SONG OF SONGS:
15. His legs are [as] pillars of marble, founded upon
sockets of fine gold, his appearance is like the Lebanon, chosen as the cedars.
16. His palate is sweet, and he is altogether desirable;
this is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."
1. "Where has your beloved gone, O fairest of
women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?"
70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Puvvah
TALMUD SHEVUOTH - Daf 26: The Importance of Verbalizing an Oath
BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 26
Week 26 in
the Jewish calendar is the week of Rosh
Chodesh Nissan. Nissan is the
month of Passover. The verses of Shir
HaShirim are very much connected to the mouth and to and speech, which are
the primary symbols of Passover itself. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
states that Pesach stands for Peh - Sach, “a mouth converses,” as it
is a special mitzvah to recount and
ponder over the miracles of our liberation during the Passover Seder as much as possible. The Megaleh Amukos states that Pharaoh
stands for Peh Rah (evil mouth).[1]
Here is Rashi’s commentary on the
verses:
15. his appearance is like the
Lebanon: One who reflects and ponders over His words finds in them blossoms and
sprouts, like a forest which blooms. So are the words of Torah-whoever
meditates over them constantly finds new explanations in them.
16. His palate is sweet: His words
are pleasant...
Of the
seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the twenty-sixth
mentioned is Puvvah. Puvvah also appears to come from the Hebrew word for mouth (Peh), related to Pessach. This seems related to the name Puah (spelled with an Ayin instead of an Aleph),
mentioned in connection to Miriam in the very beginning of the Exodus story. “The
name Puah, comes from a Hebrew root that implies a particular gift of speech.
Rashi comments that Puah was able to soothe a crying baby to sleep with her
special way of talking.”[2]
Puvvah is also the name of the father of Tola, a Judge from the Tribe of
Issachar.
Daf Caf Alef (Folio 21) of Shvuot continues to discuss oaths,
particularly addressing whether an oath needs to be “spoken.” Again, the idea
of “Peh - Sach.”
Chapter 26 of the Book of Jeremiah
contains a similar theme to the above. It gives emphasis to the physical saying
of the prophecy, not so much regarding the mouth, but the ear:
11. And the priests and the prophets said to the
princes and to all the people, saying, "This man is liable to death, for
he prophesied concerning this city, as you have heard with your ears. "
12. And Jeremiah said to all the princes and to all
the people saying, "The Lord sent me to prophesy concerning this house and
concerning this city all the words that you
have heard. (…)
15. But you should know that if you put me to death,
that you are bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and
upon its inhabitants, for indeed God sent me concerning you, to speak into your ears all these words."
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