The Song of Songs: The Love Story of God and Israel (XXXII)

We define this kind of love as the one that yearns not only for a complete redemption from exile among the nations, but also from what these represent as addictions, obsessions and attachments to the negative traits and trends of ego’s materialistic fantasies and illusions.

This kind of profound passionate love must have indeed a powerful spiritual essence that also strongly yearns and aspires to come up to the realms of divine consciousness, as God promised Israel in her final redemption in order to fully realize that He is the reality of all existence.

“‘Return, backsliding sons’, says the Lord; ‘for I am a husband to you. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds as for My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding’.” (Jeremiah 3:14-15)

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion for him and [he] to our God, for He abundantly pardons.” (Isaiah 55:7)

This calling culminates with the final and eternal encounter in the Temple of Jerusalem at Zion, as the “apple” tree (which is another reference of the Torah as the tree of life) where the Creator arouses us to who we truly are.

“So that I tell all Your praise; in the gates of the daughter of Zion I rejoice in Your redemption.” (Psalms 9:14)

Here we see again that God and Israel are bound by the Torah and the Temple of Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion, as the sources of our redemption, and unified means of connection between God and Israel.

“Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God, forever.” (Ibid. 87:3)

Let’s be aware that Jerusalem is the heart of the world from which all is nurtured and sustained, as the one that beats in our body. Jerusalem is our heart of love that spreads the goodness of God’s love in every aspect and dimension of life.

“Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion, for He strengthens the bars of your gates, and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders, and satiates you with the finest of wheat.” (Psalms 147:12-14)

This is the heart of goodness, for we praise God whose loving kindness fills all. In this awareness of being, having and doing goodness with its ways and attributes we come to love God “with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our resources”. Thus we also return to Him to come up to the new consciousness in His promised Messianic era.

“(…) O Zion, bearer of good tidings; lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good deeds. Lift it up, do not fear, say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God’!” (Isaiah 40:9)

“(…) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring goodness, who proclaim peace, who bring good deeds, who proclaim redemption, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’!”

(Ibid 52:7)

The Torah and the Temple of Jerusalem united as the mother from which God’s love was revealed in His Creation. In this metaphor the revelation of His presence in the world happens by the birth of Israel. The triple emphasis of her birth in this verse is to make Israel fully aware that her origin, identity and purpose, all come from her connection with God.

“Because part of the Lord is His people, Jacob is the line of His legacy.” (Deuteronomy 32:9)

Also the “apple” (usually considered a citrus fruit by our sages in the Talmud) symbolizes the Garden of Eden. Thus we understand that God’s love awakens Israel’s love in the highest level of spiritual awareness, also represented by the Garden of Eden.