Endnote 17 – Unlocking the Poetry of Love in the Song of Songs

Rabbi Akiva, who went into paradise and alone emerged unscathed, is quoted as saying (Landy’s reading): “When you come to the place of stones of pure marble, do not say ‘Water, water,’ for it is said ‘Liars shall not endure in my sight’” (Landy, Paradoxes, pp. 269–270). It is not surprising to find Landy unable to do justice to this very difficult passage. In fact, he may not even realize that his quote itself contains a quote (“liars shall not endure in my sight” from Psalms 101:7). A fuller appreciation of this passage is to be found in chapter 2, “The Mystical Collection,” of David J. Halperin’s The Merkabah in Rabbinic Literature (New Haven, 1980).