I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

When Solomon viewed himself as being of a high and elevated rank within his inner chambers, it might seem to any listener that such a claim is laughable. One might say that humans lack the necessary preparation due to their physical matter, and that their souls follow holy matters while worldly affairs separate them from the Soul that is close to God. This is especially true in the eyes of the "multitudes of the high ones" The angels or celestial beings. who are pure, clear, and spiritual. To them, it seems remote that a physical being could be sustained in such a state; it seems as far from man as the east is from the west.

Therefore, Solomon turned his face toward them and called them "Daughters of Jerusalem," referring to the fact that they surround the "Jerusalem on High" The spiritual archetype of the earthly city.. He then declared: "I am black but comely." By this he meant: "I recognize my essence; I am 'black' from the perspective of physical matter and the material body, but I am 'comely' from the perspective of the soul, which is a part of God from above."

This aligns with what Nachmanides Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Ramban), a 13th-century scholar. wrote regarding the verse And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7): that he who blows, blows from within himself. Thus, the soul originates from a place of holiness that is even higher than the sanctity of the angels. It follows that even if, from the perspective of the body and physical matter, I am "as the tents of Kedar"—which appear ugly, black, and like rags from the outside but contain every precious thing inside—from the perspective of the soul, I am "as the curtains of Solomon." This refers to the Holy Temple, which is a tabernacle and a dwelling place for the Divine Presence original: Shekhinah. So too does the soul have an affinity with the spiritual realm and is prepared for the Divine Presence to rest upon it and cleave to it forever. If so, it is not far-fetched that I might achieve the prophetic level I requested.

Alternatively, "I am black but comely" means: I know full well that in my current level there is a side of "blackness," which refers to natural human failings—where the "primordial filth" A reference to the zuhama, the spiritual impurity introduced by the serpent in Eden. has not been fully purged, the physical urges grow strong, and the material body assists these urges with a desire that increases heat. From this side, I am indeed black. Yet, despite this, from another side I am "comely" and beautiful through good deeds that rise to a high degree of importance, as we wrote above regarding the verse Because of the savor of thy good ointments.

However, my current state is "as the tents of Kedar," which are moved from place to place. So too, I wander—sometimes toward merit and sometimes toward guilt, sometimes toward evil and sometimes toward good. But I liken the ideal of my state to "the curtains of Solomon." As our Sages of blessed memory said: The curtains of Solomon refer to "the One to whom peace belongs" A wordplay on Solomon (Shlomo) and Peace (Shalom), referring to God., the One who spoke and the world came into being. Just as His heavenly curtains never moved from their place, so too on this side do I strive for a precious and unshakable desire—that I should forever be prepared for Your service, and that the radiance and existence of my soul's perfection should be cleaved to the Blessed Name of God.

Look not upon me because I am swarthy, because the sun has tanned me; my mother's sons were incensed against me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.

Because he wanted to argue to the "Daughters of Jerusalem" that there was no total ruin or complete darkness here, but only the blackness of physical matter, he explained that there is a corresponding beauty—the soul. Regarding this "blackness" that exists in one's character, which refers to the sins and impurities that a person is full of from head to toe, both light and severe: this is indeed a great veil separating him from his redemption.

To this he said: "Look not upon me because I am swarthy." By using the word "swarthy" original: shcharchoret — a diminutive or intensified form of black., he means a "doubled blackness." He suggests that this state is capable of being repaired, for it is not something natural to me. Rather, it is an accidental occurrence, like a person whose face has been darkened by...