The rose

Synopsis

We learn that when the people of Yisrael open their hearts in repentance they immediately emit a sweet fragrance and God removes them from among the thorns.

Relevance

Our cold and hardened hearts are what prevent healing and joy from reaching us. Here we arouse remorse and penitence. The hearts of all men are opened. We are lifted away from the thorns, where we can now enjoy the sweet fragrance of the rose. That means that we are lifted away from Judgment, and can now enjoy the sweet scent of healing and bliss.

Congregation Heart Love Repentance Sacrifice Shechinah

381. (THE BEGINNING OF THE ARTICLE IS MISSING.)...this is a sacrifice that is on every day and at every time to the Holy One, blessed be He, in which the Shechinah is included among all HER other crowds, WHO ARE YISRAEL. And all these services remove Her from among the thorns, namely from among the other nations. So it is with Yisrael. So long as they are hard hearted and do not make a start at repenting, they do not emit fragrance, and there is none to remove them from among the thorns. But when they open their hearts in repentance, they immediately emit an aroma, and He removes them from among the thorns. And the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, obtains pleasure from them, as it is written: "Open to me, my sister, my love" (Shir Hashirim 5:2), for so long as the rose is closed, it gives off no aroma and does not rise above the thorns but sits among them, as they have said. And the only reason that the Holy One, blessed be He, sent us along this path was so that we should learn these matters.

381. דָּא הוּא קָרְבְּנָא, דִּבְכָל יוֹמָא, וּבְכָל זְמַן וּזְמַן, לְגַבֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דְּאִתְכְּלִילַת כנ"י בֵּיהּ, בֵּין כָּל שְׁאַר אֻכְלוּסִין, וְכָל אִילֵּין פּוּלְחָנִין, אַפִּיקוּ לָהּ מִבֵּין גּוּבִין, וּמִבֵּין שְׁאַר עַמִּין. כַּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּל זְמַן דְּאִינּוּן אֲטִימֵי לִבָּא, וְלָא פַּתְחִין בְּתִיּוּבְתָא, לָא סַלְּקִין רֵיחָא, וְלָא אַפִּיק לוֹן מִגּוֹ גּוּבִין. אֲבָל כַּד פַּתְחִין בְּתִיּוּבְתָא, מִיַּד סַלְּקִין רֵיחָא, וְיַפִּיק לוֹן מִבֵּין גּוּבִין, וְיִתְהֲנֵי בְּהוּ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. דִּכְתִיב, פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחוֹתִי רַעְיָתִי. דְּכָל זְמַן דְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה אֲטִימָא, לֵית לָהּ רֵיחָא, וְלָא סָלִיקָא מִבֵּין גּוּבִין, וְדִיּוּרָהָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא שָׁדַר לָן לְמֵהַךְ אוֹרְחָא דָּא, אֶלָּא לְאוֹלִיף מִלִּין אִלֵּין.