021, Oct. 23, 2021, Nov.15, 2024
- Parshat Hayei Sara: Nov. 14, 2020, Oct. 30, 2021, Nov. 22, 2024
- Parshat Toldot: Nov. 30, 2019, Nov. 21, 2020, Nov. 6, 2021
- Parshat Vayeitzei: Nov. 28, 2020, Nov. 13, 2021
- Parshat Vayishlah: Dec. 14, 2019 , Dec. 5, 2020, November 20, 2021
- Parshat Vayeisheiv: Dec. 12, 2020, Nov. 27, 2021
- Parshat Miketz: Dec. 4, 2021
- Parshat Vayigash: Jan. 4, 2020, Dec. 26, 2020, Dec. 11, 2021
- Parshat Vay'hi: Jan. 11, 2020, Jan. 2, 2021
Shemot-Exodus
- Parshat Sh'mot: Jan. 18, 2020, Jan. 18, 2020 - Part 2, Jan. 9, 2021
- Parshat Va'eira: Jan. 25, 2021
- Parshat Bo: Feb. 1, 2020, Jan. 23, 2021
- Parshat B'shalah: Jan. 30, 2021, Jan. 15, 2022, Feb. 3, 2023, Feb.4, 2023
- Parshat Yitro: Feb. 15, 2020, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 21, 2022, Feb. 22, 2022
- Parshat Mishpatim: Feb. 22, 2020, Feb. 18, 2023
- Parshat T'rumah: Feb. 29, 2020, Feb. 29, 2020 - Part 2, Feb. 20, 2021, Feb. 4, 2022, Feb. 5, 2022, Feb. 25, 2023
- Parshat T'tzaveh: March 7, 2020, Feb. 27, 2021, Feb. 12, 2022, Feb. 11, 2022
- Parshat Ki Tisa: March 14, 2020, March 6, 2021, February 19, 2022
- Parshot Vayak'heil-P'kudei: March 21, 2020, March 13, 2021, February 26, 2022, March 18, 2023
Vayikra-Leviticus
- Parshat Vayikra: March 20, 2021, March 11, 2022, March 24, 2023, March 25, 2023
- Parshat Tzav: April 4, 2020, March 27, 2021, March 19, 2022
- Parshat Sh'mini: April 18, 2020
- Parshot Tazria-Metzora: April 25, 2020, April 17, 2021, April 2, 2022, April 20, 2024
- Parshot Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: May 2, 2020, April 24, 2021, May 7, 2022, May 3, 2024, May 10, 2024
- Emor: May 9, 2020, May 1, 2021, May 13, 2022, May 14, 2022, May 6, 2023
- Parshot B'har-B'hukotai: May 8, 2019, May 16, 2020, May 7, 2021, May 21, 2022, May 28, 2022, May 24, 2024, May 31, 2024
Bamidbar-Numbers
- Parshat Bamidbar: May 15, 2021, May 20, 2023, June 7, 2024
- Parshat Nasso: June 6, 2020, June 6, 2020 - Part 2, May 22, 2021, June 10, 2022, June 2, 2023, June 14, 2024
- Parshat B'ha'alotcha: June 13, 2020, June 13, 2020 - Part 2, June 9, 2023, June 10, 2023, June 21, 2024
- Parshat Sh'lach: June 20, 2020, June 20, 2020 - Part 2, June 5, 2021, June 28, 2024
- Parshat Korah: June 27, 2020, July 18, 2020, July 24, 2023, July 5, 2024
- Parshot Chukat-Balak: June 26, 2021, July 12, 2024, July 19, 2024
- Parshat Pinchas: July 11, 2020, July 11, 2020 - Part 2, July 2, 2021, July 3, 2021, July 22, 2022, July 23, 2022, July 26, 2024
- Parshot Matot-Masei: July 18, 2020, July 18, 2020 - Part 2, July 10, 2021, July 30, 2022, August 2, 2024
D'varim-Deuteronomy
- Parshat D'varim: July 25, 2020, July 25, 2020 - Part 2, July 17, 2021, August 6, 2022, August 9, 2024
- Parshat Va'et'hanan: Aug. 1, 2020, July 24, 2021, August 12, 2022, August 13, 2022, Aug. 16, 2024
- Parshat Eikev: Aug. 8, 2020, July 31, 2021, August 19, 2022, August 20, 2022
- Parshat Re'eh: August 7, 2021, August 30, 2024
- Parshat Shoftim: September 7, 2019, Aug. 22, 2020, August 14, 2021, August 14, 2021 - Part 2, September 3, 2022, September 6, 2024
- Parshat Ki Teitzei: Aug. 29, 2020, August 20, 2021, September 13, 2024
- Parshat Ki Tavo: Sept. 5, 2020, Sept. 5, 2020 - Part 2, August 28, 2021, Sept. 17, 2022, Sept. 20, 2024
- Parshot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Sept. 11, 2021, September 24, 2022, Sept. 27,2024
- Parshat Ha'Azinu: Sept. 26, 2020, October 4, 2024
- Parshat Haberakhah
Rosh HaShanah: Sept. 19, 2020, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 2, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 3, Sept. 20, 2020, Sept. 7, 2021, Sept. 8, 2021, Sept. 9, 2021, Sept. 26, 2022, Oct 2, 2024
Yom Kippur: Sept. 28, 2020, Sept. 16, 2021, October 5, 2022
Sukkot: Oct. 3, 2020 , Sept. 20, 2021, Oct. 16,2024, Oct. 18, 2024
Passover: April 3, 2021, April 23, 2022, April 7, 2023, April 12, 2023 April 27, 2024
Rosh Hodesh: April 22, 2023
Friday Night
Candle Lighting : 4:51pm |
: 7:30pm |
Shabbat Day
: 10:00am |
: 1:30pm |
Havdalah : 5:59pm |
Board Games : 6:00pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Dec 10 1st Wednesday Learning Group Tuesday, Dec 10 10:30am |
Dec 25 ııııİıııi Wednesday, Dec 25 4:59pm |
Dec 26 ııııİııii Thursday, Dec 26 5:00pm |
Dec 27 ııııİıiii Friday, Dec 27 4:58pm |
Dec 28 ııııİiiii Motzei Shabbat, Dec 28 6:10pm |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Vayetzei
Shabbat, Dec 7 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Dec 6, 4:51pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Dec 7, 5:59pm |
Erev Chanukah
Wednesday, Dec 25 |