Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim): When It's Read, Its Cantillation, and How to Chant It
Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs, also called Canticles) is one of the Five Megillot (Scrolls) in the Ketuvim, the Writings section of the Hebrew Bible. It is traditionally attributed to King Solomon (Shlomo). On its plain level it is a cycle of love poems between a man and a woman, but Jewish tradition reads it allegorically as the love between God and the people of Israel — God as the groom and king, Israel as the beloved bride. Rabbi Akiva famously defended its holiness, declaring in the Mishnah (Yadayim 3:5) that while all the Writings are holy, the Song of Songs is "the Holy of Holies" (Kodesh Kodashim). It is one of the three festival Megillot read on the Pilgrimage Festivals, paired with Passover (alongside Ruth on Shavuot and Ecclesiastes/Kohelet on Sukkot).
When it’s read
Song of Songs is read on Passover (Pesach). The dominant Ashkenazi custom is to read the entire book on the Shabbat that falls during Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days), before the morning Torah reading. When no Shabbat falls during Chol HaMoed, Ashkenazim instead read it on the morning of the seventh day of Passover. Sephardi communities typically read it before the Mincha (afternoon) service later in the festival — commonly cited as the final day (the eighth day in the Diaspora, the seventh in Israel), though practice varies by community. It is read on Passover because the holiday celebrates the Exodus and redemption, and the springtime in which the love-relationship between God and Israel first blossomed — the very allegory the book is understood to describe.
Customs
Beyond the Passover synagogue reading, several recurring customs surround Shir HaShirim. Many Sephardim chant it every Friday night before the evening (Maariv) service, and many Chassidim read it every Friday afternoon in preparation for Shabbat. Many people also read the whole book at the conclusion of the Passover Seder. On whether a blessing is recited: Masechet Soferim records that reading the Megillot warrants the blessing "al mikra megillah," and the Vilna Gaon (Gra) ruled that Song of Songs should be read from a kosher parchment scroll with that blessing. In prevailing practice, however, most communities follow the Rema and do not read it from a parchment megillah, so no blessing is recited — it is typically chanted from a printed text rather than a handwritten scroll.
How it’s chanted
Song of Songs is chanted with its own distinct melody, separate from the weekly Torah trope. Its te'amim (trope marks) are the standard "twenty-one books" prose accents — the same symbols used in the Torah — not the special poetic system reserved for Job, Proverbs, and Psalms. What differs is the tune applied to those marks. In the common Ashkenazi tradition, Song of Songs shares a single "general" festival-Megillot melody with Ruth (read on Shavuot) and Ecclesiastes/Kohelet (read on Sukkot), so learning one helps with all three. Other communities, including Sephardi and Yemenite traditions, have their own melodic customs. TropeTrainer supports multiple voicing systems for Song of Songs, so you can hear and practice it in the tradition that matches your community. With TropeTrainer you can listen to Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim) chanted and practice it at an adjustable speed, slowing each phrase down to learn it and speeding back up as you gain confidence.
Browse the voicing systems TropeTrainer offers, then hear and practice this reading at adjustable speed.
Frequently asked questions
When is Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim) read?
It is read on Passover. The dominant Ashkenazi custom is to read it on the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days), before the morning Torah reading; when no Shabbat falls during the intermediate days, it is read on the morning of the seventh day. Sephardi communities typically read it before the Mincha service later in the festival. Many also read it at the end of the Passover Seder, and in some communities it is chanted every Friday in preparation for Shabbat.
How do you chant Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim)?
You chant it using cantillation (trope). The trope symbols are the standard prose accents — the same marks found in the Torah — but the melody is its own. In the common Ashkenazi tradition, Song of Songs uses the shared festival-Megillot tune that also serves Ruth and Ecclesiastes. TropeTrainer lets you hear each phrase chanted and practice it verse by verse.
Why is Song of Songs read on Passover?
Passover celebrates the Exodus and redemption and arrives in spring — the season when, by tradition, the love-relationship between God and Israel first blossomed. Because Jewish tradition reads Song of Songs allegorically as the love between God (the groom and king) and Israel (the beloved bride), the book fits the themes of Passover and is read during the festival.
Does Song of Songs use the same trope as the Torah?
It uses the same trope symbols as the Torah — the standard twenty-one-books prose accents, not the special poetic system used for Job, Proverbs, and Psalms — but the melody is different. Song of Songs is chanted to its own festival-Megillot tune, which in the common Ashkenazi tradition is shared with Ruth and Ecclesiastes.
Ready to start chanting?
Join thousands of students, cantors, and congregations who learn Torah with TropeTrainer.
© 2026 HazzanSolutions. All rights reserved.