Singing Song of Songs at your Seder

Since the Song of Songs is traditionally read or chanted on the Shabbat during Passover. We 21st century Jews could also sing some of its songs about the loving relationship between modern human lovers; as well as the traditional holy love between the covenantal partners; God and Israel.

Solomon’s Song of Songs begins with: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is more delightful than wine.” (1:1-2) How and why is this book of love-song poems, so unlike the songbook of Psalms, in our Sacred Scriptures?

Song of Songs is among the most difficult and mysterious books in the Bible for five reasons. First, on the Pshat (literal) level, it is very difficult to understand and translate the Hebrew text, because although it has only 117 verses, and 470 Hebrew words; 47 (10%) of these words appear only once in the whole Bible, and only in this collection of love-songs, that were sung or recited during wedding ceremonies in ancient Israel for centuries after the age of King Solomon.

Second, on the the Drash (moral) level, the title is both a superlative; the best of songs: and a collective anthology of songs, many of them containing strange and even weird metaphors. Thus, no one type of interpretation can be uniformly applied to the whole book. In some metaphors the male symbolizes God and in other metaphors the female embodies the Holy One.

Failure to see the Shekeenah in the Song of Songs; and the attempt to ignore the great variety of different songs; and see only the same message everywhere, has plagued most translations and commentaries.

Third, on the Sod (mystical) level, the exaggerated use of dramatic earthly metaphors in the Song of Songs was meant to disguise the deeper mystical and much more spiritual meanings of physical lovemaking. Both Jewish and Christian mystics have traditionally seen the interactive behavior between the two lovers as symbolizing the covenantal love between God and the People of Israel (Jewish) or between Jesus and the Church (Christian).

Fourth, although according to the Remez (allegorical) interpretation, one of the two lovers is God, none of the names for God, nor any of the usual appellation for God, ever appear explicitly in Song of Songs.

Nevertheless, this symbolic understanding of the Song of Songs’ couple lovers relationship, probably originated from the disciples of the famous early second century legal scholar, Rabbi Akiba ben Joseph the convert, who proclaimed the Song of Songs to be the holiest book in the third section of the Bible: “all the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.” (Mishnah Yadaim 3.5).

So, I offer a half dozen lyrics; and invite the musically gifted within the Jewish People to write and sing on U tube some Loving songs for your Seder.

The most lyrics are Dodee Lee v’anee Loh: “My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies”. (2:16)

Other songs are: Kol Dodee: “The voice of my beloved Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. (2:8)

Mah Yafoo: “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride; how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils over any spice” (4:10)

Eechlu ray’im: Eat, friends, drink and become drunk with love! (5:1)

Ahnah Halachdohdach: Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? (6:1)

Ahnee leh dodee: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies. (6:3)