Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li

 in Judaism  tagged ani l dodi v dodi li / ani ledodi / Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li / dodi li / i am my beloved and my beloved is mine / wedding band by

“Ani ledodi vedodi li” : “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). The first letters of the four Hebrew words comprising this verse spell the word Elul, which is the name of the Hebrew month preceding the High Holy Days. In this month of Elul Israel strengthens itself through the process of teshuvah (repentance), and thereby draws close to their beloved, G-d. At this time G-d also draws close to Israel, extends His hand to her, and draws her close.
These four words whose first letters spell the name of the month all end with the Hebrew letter “yod”. The numerical value of the letter “yod” is ten, and 4 x 10 = 40. This indicates the fourty days from rosh chodesh Elul (the first day of the month of Elul) until Yom Kippur. These days are set aside for teshuvah.

There is another verse where the first letters of four of its words (“et levavcha ve’et levav…”) also spell the name of the month Elul: “The L-rd your G-d will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your offspring…” (Deuteronomy 30:6). In the month of Elul G-d assists a person to do teshuvah.

There is also a third verse where the first letters of four of its words (“Ish lere’aihu umatanot le’evyonim…”) spell the name of the month, Elul: “…Sending presents, each person to his friend, and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22). This indicates that the month of Elul is a time to increase the giving of charity. Charity, together with teshuvah and prayer, nuetralize an evil decree.

As Elul is the month preceding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is a month of repentance and spiritual preparation. A verse in the Song of Songs, and inscribed on many decorative wedding bands, reads Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li, meaning “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” The rabbis interpret the love expressed in Song of Songs as the subliminal and mutual love between God and the people of Israel. The first letters in the Hebrew phrase form the acronym Elul, the month before us; the verse is thus associated with the spiritual dimension of the month, with its emphasis on repentance and renewal of one’s love for and closeness to God.

The word Elul is a construct of an Aramaic word which means to contemplate, examine, analyze. For example, it is used in the translation of the verse, “…They searched the Land” (Numbers 13:21). The month of Elul is set aside for mental contemplation and examination of the deeds of the entire year. A person should search and analyze his misdeeds in order to uproot the evil tendencies in his heart and return to God.

“Song of Songs is one of the overtly mystical Biblical texts for the Kabbalah, which gave esoteric interpretation on all the Hebrew Bible. Following the dissemination of the Zohar in the 13th century, Jewish mysticism took on a metaphorically anthropomorphic erotic element, and Song of Songs is an example of this. In Zoharic Kabbalah, God is represented by a system of ten sephirot emanations, each symbolizing a different attribute of God, comprising both male and female. The Shechina (indwelling Divine presence) was identified with the feminine sephira Malchut, the vessel of Kingship.”