Sicha, 2nd day of Shovuos 5725
A. Song of Songs—the Eternal Love Song
Song of Songs is written in the form of a love song between a man and woman, and it serves as an analogy for the love between G-d and the Jewish people (Source 1). This class focuses on the verse “Draw me, we will run after you; the king brought me to his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you” The Alter Rebbe explains that this verse alludes to three key stages in the evolution of the Jewish people:
• “Draw me”—the Exodus from Egypt.
• “We will run after you”—the self-sacrifice of the Jews during the splitting of the sea.
• “The king brought me to his chambers”—the giving of the Torah.
And the Jews then rejoiced in “You”—an allusion to the 22 letters of the Torah’s alphabet (Source 2).
B. A Three Part Journey
The Rebbe offers a deeper explanation of the Alter Rebbe’s teaching:
“Draw me” is a Divine action that initiates a person’s journey. The Jews could not leave Egypt on their own; G-d had to pull them out.
“We will run after You” shows that G-d desires the person’s own effort and initiative, not just passive inspiration. This was fulfilled at the Sea of Reeds, when Nachshon the son of Aminadav jumped into the water with total self-sacrifice (Source 3), and when the entire nation ventured into the wilderness with no provisions, acting out of pure faith. This stage represents self-sacrifice that transcends logic.
Only after this comes the third stage: “The King has brought me into His chambers”—the giving of the Torah. Unlike other forms of knowledge, the Torah is Divine wisdom. To receive it, one must have humility and the intent to unite with G-d through learning. The Torah then penetrates the person’s inner being, illuminating both the G-dly soul and the animal soul, elevating it beyond the physical world.
Thus, only after the Jews expressed total devotion and rose above the limitations of the physical world, did they become capable of receiving the Torah—”The King has brought me into His chambers.”
C. The Power of Running
This concept applies to each individual Jew as well. On Shavuot, G-d “pulls” a person from weekday into holiness. From there comes “we will run after You” in the literal sense: walking long distances on foot to bring the joy of the holiday to another Jew.
