This chapter in Shir HaShirim brings us to one of the verses repeated three times throughout the book: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem." This threefold repetition is not coincidental, and our Sages, of blessed memory, derived from it a major principle concerning the governance of exile and redemption. Let us examine the verses, the words of the Gemara in Kesubos, and the wonderful explanation of the author of the Zera Shimshon on the matter of forcing the end of days.
הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ׃ (ב, ז) - "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you not awaken or arouse love until it pleases." (2:7)
הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ׃ (ג, ה) - "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you not awaken or arouse love until it pleases." (3:5)
הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם מַה תָּעִירוּ וּמַה תְּעֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ׃ (ח, ד) - "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem: Why should you awaken or arouse love until it pleases?" (8:4)
According to the literal meaning of the matter: the Jewish people are in exile, subjugated under the nations of the world, and they adjure the nations - the "daughters of Jerusalem" - not to incite Israel to stray from Hashem. And why are the nations called by this name? Rashi on Shir HaShirim (1:5) explains the matter. Yet seemingly one verse would have been enough; why repeat it three times? To this the Gemara responds, teaching that these correspond to different oaths that the Holy One, blessed be He, administered.
The Gemara in Kesubos (chapter 13, folio 111a) states: Rabbi Chanina said, why are these three oaths mentioned? One: that Israel should not ascend [to the Land of Israel] as a wall [en masse by force]. And one: that the Holy One, blessed be He, adjured Israel not to rebel against the nations of the world. And one: that the Holy One, blessed be He, adjured the nations of the world not to subjugate Israel excessively.
"That they should not ascend as a wall" means that the Jewish people are in exile, and there is a prohibition against leaving exile with a high hand and an outstretched arm - breaking out from under the subjugation of exile by force and with a mighty hand. The second oath is that they not rebel against the nations: since we are placed under their rule, Hashem adjured us not to rebel against them. And the third oath is addressed to the nations themselves: that they not subjugate Israel excessively.
It should be noted that the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoelish, elaborated greatly on these oaths, authoring an entire book on the three oaths. The core of their argument is drawn from this point: that Israel is warned and adjured not to ascend as a wall, and in mass immigration to settle the Land of Israel and emerging from under the dominion of the nations, they see a form of "ascending as a wall," as though ascending and rebelling against the nations to settle the Land. We will not enter into the entirety of the dispute here, but simply note that there is such an approach that raises this issue.
And Rabbi Levi said: Why are these six oaths mentioned? For in each of the three verses there are two expressions of adjuration - "that you not awaken" (im ta'iru) and "that you not arouse" (ve'im te'oreru). Thus, across three verses, with each doubled, there are six oaths in total. The Gemara explains: three are those we have already mentioned, and the other three are: that they not reveal the appointed time of redemption, that they not force the end of days, and that they not reveal the secret to the nations of the world.
What is the definition of "forcing the end"? To plead excessively and urgently in prayer that the End of Days arrive. And what is the measure? How much is considered "excessive"? The Maggid of Dubno explains that we have no explicit measure for this: where the precise boundary lies between properly praying for redemption and forcing the end.
Today, however, we can understand this a little better when we see actions taken by various groups - for example, convening a rabbinical court to issue a ruling down here on earth that the Holy One, blessed be He, is obligated to bring the redemption. Here, one begins to understand what forcing the end means. These are illegitimate actions. What permit is there to convene a beit din to obligate the Holy One, blessed be He, to bring the redemption? Hashem knows the proper time for redemption, and He will bring it either be'itah ("in its time") or achishenah ("hastened") - but not by force, and not by attempting, as it were, to coerce the Almighty. No matter how passionately one cries that they want Moshiach now, there is still a proper way and a proper framework, and we remain bound not to force the end.
The additional oath is not to reveal the time of the End. There were individuals who knew the End, yet they were warned not to disclose it. Already regarding Daniel it says, "Keep the words concealed and seal the book until the time of the end" - there was a clear warning that these matters must remain hidden. "A week, two weeks" - what exactly does this mean? Countless quills have been broken in the attempt to decipher Daniel's calculations.
It is related of the Vilna Gaon that he knew the time of the End and hinted to it in one of his writings, adding: "And I adjure whoever understands this hint not to reveal it." A story is told of a certain talmid chacham who claimed he had succeeded in deciphering the Gaon's hint, and announced that the following day he would come and reveal it in the beit midrash. The next day he arrived, but when he opened his mouth to speak, his face became contorted and he was unable to utter a single word. From this we see, first of all, that he had apparently indeed succeeded in deciphering the allusion.
Secondly, the question is asked: What does "I adjure" mean here? If someone imposes an oath upon me in his book, does that bind me? Did I take an oath? The halachic rule is that another person must administer an oath to me and I must respond "amen"; so long as I have not answered amen, the oath has no validity. Even if one were to say amen to a written oath, it does not constitute a binding oath. Rather, it is explained that the Gaon did not intend to administer a halachic oath at all; instead, embedded within those very words - "And I adjure not to reveal" - lies the secret hint to the time of the redemption. It is also an accepted tradition from the Greineman family that the Chazon Ish likewise knew the time of the redemption, among others. And anyone who knows the time of the redemption is commanded not to reveal it or publicize it.
The author asks: One must examine closely, how could the Holy One, blessed be He, command not to force the end, implying that the allotted time must run its full course - when our Sages of blessed memory taught: "If they merit it, I will hasten it (achishenah)"? That is to say, the prohibition against forcing the end is understandable regarding be'itah, the fixed time that must not be interfered with. But since there is an alternative path of achishenah, on the contrary: the Jewish people should perform mitzvot, purify themselves, and thereby hasten the end! And if the possibility exists to bring it earlier, why should one not pray and plead extensively to bring the redemption sooner?
The answer lies in what the Midrash expounds on the verse, "And it came to pass at the end (mikeitz)": This is what is written, "He sets an end to darkness" - a set time was given to the world for how many years it would abide in darkness. And what is the reason that "He sets an end to darkness"? For as long as the evil inclination remains in the world, gloom and the shadow of death remain in the world; once the evil inclination is uprooted from the world, there is no longer gloom and the shadow of death in the world.
This Midrash is expounded on the verse, "And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed." What is the significance of "end" (keitz) here? That two full years reached their conclusion, and Yosef emerged from darkness to light. Concerning this, the Midrash expounds the verse in Iyov: "He sets an end to darkness, and searches out to the farthest limit, the stone of gloom and the shadow of death."
Here lies a major fundamental principle that the Steipler would often repeat: regarding every bad thing, know that "He sets an end to darkness" - Hashem set a boundary for it. One of the most destructive things that torments a person is when he sees affliction and is certain it is boundless, that it will never end. About this, the Steipler would say: Know that He sets an end to darkness. When the Holy One, Blessed is He, decrees an evil decree - He has delimited it; it has an appointed time. Yosef sat in prison for twelve years, and it seemed as though he was going to remain there forever - yet two full years passed, and behold, he was out, and not merely out, but a king! One must understand that everything in the world has an end, even harsh decrees, and one must never despair.
And what is this "darkness"? This entire world is a time of darkness - of suffering, sorrow, and pain; an abode of hardship and affliction, that is how this world is defined. Hashem determined how many years the world would spend in darkness, and we are in darkness because the light of Hashem does not shine upon us. "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days" - that will be on the day Hashem binds up the fracture of His people. In the meantime, however, there is no light; in the meantime, we exist in a reality of darkness, and darkness is a reality of concealment. As long as the yetzer hara exists in the world, there is gloom and shadow of death - suffering and distress that represent the concealment of the Divine Face. Yet the moment the yetzer hara is uprooted, gloom and the shadow of death will no longer exist in the world.
From here, the Malbim explains: as long as the yetzer hara remains in the world, it is a sign that the Jewish people have not yet attained merit - *zachu*. And *zachu* is not in the sense of winning a lottery, but from the language of *zikuch*, spiritual refinement and purification: they have not yet been purified. If they have not yet been purified, they must not force the end through prayers and supplications, nor by gathering populations and waging war against the gentiles - for the time has not yet arrived anyway, as "He sets an end to darkness." But if they are purified, meaning the yetzer hara is uprooted from the world, then that gloom and shadow of death is instantly uprooted from the world, and the predetermined end is removed entirely - and this is "if they merit [*zachu*], I will hasten it." When there is no yetzer hara, there is no sin, there is no need for tribulations and suffering, there is no darkness - and naturally, the light arrives.
Thus, "if they merit, I will hasten it" depends on spiritual merits. What good is it to fight, and what good is it to pray, if one lacks the merits to be redeemed? One must possess merits to be redeemed. And when we possess merits, we will be redeemed automatically, without forcing the end and without actions meant to bring it by force.
On this point, unfortunately, many go astray. They are convinced that if they ascend the Temple Mount and conduct tours, they will thereby bring the Geulah and build the Beis HaMikdash. The Beis HaMikdash is not built through an "awakening to build," nor by starting to collect stones and signing a contract with a builder. Even if we do not follow the view that the Beis HaMikdash will descend ready-made in fire, but rather that we will build it, the time of the Redemption must still arrive, and the time of the Redemption depends on our deeds. However, some believe that these deeds are physical actions. And why physical? Because physical action is always easier than spirituality.
Spiritual work - refining one's character traits, diligence in Torah study, fulfilling the will of Hashem - is hard work. If each and every one of us were on a slightly higher spiritual plane, the Beis HaMikdash would already have been built. But it is far easier to fire a LAW rocket at the al-Aqsa mosque and imagine that this brings an end to the exile, that Mashiach is already here and only the mosque is in his way. What distorted thinking this is, what lack of understanding, what failure to consult with the Gedolei Yisrael! Which Torah giant would ever advise such a thing?
We all understand what would have happened had that Jewish underground succeeded, God forbid, with their foolish schemes. The issue of al-Aqsa has always been explosive: whenever the Arabs want to ignite the region, it is enough for them to mention that Jews have plans regarding al-Aqsa, and immediately the entire Arab world erupts. So it was in the riots of Tach ve-Tat, and so in the intifadas; and we all remember the Second Intifada that erupted following the ascent to the Temple Mount. This does not mean the Arabs do not want to carry out riots anyway - but why should we provide the match to the powder keg? This way of bringing the Redemption is flawed and distorted; which Torah giant stands behind it? These are insignificant individuals who take their destiny into their own hands, and such people could ignite a terrible blaze throughout the entire Middle East.
We are still in exile, and many forget this and fail to understand it; therefore they think, "My power and the might of my hand," believing we are strong and we will act. This is not the way of the Torah. So Yaakov said to his sons: "Why do you show yourselves?" - do not present yourself as wealthy before the non-Jew, do not present yourself as strong; that will only draw fire upon you. This does not mean you should not confront challenges or that you should not fight, but remember that you are still in exile. Most of the Jewish people are still outside the Land of Israel, and the Redemption has not yet arrived. Therefore, the path of forceful and physical action is not the way. The way is as the Malbim said: by uprooting the yetzer hara from the world, the stone of darkness and shadow of death is instantly uprooted, and the predetermined end is removed entirely. This is "if they merit, I will hasten it": uproot the yetzer hara, and do not think you can achieve this through physical actions.
There is no need to enter here into the actual issue of ascending the Temple Mount, which involves a liability of *kares* and which all the Gedolei Yisrael forbade. Unfortunately, there are those who campaign for ascending the Temple Mount; a comprehensive response was written on this to someone who inquired through the website, explaining just how misguided this is. And even if one who is knowledgeable knows precisely where it is permitted and where it is forbidden, he brings people there who do not know, causing them to enter and incur the penalty of *kares*.
All the Gedolei Yisrael (leading Torah sages) forbade this, and it has nothing to do with being Charedi or Religious Zionist - all of them forbade it. Aside from an isolated few who are constantly brandished, most of them from the Religious Zionist camp, two or three - and what are they compared to all the Gedolei Yisrael throughout all the generations? Nor is this speaking only of the Gedolei Yisrael of our own generation: the Maharil Diskin and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, the Maharam of Brisk and the Chazon Ish, the Saba Kadisha Rabbi Shlomo Eliezer Alfandari and the Sdei Chemed - the Gedolei Yisrael throughout all generations forbade ascending the Temple Mount. There is no place for clever pilpul and analysis to come and try to prove things from here or there; did the Gedolei Yisrael not know all of that? And yet, they strictly forbade it.
The three times it states, "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem," correspond to the three oaths - and according to Rabbi Levi, six - which include: that Israel shall not ascend like a wall, that they shall not rebel against the nations, that the nations shall not subjugate them excessively, that they shall not reveal the end of days, that they shall not force the end, and that they shall not reveal the secret to the nations. The Zera Shimshon asked: Does the Gemara not say, "If they merit it, I will hasten it" (achishena), so why not push for it? He answered based on the Midrash on the verse, "He sets an end to darkness": as long as the yetzer hara exists in the world, there is gloom and the shadow of death, and then the time is strictly fixed and must not be forced; but when the yetzer hara is uprooted, the gloom is uprooted, and the set deadline is uprooted entirely. "If they merit" (zachu) means they have become refined (nizdakechu), and redemption comes through merits, not through force. From here emerges both comfort in every trouble - every darkness has an end - and also a warning: redemption will not come through physical, forceful actions, but through refining one's character traits, diligence in Torah study, and doing the will of Hashem. May Hashem hasten our redemption speedily, Amen and Amen.