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.
Sat, June 25 2022
26 Sivan 5782
Rabbi's Sermons
Genesis
- Parshat Bereshit: Oct. 26, 2019, October 1, 2021, October 2, 2021
- Parshat Noah: Nov. 2, 2019, October 8, 2021
- Parshat Lekh-L'kha: Nov. 9, 2019, Oct. 31, 2020, Oct. 31, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 15, 2021
- Parshat Vayeira: Nov. 16, 2019, Nov. 7, 2020, Nov. 7, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 22, 2021, Oct. 23, 2021
- Parshat Hayei Sara: Nov. 14, 2020, Oct. 30, 2021
- 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
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
- Parshat Yitro: Feb. 15, 2020, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 21, 2022, Feb. 22, 2022
- Parshat Mishpatim: Feb. 22, 2020
- Parshat T'rumah: Feb. 29, 2020, Feb. 29, 2020 - Part 2, Feb. 20, 2021, Feb. 4, 2022, Feb. 5, 2022
- 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
Leviticus
- Parshat Vayikra: March 20, 2021, March 11, 2022
- 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
- Parshot Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: May 2, 2020, April 24, 2021, May 7, 2022
- Emor: May 9, 2020, May 1, 2021, May 13, 2022, May 14, 2022
- Parshot B'har-B'hukotai: May 8, 2019, May 16, 2020, May 7, 2021, May 21, 2022, May 28, 2022
Numbers
- Parshat Bamidbar: May 15, 2021
- Parshat Nasso: June 6, 2020, June 6, 2020 - Part 2, May 22, 2021
- Parshat B'ha'alotcha: June 13, 2020, June 13, 2020 - Part 2
- Parshat Sh'lach: June 20, 2020, June 20, 2020 - Part 2, June 5, 2021
- Parshat Korah: June 27, 2020, July 18, 2020
- Parshot Chukat-Balak: June 26, 2021
- Parshat Pinchas: July 11, 2020, July 11, 2020 - Part 2, July 2, 2021, July 3, 2021
- Parshot Matot-Masei: July 18, 2020, July 18, 2020 - Part 2, July 10, 2021
Deuteronomy
- Parshat D'varim: July 25, 2020, July 25, 2020 - Part 2, July 17, 2021
- Parshat Va'et'hanan: Aug. 1, 2020, July 24, 2021
- Parshat Eikev: Aug. 8, 2020, July 31, 2021
- Parshat Re'eh: August 7, 2021
- Parshat Shoftim: September 7, 2019, Aug. 22, 2020, August 14, 2021, August 14, 2021 - Part 2
- Parshat Ki Teitzei: Aug. 29, 2020, August 20, 2021
- Parshat Ki Tavo: Sept. 5, 2020, Sept. 5, 2020 - Part 2, August 28, 2021
- Parshot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Sept. 11, 2021
- Parshat Ha'Azinu: Sept. 26, 2020
- 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
Yom Kippur: Sept. 28, 2020, Sept. 16, 2021
Sukkot: Oct. 3, 2020 , Sept. 20, 2021
Passover: April 3, 2021, April 23, 2022
Today's Calendar
Shabbat Mevarchim |
: 10:00am |
: 1:15pm |
Havdalah : 9:16pm |
Friday Night
: 7:30pm |
Candle Lighting : 8:08pm |
Shabbat Day
: 10:00am |
: 1:15pm |
Havdalah : 9:16pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Jun 30 |
Jul 3 |
Jul 6 |
Jul 7 |
Jul 10 |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Sh'lach
Candle Lighting
Shabbat, Jun 25, 8:08pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Jun 25, 9:16pm |
Shabbat Mevarchim
Shabbat, Jun 25 |