Introduction: The Second Song and Its Conclusion
In this section, we stand at the conclusion of the second song in Shir HaShirim - the song describing the second prophecy in which the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Shlomo. As we mentioned, this second prophecy was not complete prophecy, but rather a level of Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration) that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestowed upon Shlomo's soul. In it, he was told: "Concerning this House which you are building - if you walk in My statutes, execute My ordinances, and keep all My commandments to walk in them..." A brief prophecy that came without preparation on Shlomo's part. Therefore, throughout this entire passage, we see the Beloved enticing the soul to come out to Him: the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, is attempting to persuade Shlomo's soul to come and connect with her Beloved in order to receive prophecy.
"The Blossoms Have Appeared in the Land" - The Divine Seeds Begin to Bud
הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ, וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ. (ב, יב) - "The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of the songbird has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." (2:12)
The soul is a field, and whatever you sow in it is what exists within it. In the first prophecy, we learned that when the soul returns to the body after detaching from it, it generates effects through that tremendous spirituality it received during prophecy, and from then on it guides the body. However, during autumn, during winter, the soul lies dormant within the body. And what of those Divine seeds sown within it? They exist, but in potential rather than in actuality. They are still inside, waiting to be revealed and unable to emerge, for it is still winter. But now autumn has already passed, winter is over and gone, and "the blossoms have appeared in the land" - those Divine seeds begin to blossom and burst forth.
"The Time of the Songbird Has Arrived" - The Songbird in Autumn
What is the meaning of "the time of the songbird has arrived"? The Malbim explains: within the Godly soul there are two levels. There is the soul that remains inside the body and never separates from it throughout a person's lifetime, and there is the soul that departs and separates during prophecy. Here the Malbim enters into a lengthy explanation, which we will not delve into right now. With God's help, in the next lesson we will see the distinction between these two types of influence, and how the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, entices the soul to return and renew its connection with the Ein Sof, blessed be He.
And there is an even higher level, called Chayah and Yechidah. The Chayah and Yechidah come according to a person's deeds and sanctity. When the soul is dormant, the Chayah and Yechidah, so to speak, depart from him; and when the soul is elevated, they come to him and channel holy abundance upon him. This is likewise brought down in the holy books, and as we learned in Nefesh HaChaim: the Neshamah resides above the head and sends the sparks of its light down into the GAR, the three highest sefirot - Keter, Chochmah, Binah or Chochmah, Binah, Da'at (when counting Keter one does not count Da'at, and when counting Da'at one does not count Keter) - which are referred to in the holy books as the mochin (the higher cognitive faculties). When a person sins, the Neshamah departs from him, as it cannot abide sin. For that reason it is also never blemished, for the Neshamah cannot sustain a flaw, being of so sublime a source; at the moment of sin, it simply disconnects.
This is what the Malbim explains: the higher level - the Neshamah, Chayah, or Yechidah, which come according to one's actions and sanctity - departs when the soul falls dormant, for the soul is not at a sufficient spiritual level to merit the Chayah and Yechidah. As the holy Zohar states: "If he merits more, he is given a Neshamah." This is the Neshamah, this is the Chayah, and the "soul of the soul" is the Yechidah.
At that point, the soul remains at the first level alone, resembling the songbird in autumn. The songbird in autumn does not sing; it remains silent. Yet it does not fly far away - it stays in the same place, like a dove in the clefts of the rock, waiting, as it were, for an opportune time. It does not migrate to distant realms, but stays right here; it does not sing because it is winter, but stands waiting in the clefts of the rock. So too, when the soul is in dormancy: the higher spiritual power is quiescent, not expressing itself. But now, "the time of the songbird has arrived" - this is the stage of channeling the light, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to reveal Himself to the soul. This is the time when the soul must emit the sparks of its light, begin to blossom, sing, and chant, singing the song of Hashem, the song of the soul, spiritual comprehension. So to speak, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Shlomo's soul: "Awaken! The time has arrived to bestow upon you once again the flow of prophecy."
"And the Voice of the Turtledove Is Heard in Our Land"
The voice of the turtledove - this refers to the higher level, the Chayah and Yechidah, bestowed from on High. Until now they had distanced themselves from Shlomo's soul, because Shlomo's soul was dormant. But now it is "heard in our land": through the awakening of holy inspiration, the Chayah and Yechidah can rest upon him as well. Awaken, therefore, soul of Shlomo, for I have prophecy to give you; I desire to connect and bind Myself with you.
"The Fig Tree Has Ripened Its Early Figs" - Hidden Seed and Visible Tree
הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ, קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי וּלְכִי לָךְ. (ב, יג) - "The fig tree has ripened its green figs, and the blossoming vines have given off their fragrance; arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come away." (2:13)
The Malbim explains: The holy seeds hidden within the human soul exist on two levels. Take winter dormancy as an example. There are seeds buried in the ground that are incapable of blossoming - it is cold, freezing, and they cannot emerge. And there are trees that are likewise unable to yield their fruit - it is cold, freezing, and they cannot blossom. But notice the great difference: the seed buried in the earth is not visible at all; it remains concealed in the ground on account of the cold. By contrast, with a tree, even though its power is hidden within it and it does not bear fruit, at least one sees that a tree is standing there. Both are inactive, both are in winter dormancy, but the former is not seen at all, whereas with the latter, a tree is visible, and one knows that summer will soon arrive and it will begin to yield its fruit.
The Malbim explains: These powers, which are the faculties of the soul, reside within, and until now have not yielded their fruit. He compares them to the fruits of the fig tree and the grapevine. The fig is an allegory for the intellectual faculties, for the power of understanding (*binah*) and thought - like a fig full of sweetness and honey, which represents lofty levels. And the grapevine represents the spiritual faculty prepared for prophecy; as we have already seen, wherever wine is mentioned in Shir HaShirim - the wine preserved in its grapes - it refers to the attainment of prophecy. The essence of wine is connection with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the aspect of prophecy. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, comes and says: both the fig tree and the vines are already prepared. Until now everything was frozen and nothing came to fruition, but now the winter has passed and gone, and they are ready to receive the level of prophecy.
Therefore: "Arise, my beloved, and come away." The beloved (*ra'yah*) is the soul: awaken to connect with the Beloved on High, with the Holy One, blessed be He. At first He said to her, "Arise" - you need not fear, for the winter has passed. For in the cold of winter we hesitate to go outside, so He told her that the fear of the cold and winter no longer exists. Now He adds: not only do you not need to refrain from going out, but you should take heart and go forth, for "the fig tree has ripened its green figs, and the blossoming vines have given off their fragrance." At first there was fear of the cold, and she was told there was no reason to fear; now she is told even more: it is worthwhile to go out, because as soon as you step forth, there are figs and vines, there is fruit to receive! If so, all the more so must you take courage, awaken, and go out toward the Beloved, toward the Holy One, blessed be He, so that He may bestow upon you an abundance of divine inspiration (*Ruach HaKodesh*).
Metaphors from the Month of Ziv
The Malbim explains: The poet drew his metaphors from the actual historical period in which this prophetic speech occurred. For this second prophecy took place, as recorded in I Kings chapter 6, in the month of Ziv in the fourth year of Shlomo's reign. And what is the month of Ziv? It is the month of Iyar. And why is it called "Ziv" (radiance)? Because in this month, the Gemara explains, the trees display their radiance and splendor. In the month of Nisan there is only the early blossom, when people go out and recite the blessing over blossoming trees; but in the month of Iyar one already sees the beauty of the tree, the blossoms have developed, and the radiance of the trees is clearly visible. Naturally, then, the poet takes his allegories from the reality of the month of Ziv: just as in the natural world we see that this month bestows, nurtures, and brings forth blossom, so too he uses this as an allegory for the spiritual flow that brings blossom to the soul, after it had been confined within the earth in winter dormancy, and the Holy One, blessed be He, seeks to awaken it so that it may merit divine prophecy.
"Let Me See Your Appearance, Let Me Hear Your Voice" - The Question of Sequence
יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה, הַרְאִינִי אֶת מַרְאַיִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת קוֹלֵךְ, כִּי קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה. (ב, יד) - "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your appearance, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your appearance is lovely." (2:14)
Here we should examine a nuance that is beautifully explained in the Malbim's words. The concept is deep yet accessible, and we will try to make it simple. At the beginning of the verse, it speaks of appearance - "let me see your appearance" - and afterwards of voice - "let me hear your voice." Yet at the end of the verse, it reverses the order: "for your voice is sweet, and your appearance is lovely." Presumably, it should have followed the same order and said, "for your appearance is lovely, and your voice is sweet." If appearance preceded voice at first, why place voice before appearance at the end?
The Malbim explains: We have already explained that the prophecy here was not full prophecy, but rather a prophetic illumination. The soul does not detach completely from the body as it does in full prophecy, but remains somewhat tied to it; this is not a complete vision, for it is still slightly connected to physicality. Therefore, he compares the soul to a dove in the clefts of the rock, still enclothed in the body and unable to free itself completely.
The Two Speeches: Wisdom Versus Awe
The word that the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke then to Shlomo - "This house which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, and execute My ordinances, and keep all My commandments to walk in them" - was different from the first communication. In the first communication, we saw that Shlomo asked for wisdom: "Give Your servant an understanding heart," he asked for a discerning heart to judge the people. In this communication, however, the Holy One, blessed be He, cautions Shlomo regarding the observance of the mitzvos. These are two distinct planes, and upon the distinction between them the Malbim builds his entire thesis. Wisdom is the theoretical intellect - the power of contemplation, reflection, and thought; and this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, bestowed upon him in the first communication. In contrast, the second communication deals with fear of Heaven - the influx of fear and love of Hashem, which is the practical intellect: how one conducts oneself in the service of Hashem. Thus we have two distinct prophecies: in the first, the primary gift he attained was wisdom, and in the second - "walk in My statutes, execute My ordinances, and keep all My commandments" - the practical intellect, the actions, which constitute the fear of Heaven.
Which Is Primary - Wisdom or Fear?
The Malbim explains: both things, both wisdom and the fear of Hashem, need each other. If there is no fear, there is no wisdom; and if there is no wisdom, there is no fear. What good is fear if one is not wise? And what good is wisdom if one lacks fear? However, wisdom precedes fear - as a cause precedes an effect. For "an unlearned person cannot be pious": in order for a person to attain fear, one must first comprehend Whom he fears. Comprehend the Holy One, blessed be He, and then you will revere Him. First of all, one must become wise and contemplate who the Holy One, blessed be He, is - Who created all the worlds in all His greatness and might - and as a result, awe falls upon him. It is impossible to arrive at awe and fear without having acquired wisdom.
A person who perceives the Holy One, blessed be He, merely as someone who directs the world has very limited comprehension. But one who appreciates the Holy One, blessed be He, as directing all the worlds, filling all worlds and encompassing all worlds, and understands these concepts in their depth, and understands what the Sefiros are - what awe falls upon him! That is an entirely different level. Thus, if one asks what is the path to achieving fear, the answer is: first and foremost, wisdom. Become wise and comprehend the greatness of the Creator. This is what the Malbim means by "preceding as a cause": there is a cause and an effect; the cause is the catalyst, and the effect is the outcome. Wisdom is the cause, and fear is the effect that results from it.
At this point, one might be tempted to argue: if so, wisdom is the primary goal. To this the Malbim says - do not be mistaken. The essence is fear, and fear precedes wisdom as the ultimate purpose precedes the means. "The purpose of wisdom is fear of Hashem"; "The purpose of wisdom is repentance and good deeds." Wisdom is merely a tool for attaining fear. And when we ask what is primary - certainly the primary thing is the goal itself, not the tools designed to reach it.
To what may this be compared? A person travels to a wedding. How does he get there? He drives in a car. Is the car the main point? He may have driven for four hours and stayed at the wedding for four minutes, yet no one would say that the drive was the main point and the wedding secondary. Without a doubt, the central event, which is the purpose, is the wedding, while the journey is merely the vehicle designed to bring him to the objective. It emerges, therefore, that if we ask what comes first chronologically and practically - wisdom comes first, for through it one attains fear. But if we ask what is primary - fear takes precedence, for it is the ultimate purpose, and all wisdom is intended solely to attain the fear of Hashem.
"You Preceded the Work of Creation"
We find the same concept with Adam HaRishon. What was created first? The entire universe. And who was created at the very end? Man. If so, what came first? Certainly the world came first, and man came last. But if one asks what was the purpose - certainly it was man. The entire world was created so that man would exist within it; that is the whole purpose of the creation of the world, and therefore man is the essence.
According to this, we can explain the statement of Chazal: "If he is worthy - he is told: 'You preceded the work of Creation'; if he is not worthy - he is told: 'A gnat preceded you.'" This is truly astonishing. First, what does "meriting" or "being worthy" have to do with this? Is it a lottery? Second, let us examine the chronological order: who came first, man or the gnat? The gnat! So what difference does it make whether one is worthy? Rather, the meaning is as follows: When a person is worthy - that is, he has refined himself - the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: "'Let us make man' was said for your sake; it was for you that the world was created." If so, you are the ultimate purpose, and everything else is merely instruments - which means you came first. And how did you come first if the gnat existed before you? This is comparable to someone building a house: all the laborers, the tilers, painters, plasterers, and electricians, all came so that I could enter in the end. Who preceded whom? At the root of the blueprint stood I. Were they there first? Certainly, someone had to prepare the house so that I could move in. "Preceded" means the one for whose sake everything was done. But if he is not worthy, it turns out that the house was not intended for him, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not create the world for the wicked. And then, let us examine the order: the plasterer came before you, the tiler came before you, the horses in the stable were here before you, and the gnat was here before you - you are just another zoological species, and other species preceded you. But if you are the crown of Creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "It was for you that I created, and when I set out to plan and say 'Let us make a world,' it was you whom I saw." And if He saw you, you preceded all the blueprints, for everything was created for you.
The Appearance of the Soul and the Voice of the Soul
Let us summarize this introduction, which is essential for understanding what follows: the theoretical intellect, which is wisdom, comes first in terms of time, for through wisdom one attains fear. But if one asks what is the ultimate purpose and what is primary - do not be mistaken: even though wisdom came first, it is not the ultimate essence. It preceded only because it must precede in order to attain fear, but fear is the ultimate purpose.
Now the Malbim explains: if we compare this to appearance and voice - the appearance of the soul is the theoretical intellect, and the voice of the soul is the practical intellect, the fulfillment of the mitzvos and fear of Hashem. Why? The appearance of the soul is its very essence, and the essence of the soul is wisdom, intellect, the rational soul. A person's intellect is the essence of his soul; when one asks what his appearance is - it is his intellect and wisdom. You recognize a person through his wisdom, and through that you perceive the appearance of his soul. The theoretical intellect distinguishes between truth and falsehood: through thought, contemplation, and reflection, one can know that this is a true path and that is not a true path.
Know that Adam HaRishon before the sin - this was the realm of his trials: between truth and falsehood. Physical desires? "And they were both naked and were not ashamed" - there was no such inclination at all. If so, where were his trials? In a completely different realm: in the realm of the theoretical intellect, in the realm of thought and contemplation discerning between truth and falsehood. Only after Adam sinned did the trial of physical desires enter him, and this is the practical intellect: deciding whether to act or not, whether to follow the desires of one's heart. The theoretical is the understanding, while the practical is the action.
Actual practice is what is termed the voice of the soul, for the soul makes its voice heard and commands the entire body to perform its will. It commands the hands, the feet, and the eyes: that the eyes should not look where it is forbidden, that the feet should not walk where it is forbidden, that the hands should not take things that are forbidden. Thus, the voice of the soul finds expression in the practical intellect, which is the intellect of fear of Hashem, while the appearance of the soul is the theoretical intellect, wisdom and contemplation.
Explanation of the Verse
With this introduction, we can understand what the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the soul of Shlomo: You are imprisoned in the clefts of the rock, for in this prophecy the soul did not succeed in detaching completely from physicality, and it is like a bird trapped in the clefts of the rock. He says to it: "Show Me your appearance" - this is the theoretical intellect, the power of thought and wisdom. You are hiding, and I cannot see your appearance, your wisdom. And "in the secret place of the cliff" - it cannot make its voice heard, and therefore He says to it, "Let Me hear your voice."
And why did He begin specifically with "Show Me your appearance"? Because, as we explained, one cannot attain awe without wisdom. Therefore, first "Show Me your appearance" - this is the theoretical intellect, the wisdom that I already bestowed upon you in the first prophecy; so use this wisdom to attain awe. And through this, "Let Me hear your voice" - so that you may impose your will upon the body, commanding all its limbs not to stray from the straight path, and observe the commandments of Hashem, which is the practical intellect. First the appearance, which is wisdom, and then the voice, which is action.
Yet when He comes to explain their importance, He reverses the order: "For your voice is sweet and your appearance is comely." At first, He spoke of the order of progression - appearance, wisdom, and then voice, which is practical intellect and fear of Hashem, since fear is reached after wisdom. But then He says: Do you want to know what is truly paramount? "Your voice is sweet" comes first - the greater importance lies in fear of Heaven; and only after that, "and your appearance is comely" - wisdom is on a lower tier, a tool to attain awe, not the ultimate goal. When determining what is primary - the primary essence is the voice, fear of Heaven; and what is secondary is wisdom, which serves merely as an instrument through which to attain fear of Hashem.
"Catch the Foxes for Us" - The Powers of the Imagination
אֶחֱזוּ לָנוּ שֻׁעָלִים, שֻׁעָלִים קְטַנִּים מְחַבְּלִים כְּרָמִים, וּכְרָמֵינוּ סְמָדַר. (ב, טו) - "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom." (2:15)
We have already seen in the parable that the maiden did not go far from the city. She is in the area of the vineyards and did not go out into the desert. In the first prophecy, we saw the maiden venture out into the desert to her beloved - a sign of the total detachment of Shlomo's soul from the body, a complete prophecy. Here, by contrast, there is no total detachment: she is still in the vicinity of the city, still near the vineyards, unable to detach completely from the body, for this is not a high level of prophecy. And this verse comes to describe how the soul of Shlomo unites with the Holy One, blessed be He, while still within the physical frame, within the bodily vessel.
Immediately the question arises: The bodily powers oppose the attainment of spirituality; they pull toward earthliness, whereas the attainment of spirituality pulls toward the upper worlds. How did the bodily faculties, the "daughters of Jerusalem," agree to this Divine connection? After all, they constantly sever the soul from its spiritual bonds and drag it down to earthly pursuits, always pulling it back and trying to bind it to physicality.
Let us return for a moment to the parable: The maiden told them that there were foxes in the vineyards, saying, "Go and catch them, for they are ruining the vineyards." They ran off to catch the destructive foxes, and meanwhile the maiden seized the opportunity to unite with her beloved. Now see how this corresponds in the nimshal, the deeper meaning. The Malbim explains: The foxes are an allegorical depiction of the imaginative faculties in man. The fox possesses a greater power of imagination than other animals, and the role of imagination is to conceive of all possibilities, the power of mental visualization. And how is the fox always depicted? As cunning. In all fables, the fox is the symbol of cunning, constantly devising schemes and stratagems - and that is the power of imagination.
When prophecy is not complete, visions from the imaginative faculties intermingle with intellectual apprehension. In the teachings on dreams, this concept is explained in relation to dreams: Why is there no dream without meaningless elements? This is precisely the point. A dream occurs while the soul is still within the body, and while it is inside the body, the brain retains the imaginations of everything experienced throughout the day. These imaginations intrude even upon a Divine vision - this does not refer to prophecy, but to a Divine vision, a dream from Hashem. Therefore, even in a dream bearing a genuine message, there is no dream without meaningless elements, because daytime imaginations become intertwined with it. And when a person sees an entirely imaginary dream composed solely of daytime thoughts, that entire dream from beginning to end is meaningless, for the impressions of daytime experiences are engraved upon the soul and it dreams of them at night. Yet even when the soul is granted something spiritual, there remain traces of daytime imaginations: the core is the message, but some imagination is inevitably mixed in.
So too here: this is prophecy from Hashem, but because it is not complete, visions of the imaginative faculty are also mixed into it. And this is what is written, "and by the hand of the prophets I used similes (adameh)" - why "adameh"? Because imagination (dimyon) is mixed in here; this is not the highest, immense level of prophecy, but rather a mixture of the imaginative faculty.
And when matter and physicality are occupied with imagination, says the Malbim, the intellect thereby merits to apprehend the divine flow that Hashem emanates upon it, and to apprehend it without interference. In simple terms: as it were, it says to the body, "You occupy yourself with imagination," misleading it and sending it off to engage with fantasies, while in the meantime the soul occupies itself with the Holy One, blessed be He. When the body is preoccupied with its imaginations, the soul can remain detached from the bodily forces that constantly try to pull it down. Just like in the allegory, where the beloved sends the daughters of Jerusalem to deal with the foxes that damage the vineyards while she merits to unite with her beloved - so too, the soul sends the bodily forces to engage with the imagination of physical things, and through this, the faculties of the soul connect to the Ein Sof, blessed be He, and he attains prophecy.
"My Beloved Is Mine and I Am His" - Who Grazes Among the Roses
דּוֹדִי לִי וַאֲנִי לוֹ, הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים. (ב, טז) - "My beloved is mine, and I am his; he who grazes among the roses." (2:16)
While the physical forces are occupied with the images of the imagination, the soul merits: "My beloved is mine and I am his," to connect with the Holy One, blessed be He. And how precise is the order: remember that we said this connection did not stem from an awakening on Shlomo's part, but rather "the voice of my beloved knocks" - it was the Holy One, blessed be He, who sought to persuade Shlomo's soul to come forth. Therefore, "my beloved is mine" comes first - everything began with the Holy One, blessed be He, my Beloved turned to me - and only afterward, "and I am his."
And what is "who grazes among the roses"? The Malbim explains: when pasturing physical bodies to sustain and nourish them, that pasturing is done with bread and water - "He makes me lie down in green pastures" - He provides me with food, sustaining me with bread and water. But when the Holy One, blessed be He, shepherds souls to grant them the vitality of holy divine flow and prophecy, that is through scent, not food, which is why it says "who grazes among the roses." Scent always characterizes a divine flow of holiness, as in "and his delight shall be in the fear of Hashem [ve-haricho, related to reach, scent]." Thus, my Beloved does not pasture me with bread and wine, nor does He graze me in green pastures; rather, He grazes me among the roses - bestowing upon me the divine flow of His holy spirit, which is in the category of scent.
"Until the Day Breathes" - The Conclusion of the Prophecy
עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים, סֹב דְּמֵה לְךָ דוֹדִי לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים עַל הָרֵי בָתֶר. (ב, יז) - "Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether." (2:17)
This prophetic connection of Shlomo's soul with the Holy One, blessed be He, did not last long, but only "until the day breathes." In the allegory, "the day breathes" refers to the resurgence of matter, when physicality grows stronger - and physicality opposes spirituality. The daughters of matter, namely the body, eventually grow weary of dealing with imaginations, of dealing with the foxes, and then "the shadows flee." Shadows are a matter of imagination; there is no substance to them. When you see moving shadows, it is a matter of imagination. "The shadows flee" - the body will no longer have the capacity to occupy itself with imaginations; it grows tired of them and returns to physical matter, to its natural tendencies and bodily needs.
Consequently, the supreme Beloved, the Holy One, blessed be He, departs. That prophecy, the second in number, comes to an end because the bodily faculties return to their preoccupation with material affairs, and the Holy One, blessed be He, becomes as "my beloved who is like a gazelle" - the Beloved turns back, returning to His place, until the next time. And that is the subject of the next song, where we will see how Shlomo's soul once again merits divine connection and a revelation of the Holy One, blessed be He. And here ends the second song of his poetic work.
In summary: At the close of the second song, Shlomo describes, according to the Malbim, the second prophecy - an incomplete prophecy in which the Holy One, blessed be He, awakens the soul rather than the soul awakening Him. "The blossoms appear in the land" - the divine seeds begin to sprout; "the time of singing has arrived" - the soul, which had been silent like the nightingale in winter, awakens to sing; "and the voice of the turtledove" - even the levels of Chayah and Yechidah return to rest upon him. "The fig tree" is the intellectual faculty, and "the grapevine" is the spirit prepared for prophecy, both of which are already ripe; hence, "Rise up, my love." "Show me your appearance" refers to theoretical intellect, wisdom, while "let me hear your voice" refers to practical intellect, the fear of Hashem - wisdom comes first as the cause, but fear comes first in terms of the ultimate purpose, which is why at the end of the verse the voice precedes the appearance. "Catch for us the foxes" - the soul sends off the bodily faculties to engage with imaginations while it communes with its Beloved: "My beloved is mine and I am his, who grazes among the roses," fed with the scent of holy divine flow. Yet "until the day breathes and the shadows flee" - once the body tires of imaginations and returns to matter, the Beloved departs like a gazelle returning to its place, until the next revelation.