The Canonical Status of Song of Songs in m. Yadayim 3.5

Abstract

This article analyzes the rabbinic discussion of whether Song of Songs renders the hands unclean in m. Yad. 3.5. This text has often been used to suggest that the canonicity of the Song of Songs was contested in early Judaism, thus ‘functionally decanonizing’ this biblical book. Yet this view has recently come under serious challenge because of other evidence in the rabbinic tradition. This study evaluates various interpretations of the discussion, which alternately emphasize canonicity, ritual purity, or divine inspiration. It explains the weaknesses of several proposals and suggests that a solution to the problem might lie in demonstrating the non-equivalence of canonicity and ability to defile the hands through reference to m. Yad. 4.5.