This fresh translation renders the Song of Songs as Lady Wisdom offering seekers physical and spiritual intimacy with her so that they might awaken to the unity of God, woman, man and nature. Facing-page commentary provides historical, religious and spiritual insights from Christianity and Judaism as well as comparisons to other translations.
Translation & Annotation by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Foreword by Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD
Paperback
5½ x 8½, 176 pp | 978-1-59473-575-2
More than ancient erotic love poetry, this celebration of the human relationship with Wisdom can be a companion for your own spiritual journey.
The Song of Songs is the Hebrew Bible’s deeply erotic poem of love, sexual yearning and consummation. Holding it sacred yet troubled by its thinly veiled eroticism, Jews and Christians for millennia have read the Song of Songs as an allegory of God’s love for Israel—the classic Jewish understanding—or Jesus’s love for his Church—the classic Christian understanding. This fresh translation restores the Song’s eroticism and interprets it as a celebration of the love between the Divine Feminine and the contemporary spiritual seeker.
Scholar and award-winning teacher Rami Shapiro renders this ancient love song as Lady Wisdom offering seekers physical and spiritual intimacy with her so that they might awaken to and participate wisely in the unity of God, woman, man and nature. His intriguing facing-page commentary provides historical, religious and spiritual insights from Christian and Jewish wisdom traditions as well as clear comparisons to other translations.
Now you can understand the poetry, beauty, genius and mystery of the Song of Songs with no previous knowledge of the Hebrew Bible or wisdom literature. Compelling in its novelty and accessible in its presentation, this version of the Song of Songs will beckon you more deeply into Jewish-Christian sacred texts while offering you wisdom teachings and practices rooted in but not limited to religion.
Praise for Rami Shapiro’s Work
“With energy, enthusiasm, and interfaith perspective, Shapiro offers an invaluable gift with this inspiring and enlightening work.”
—Spirituality & Health
“Rabbi Rami savors the wisdom as he enlarges our appreciation of [these] teachings. You won’t be the same after reading this translation and commentary.”
—Sister Rosemarie Greco, DW, Wisdom House Retreat Center, Litchfield, Connecticut
“One of the outstanding leaders in the field of modern spirituality…. His mastery of English and Hebrew enables him to render the ancient words in ways that bring light and inspiration.”
—Jewish Media Review
“Sung with sweet authority from within the embrace of Mother Wisdom…. A luminous and deeply moving love song.”
—Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown, professor of religious studies, Naropa University; author of Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism
“Stunning…. Stimulates the mind and summons readers to action.”
—Montreal Anglican
“Rami Shapiro’s contemporary and pungently poetic recreations of ancient biblical classics have inspired and instructed me for years.”
—Andrew Harvey, author, A Walk with Four Spiritual Guides: Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Ramakrishna
“Judicious…. Should be a help to the beginner and more advanced student alike; it is not just a translation, but a guide to timeless and universal ideas.”
—Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
“Alive with meaning. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“Clarifies and explains the meaning of every segment of the wisdom…. Recommended for personal study and enlightenment.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Illuminating [and] salutary.”
—Spirituality & Practice
“One of the great Jewish spiritual teachers of our generation.”
—Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Emanu-El Scholar, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco; author, I’m God; You’re Not: Observations on Organized Religion and Other Disguises of the Ego and other books
