Zohar (1 88b) The table of shew-bread, from which
issued blessings, was not to be left empty a single moment; and on that account
we do not say grace over an empty table, since blessings from above do not rest
on an empty table. To resume, then, the verse “I am my beloved's and towards me
is his desire” indicates that “first of all I am my beloved's, and then, in
consequence, his desire is towards me; first I prepare for him a place, and
then his desire is towards me”. The verse may also be explained by reference to
the dictum that the Shekinah is not found in the company of sinners, but when a
man exerts himself to purify himself and to draw near to God, then the Shekinah
rests on him. So “I am my beloved's” to begin with, and then “his desire is
towards me”.’