Words From Rabbi White

Dear congregants,

I trust that you all had a meaningful Pesach (although I saw that the campus protests have reached McGill!)

“leshanah ha-ba’ah biyrushalayim.”

******

AN ANCIENT MIDRASH WITH CONTEMPORARY MEANING

As we all know, there is a tradition of reading Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, on Passover.
 So, my son-in-law and I decided that we would sit down over the holiday and study together Rashi’s commentary to that Scroll. Although Rashi, in his introduction to Song of Songs, stressed the importance of peshat, the literal meaning of the words, he apparently feels that midrash is essential to the understanding of the Song of Songs. 

In chapter 2, verse 15, according to one translation of the verse, we read “little foxes grabbed us, little foxes who destroyed the vineyard, and our grapes were ripe.” [The “vineyard” refers to the Jewish people, based on the famous imagery as found in Isaiah chapter 5.]

Who are these little foxes? According to midrash, they were the sneaky Egyptians. The midrash tells us that when the Egyptians would hear from their intelligence sources that a Hebrew woman had probably given birth, they would enter the Hebrew’s house, search for the baby, and then, if a male baby, the Egyptians would grab the Hebrew baby, and throw him into the river to drown.

 The fox has a reputation as a wily animal.  I was reminded of stories from Survivors of Oct 7, who had said how they had tried to befriend the Palestinians from Gaza, take them for urgent care to Israeli hospitals, invite them into their homes. All the while the Gazans were gathering intelligence about the Israeli homes and population!! It is known now that Hamas had access to cameras inside Israel that had been recording he actions of the border communities!

It is unfortunate that the Jews who had been living on the Gaza border had not read the midrash on Shir HaShirim!!! And so sad that the McGill protesters and the judge who would not grant the injunction have no idea of the basis of the conflict!!

******

News from New York/NJ.  You probably know Leo Roston’s famous definition of Hutspah: the man who killed his parents, and then begged for mercy because he is an orphan!!

Well, on the news today we heard of the pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia Univ. who took over a building and then demanded that the university supply them with food and water!!

We pray for peace in the Land of Israel and in the world!

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Menahem White