Song of Songs 7:3 - Unity, Prayer, and Love of Mitzvos

Full Summary

Rabbi Zweig analyzes Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 7:3, focusing on Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary that interprets "two breasts" as referring to Moshe and Aharon - a king and high priest. He begins by addressing a fundamental question: why was Aharon eulogized as the "pillar of prayer" when Moshe was clearly greater in prayer, having successfully interceded for Israel during the Golden Calf and the incident of the spies? The answer lies in understanding two different types of prayer. Moshe's prayers were from an outsider's perspective - he was on Mount Sinai during the Golden Calf incident. While effective, his prayers were external advocacy. Aharon, however, created something fundamentally different: he made all of Israel into one unified entity through his love of peace and bringing people close to Torah (תורה). This unity transformed the nature of prayer itself. When people are truly connected and unified, their individual prayers become collective prayers. Even when praying alone, one naturally prays for the community ("heal us," "bless our years") because the welfare of others becomes one's own concern. This is what made Aharon the "pillar of prayer" - he established the foundation for communal prayer through unity and love. This explains why "all the house of Israel" mourned Aharon (including women), while for Moshe it states "the children of Israel" mourned. It's not that women didn't mourn Moshe, but Aharon had created a special household unity that transcended individual grief. Rabbi Zweig then connects this to the equality between the "two tablets" and "king and high priest." Both Moshe (king) and Aharon (high priest) shared the same fundamental attribute: unification. A king unifies politically ("melech" from mem-lamed-kaf meaning "all"), while the high priest unifies spiritually. The shiur concludes with a profound insight from the Rambam (רמב"ם) about mitzvah (מצוה) observance. Analyzing the phrase "a king is held captive in the tresses," Rashi explains this refers to God being bound through our "running" toward mitzvos. Rabbi Zweig cites Rambam's Hilchos Teshuvah, which lists "mocking mitzvos" as preventing teshuvah. Surprisingly, the Rambam explains that mocking is problematic not because it prevents doing mitzvos, but because it prevents pursuing them with desire and love. The real connection to God comes not from mere performance of mitzvos, but from the love and desire with which we pursue them. Mocking transforms mitzvos from acts of love into burdens. Once mitzvos become burdens rather than expressions of love, we naturally seek to avoid them when possible. The essence of "a king is held captive in the tresses" is that God desires our love, not our obligation - our running toward mitzvos rather than grudging compliance.