Text Study

Hebrew Texts for Israel as Estranged Wives and Widows

Midrashic texts on Song of Songs and Lamentations reflect how the rabbis understood Israel's suffering.

Translations by Jeffrey A. Spitzer

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Midrash Song of Songs Greenhut 2:14

 

"'Show me your countenance' (Song of Songs 2:14). This is like a man who had an ugly wife whose name was Hannah. She honored her husband greatly, but he was sad, because although she had a good name and beautiful deeds, her face was ugly. A dream maker came and asked why he was distressed, and he explained why. 'Do you want her to be beautiful?' 'Yes,' came the reply. In the morning, she became beautiful. She saw herself and she began to lord herself over her husband. In the night, the dream maker came again and asked what he wanted. 'Please make Hannah ugly again.' 'For your voice is pleasant and your face becoming' (Song of Songs 2:14). The Holy Blessed One said to Israel, 'When is your voice pleasant to me? When you are pressed down by persecution…"

 

 

Lamentations Rabbah 1:1.3

"'How has the city, so full of people, become like a widow!'…R. Hama bar Ukba and the rabbis [disagreed]. R. Hama bar Ukba said: She is like a widow who chose continued support (in the house of her deceased husband) rather than her ketubah (her marriage settlement which would have required her to find a new husband)."

 

"The rabbis said: It is like a king who was angry with his matron and wrote out her divorce document, but then got up and snatched it from her. Whenever she wished to remarry, he said to her, 'Where is your divorce document?' And whenever she demanded monetary support, he said to her, 'But have I not divorced you?'"

 

"Similarly, whenever Israel wished to worship idols, the Holy Blessed One said to them, 'Where is your mother's divorce document?' (Isaiah 50:1); and whenever they wished that God should perform miracles for them as in the past, the Holy Blessed One, said to them, 'Have I not already divorced you?' That is what is written, 'I sent her away and I gave her her divorce document.' (Jeremiah 3:8)"

 

 

Lamentations Rabbah 3:1.1

"R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: 'I am the man' (Lamentations 3:1); I am the one who has learned from suffering. Have I benefited from what you thought fit?!"

 

"It is like a king who got angry at his wife and forced her out of the palace. She went and pushed her face up behind one of the pillars, [staying in the palace, but hiding]. The king saw her as he was walking by and said 'Such impudence!' She responded, 'My lord king, this is the right and appropriate thing for me, since no other woman besides me has accepted you.' He retorted, 'Only because I disqualified all other women [from marrying me] for your sake.' She said to him, 'If that is the case, why did you go to that house on that street if not to meet with a woman who ended up rejecting you?'"

 

"Similarly, the Holy Blessed One said to Israel, 'Such impudence!' But Israel said, 'Master of the Universe, it is right and proper for us since no other nation besides us has accepted the Torah.' God retorted, 'Only because I disqualified all other nations for your sake.' Israel said, 'If that is the case, why did you offer the Torah to all of the nations, only to have them reject it!'"

 

 

Jeffrey A. Spitzer served as the founding editor of the Jewish Texts section of MyJewishLearning and is now a contributing editor.