Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6.6

שִׁנַּיִךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָרְחֵלִים, מָה רָחֵל זוֹ צְנוּעָה, כָּךְ הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל צְנוּעִים וּכְשֵׁרִים בְּמִלְחֶמֶת מִדְיָן, רַבִּי הוּנָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אַחָא אָמַר שֶׁלֹא הִקְדִּים אֶחָד מֵהֶן תְּפִלִּין שֶׁל רֹאשׁ לִתְפִלִּין שֶׁל יַד, שֶׁאִלּוּ הִקְדִּים אֶחָד מֵהֶן תְּפִלִּין שֶׁל רֹאשׁ לִתְפִלִּין שֶׁל יַד, לֹא הָיָה משֶׁה מְשַׁבְּחָם, וְלֹא הָיוּ עוֹלִין מִשָּׁם בְּשָׁלוֹם, הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר שֶׁהָיוּ צַדִּיקִים בְּיוֹתֵר. שֶׁכֻּלָּם מַתְאִימוֹת, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיוּ נִכְנָסִים זוּגוֹת זוּגוֹת אֵצֶל הָאִשָּׁה, הָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם מְפַחֵם פָּנֶיהָ, וְאֶחָד מֵהֶם מְפָרֵק נְזָמֶיהָ, וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת לָהֶם אֵין אָנוּ מִבְּרִיּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁתַּעֲשׂוּ לָנוּ כָּךְ, וְהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים לָהֶן לֹא דַּיֵּכֶם שֶׁנָּטַלְנוּ שֶׁלָּנוּ מִתַּחַת יְדֵיכֶם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (במדבר כה, ד): וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה קַח אֶת כָּל רָאשֵׁי הָעָם וְהוֹקַע אוֹתָם. וְשַׁכֻּלָּה אֵין בָּהֶם, שֶׁא נֶחְשַׁד מֵהֶם אֶחָד בַּעֲבֵרָה.

“Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that are ascending from being washed, that are all paired, and there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 6:6). “Your teeth are like a flock of ewes.” Just as the ewe is modest, so too, Israel was modest and upright in the Midyanite war. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: That not one of them donned the phylacteries of the head before the phylacteries of the arm, as had one of them donned the phylacteries of the head before the phylacteries of the arm, Moses would not have praised them and they would not have ascended from there in peace. You must say that they were extremely righteous. “That are all paired,” as they would enter in pairs to the woman. One of them would blacken her face and one of them would remove her jewelry. [The women] would say to them: ‘Are we not among the creations of the Holy One blessed be He, that you do this to us?’ The Israelites would say to them: ‘Is it not enough for you that our people received their punishment because of you?’ That is what is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them” (Numbers 25:4). “And there is none missing among them,” that not one of them was suspected of committing a transgression.