Sleeping Awake

Many traditions developed around Passover. One of them is the reading of Song of Songs throughout the week of the Feast.

One can read this short book in many ways: as a love letter that God sent you personally, or His bride, or the nation of Israel. This week I started reading a little each day, proclaiming it over Israel. Try it. It will enrich your prayer language with beautiful phrases.

Here are some examples:

Kiss Israel with the kisses of your mouth. As they read this portion of your Word, sow seeds of truth in their hearts and inspire them to seek your Word directly, not through teachings and disputes of the Sages (1:1).

Draw them away from dead works and dead insights and bring them into your inner chambers (1:4).

Develop in us a desire to sit in your shade and eat the fruit of your Word; to take it in so that it will be a delight to our taste buds (2:3).

Leap upon the mountains that stand between us and your Voice, Lord. Skip over those hills. Teach us to seek your Voice and dare to hear it directly, not through traditions and the lens of interpreters (2:8-14).

And here is my favorite for today:

Come to your garden, Lord. Weave your myrrh, your shedded blood, with the spices of our prayers (5:1). The prayers of many in our nation ignore the necessity of myrrh (that symbolizes death in this book). Please hear our prayers, reveal to us that blood was shed so that our prayers can be answered and intimacy with you can become a reality. Awaken us from our way tooooooo long beauty sleep.

Our hearts are awaken towards you (5:2). We have read and thought this week about the mighty story of Exodus (even though it was blurred by many rabbinical stories), and our hearts are somewhat awake a little more than usual. But our entire being is still asleep when it comes to your existence and love. Please wake us up, Lord. Help us hear your knocks on various doors in our lives and routine, so we can hear how much you love us, how long you have waited (5:3).

The lion of Judah is certainly
up and roaring, but not His cub. Not yet…

You can carry on and on with these images. Let God lead you, so while many in our nation read this book, your voice can echo with theirs as you bring the sleeping beauty – His beloved widow Israel – before her Lover, whom she is still too numb to recognize.