Know that there is a very great holy man whose holiness the world cannot bear. Because of this he remains deeply hidden, not displaying any particular quality of holiness or abstinence. This is parallel to: “All of the songs are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.” The Song of songs contains much greater holiness than any other book of the Bible.

We find that King Solomon wrote three books: Proverbs, Koheleth, and the Song of Songs. Proverbs and Koheleth are filled with moral preaching and the fear of God. We find in them many words of holiness and purity, none of which are to be found in the Song of Songs. Examine the Song of Songs and you will find in it not a single word about holiness. This is because it is so very holy that not a trace of holiness may be seen in it.

—Green, Arthur. Tormented Master: A Life of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav. Alabama: U of Alabama Press, 1979. p. 171.