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Share... בְּאֶחָד בִּשְׁבָט, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאִילָן, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ:
... On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree; the fruit of a tree that was formed prior to that date belong to the previous tithe year and cannot be tithed together with fruit that was formed after that date; this ruling is in accordance with the statement of Beit Shammai. But Beit Hillel say: The New Year for trees is on the fifteenth of Shevat.
(א) אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַשָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָעֲמָקִֽים׃ (ב) כְּשֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙ בֵּ֣ין הַחוֹחִ֔ים כֵּ֥ן רַעְיָתִ֖י בֵּ֥ין הַבָּנֽוֹת׃
A lily of the valleys.
(2) Like a lily among thorns,
So is my darling among the maidens.
(א) אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל:
1. אֲנִי הִיא וַחֲבִיבָה אָנִי, אֲנִי שֶׁחִבְּבַנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשִּׁבְעִים אֻמּוֹת. חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי לוֹ צֵל עַל יְדֵי בְּצַלְאֵל, דִּכְתִיב (שמות לז, א): וַיַּעַשׂ בְּצַלְאֵל אֶת הָאָרֹן. הַשָּׁרוֹן, שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְפָנָיו שִׁירָה עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו, א): אָז יָשִׁיר משֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
2. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, אֲנִי הִיא וַחֲבִיבָה אָנִי, אֲנִי הִיא שֶׁהָיִיתִי חֲבוּיָה בְּצִלָן שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם, וּלְשָׁעָה קַלָּה כִּנְּסַנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְרַעְמְסֵס, וְהִרְטַבְתִּי מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה, וְאָמַרְתִּי לְפָנָיו אֶת הַשִּׁירָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ל, כט): הַשִּׁיר יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כְּלֵיל הִתְקַדֵּשׁ חָג.
3. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, אֲנִי הִיא וַחֲבִיבָה אָנִי, אֲנִי הִיא שֶׁהָיִיתִי חֲבוּיָה בְּצִלּוֹ שֶׁל יָם, וּלְשָׁעָה קַלָּה הִרְטַבְתִּי מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה, וְהֶרְאֵיתִיו בְּאֶצְבַּע מָנוֹן עֲבוּרִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טו, ב): זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ.
4. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, אֲנִי הִיא וַחֲבִיבָה אָנִי, אֲנִי הִיא שֶׁהָיִיתִי חֲבוּיָה בְּצִלּוֹ שֶׁל סִינַי, וּלְשָׁעָה קַלָּה הִרְטַבְתִּי מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בְּיָדִי וְלִבִּי, וְאָמַרְתִּי לְפָנָיו (שמות כד, ז): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע.
5. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, אֲנִי הִיא וַחֲבִיבָה אָנִי, אֲנִי הִיא שֶׁהָיִיתִי חֲבוּיָה וּרְמוּסָה בְּצִלָּן שֶׁל מַלְכֻיּוֹת, לְמָחָר כְּשֶׁיִּגְאָלֵנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִצִּלָּן שֶׁל מַלְכֻיּוֹת, אֲנִי מַרְטֶבֶת כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה, וְאוֹמֶרֶת לוֹ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צח, א): שִׁירוּ לַה' שִׁיר חָדָשׁ כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה הוֹשִׁיעָה לוֹ יְמִינוֹ וּזְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ.
(1) “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys” (Song of Songs 2:1).
“I am a rose [ḥavatzelet] of Sharon.”
1. The congregation of Israel said: I am as I am, yet I am beloved [ḥaviva]. It is I whom the Holy One blessed be He loved me more than seventy nations. “A rose [ḥavatzelet] of Sharon,” I made Him shelter [tzel] by means of Betzalel, as it is written: “Betzalel crafted the Ark” (Exodus 37:1). “Of Sharon,” as I recited song [shira] before Him by means of Moses, as it is written: “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang” (Exodus 15:1).
2. Another matter, “I am a rose of Sharon.” The congregation of Israel said: I am as I am, yet I am beloved. It is I who was shrouded in the shadow of Egypt, but the Holy One blessed be He brought me quickly to Rameses. I sprouted good deeds like a lily, and I recited a song before Him, as it is stated: “The song will be for you like the night of the consecration of the festival” (Isaiah 30:29).
3. Another matter, “I am a rose of Sharon.” The congregation of Israel said: I am as I am, yet I am beloved. It is I who was shrouded in the shadow of the sea, but I quickly sprouted good deeds like a lily, and I pointed to Him with my finger [and pronounced that He is] my Master, as it is stated: “This is my God and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:2).
4. Another matter, “I am a rose of Sharon.” I am as I am, yet I am beloved. It is I who was shrouded in the shadow of Sinai. I quickly blossomed good deeds with my hand and my heart, and I said before Him: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7).
5. Another matter, “I am a rose of Sharon.” I am as I am, yet I am beloved. It is I who was shrouded and trampled in the shadow of kingdoms. Tomorrow, when the Holy One blessed be He redeems me from the shadow of the kingdoms, I will blossom like a lily, and I will recite a new song before Him, as it is stated: “A psalm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has performed wonders; His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him” (Psalms 98:1).
... Speaking in her own voice, in the first person, Israel figures herself as the rose of Sharon. Adopting the words of the beloved in the Song of Songs, she declares, "I am the rose of Sharon" (Songs 2:1). Playing with the unusual five-letter root chavatzelet (rose) the midrash generates a chain of associations. Chav evokes chaviv ani—"I am beloved, precious," while tzel (the second half of the word chavatzelet) means shadow. Chav also evokes chavuyah—to be hidden, covered over, buried. Israel brings herself to life by speaking of herself as precious, even though—or because—she is almost obscured, suppressed—by the menace of Egypt, of the Red Sea, of Sinai. But then, like the rose, in one instant, she emerges and becomes full of sap, succulent with good deeds; then Sharon releases its hidden shirah—she sings her song to God: "I am the Rose of Sharon."
The image of the rose, its beauty once invisible, suddenly thriving and singing, present to the senses—sight, hearing, touch—in fact confuses the senses with its intensity. This is a visible, moist, singing rose: synesthesia takes the reader beyond the knowable.
Ultimately, all the external suppressive forces of history give way to God's redemption: the rose emerges from obscurity into brilliant blossom and song. In a further assage in the midrash, however, the shade under which the rose is obscured becomes "the shade of herself"—chavuyah be-tzel atzma. Undeveloped, the chavatzelet lives unseen within its green shade, the tight sheath of leaves that encases her; then she appears as a full-blown rose, a shoshanah. Israel identifies herself as that early bud, latent, inexpressive; and then, as the bloom in its fullness. She is her own shadow. It is all a matter of imagination, of potential blossoming: an astonishment of the natural world.
The rose of Sharon becomes a figure through which Israel can imagine herself and her potential. Threatened externally and internally, her rose reality almost extinguished, she contains unknown possibilities....
What do you need for nourishment?
How can you bloom?