Saturday 19 June 2010

Of foxes and Shulamites

I wonder if there is a word play between the foxes שֻׁעָלִים and the Shulamite הַשּׁוּלַמִּית? There is some similarity in sound. I looked around for some more SHL type sounds with or without guttural. Song 4:2 and 6:6 came up (pun) שֶׁעָלוּ, (= which came up from the washing). The significance seems to be nil.

But I will make something of it anyway. What are these foxes that we are to catch? They are so cute.  These are destructive tendencies in each and all of us. If they are not caught, they prevent our learning and growth - not to mention the love of others.

The Academic and the Religious are both fox-filled. (Lots of recent posts - like this one from Mike Koke and others noted here.) There is one world and all the churches are in it. No context can allow us to escape our responsibilities to ourselves and to each other in that world. No label or insistent dogma will allow us to catch foxes. No claim of faith will determine a positive end without critical application - but it doesn't mean critical must be in your mission statement.

The Shulamite might get busy learning her essential unity.

5 comments:

  1. Foxes are little trouble-makers. GET OUT OF MY VINEYARD, FOX!

    At least, that's where I go with it.

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  2. Hi Gary - thanks for the comment - yes there is trouble. Did you see the children's game? I think there are lots of lessons from this verse. I will report on what happens as I try the game tomorrow at a picnic. Somehow it seems to me that the troubles work even if against us - ultimately for good. That vineyard is very important - it is a major theme in the Song. What if the foxes don't do what you tell them to do!

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  3. Here are two more word plays for your ‘umble consideration: In Genesis Rabbah 66:2 a midrashic relationship is drawn between השולמית and both שלום and משלמת (completeness or stability).

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  4. Delightful - I will put the letters through a revised search of the Song and see where it might lead.

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  5. Carl - the result of a search for ShLM is I think significant. And the structural message 2xfox at or near the beginning and 2xShulamite at or near the end seems to me to be in the nature of a contrasting inclusio. I am going to reread some of your posts to see if I can learn to write a deresh.

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