The Tanakh Podcast

This is a scene of missed opportunities; as after a period of (apparent) separation, the beloved comes looking for the woman, but she fails to understand and appreciate the moment, the opportunity, and the couple don't achieve reunion.Hazal speak of this scene as the lackadaisical response to Cyrus's invitation to rebuild the Second Temple. But possibly it refers to any moment in which we are too lazy to respond to God's summons.Music: Hanan Ben-Ari https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG8Xs0Bd9ek

The depictions of the bride are rather strange, when her hair is compared to a flock of goats, her neck to a tower, and her stomach to a pile of wheat. Are we describing the anatomy of a woman, or possibly the geography and beauty of the land of Israel?Music. Mattisyahu. Basi LeGani

After the lovers' two unsuccessful attempts to realize their love, chapter 3 depicts the grand wedding of the young woman with the king.

In the first song, the woman is ready to move ahead, the "dod" is more hesitant. In the second song., the "dod" is all excited; the "ra'aya" - the woman - is expressing doubts and excuses. This is the nature of unripe love.

We begin ch.1 by seeing how the lovers - the young woman and the man - are depicted by Shir Hashirim. What might this express about God and Israel?

This is a book that needs some framing. We offer a few words of introduction.

Iyov has a strange conclusion. Does the restoration of Iyov's fortunes and the birth of 10 children mean that his prior troubles and pain have been forgotten? How might we understand the closing chapter?

Here we draw some conclusions and closing lessons from our reading of the Book of Iyov.

Our chapter speaks of the mythic "behemoth" and "leviathan" possibly a huge wild hippopotamus and whale or maybe a dragon. Why is God depicting these frightening monsters? And what do Hazal say about them?

Gid continues to challenge Iyov regarding his lack of understanding of the natural world. Today we speak about the animal kingdom.