This week's Haftarah comes from the book of Hosea. The book of Hosea is the first of 12 minor prophetic books. It is one of the largest of these books, at 14 chapters long.
According to the superscription at the beginning of the book, explains Michael Fishbane in The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarah, Hosea ben Beeri prophesized during the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah from 769-698 BCE. Most scholars believe his prophecy ended in the 720s or 730s (as they did not mention the Assyrian army conquering Israel in the 720s BCE). He also prophesized in the North (Ephraim) from 784 BCE to 748 BCE, during the reign of King Jeroboam II. Today's text focuses on the northern kingdom during King Jeroboam's reign.
Hosea describes Israel's spiritual weakness, and ability to be swayed by Canaanite gods. He emphasizes the iniquity among the people Israel, and appeals to them to repent.
There Israel served for a wife,
For a wife he had to guard [sheep]. (14) But when the LORD
Brought Israel up from Egypt,
It was through a prophet;
Through a prophet they were guarded. (15) Ephraim gave bitter offense,
And his Lord cast his crimes upon him
And requited him for his mockery.
The Haftarah portion is likely chosen this week because of its first few lines.
Last week's Torah portion included the story of how Jacob tricked Esau out of both his birthright and his blessing. Jacob left town after Esau vowed to kill him. His mother Rebecca sent him off to find a wife. He had to flee to the land of Amram.
(י) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃
(כ) וַיַּעֲבֹ֧ד יַעֲקֹ֛ב בְּרָחֵ֖ל שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים וַיִּהְי֤וּ בְעֵינָיו֙ כְּיָמִ֣ים אֲחָדִ֔ים בְּאַהֲבָת֖וֹ אֹתָֽהּ׃
(לא) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מָ֣ה אֶתֶּן־לָ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ לֹא־תִתֶּן־לִ֣י מְא֔וּמָה אִם־תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לִּי֙ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה אָשׁ֛וּבָה אֶרְעֶ֥ה צֹֽאנְךָ֖ אֶשְׁמֹֽר׃
Jacob left and set out for Haran (Haran and Aram are used interchangeably), labored for his bride, and guarded his sheep, as alluded to in the first couple of Haftarah verses.
Are there other similarities between Jacob and the northern community of Ephraim in the Haftarah?
(א) כְּדַבֵּ֤ר אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ רְתֵ֔ת נָשָׂ֥א ה֖וּא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֶּאְשַׁ֥ם בַּבַּ֖עַל וַיָּמֹֽת׃ (ב) וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ יוֹסִ֣פוּ לַחֲטֹ֗א וַיַּעֲשׂ֣וּ לָהֶם֩ מַסֵּכָ֨ה מִכַּסְפָּ֤ם כִּתְבוּנָם֙ עֲצַבִּ֔ים מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חָרָשִׁ֖ים כֻּלֹּ֑ה לָהֶם֙ הֵ֣ם אֹמְרִ֔ים זֹבְחֵ֣י אָדָ֔ם עֲגָלִ֖ים יִשָּׁקֽוּן׃ (ג) לָכֵ֗ן יִֽהְיוּ֙ כַּעֲנַן־בֹּ֔קֶר וְכַטַּ֖ל מַשְׁכִּ֣ים הֹלֵ֑ךְ כְּמֹץ֙ יְסֹעֵ֣ר מִגֹּ֔רֶן וּכְעָשָׁ֖ן מֵאֲרֻבָּֽה׃
(1) When Ephraim spoke piety,
He was exalted in Israel;
But he incurred guilt through Baal,
And so he died. (2) And now they go on sinning;
They have made them molten images,
Idols, by their skill, from their silver,
Wholly the work of craftsmen.
Yet for these they appoint men to sacrifice;-b
They are wont to kiss calves! (3) Assuredly,
They shall be like morning clouds,
Like dew so early gone;
Like chaff whirled away from the threshing floor.
And like smoke from a lattice.
The word retet here, translated as piety, refers to trembling. The people, out of Awe for God, prayed with reverence. A similar sounding word (using a tet in place of the last tav) is ta'ah which means "to stray."
"kiss calves" refers to what happened at the division of the united monarchy when Jeroboan I built a shrine in Ephraim where golden calves were venerated through liturgical proclamations. Kissing calves (or kissing images of Baal) were acts of idolatrous piety (see Fishbane p.43).
Why do you think the text brings up imagry of dew?
Ever since the land of Egypt;
You have never known a [true] God but Me,
You have never had a helper other than Me. (5) I looked after you in the desert,
In a thirsty land. (6) When they grazed, they were sated;
When they were sated, they grew haughty;
And so they forgot Me. (7) So I am become like a lion to them,
Like a leopard I lurk on the way; (8) Like a bear robbed of her young I attack them
And rip open the casing of their hearts;
I will devour them there like a lion,-c
The beasts of the field shall mangle them.
For you have fallen because of your sin. (3) Take words with you
And return to the LORD.
Say to Him:
“Forgive all guilt
And accept what is good;
Instead of bulls we will pay
[The offering of] our lips.-a (4) Assyria shall not save us,
No more will we ride on steeds;
Nor ever again will we call
Our handiwork our god,
Since in You alone orphans find pity!”
(יב) צָרוּר֙ עֲוֺ֣ן אֶפְרָ֔יִם צְפוּנָ֖ה חַטָּאתֽוֹ׃ (יג) חֶבְלֵ֥י יוֹלֵדָ֖ה יָבֹ֣אוּ ל֑וֹ הוּא־בֵן֙ לֹ֣א חָכָ֔ם כִּי־עֵ֥ת לֹֽא־יַעֲמֹ֖ד בְּמִשְׁבַּ֥ר בָּנִֽים׃ (יד) מִיַּ֤ד שְׁאוֹל֙ אֶפְדֵּ֔ם מִמָּ֖וֶת אֶגְאָלֵ֑ם אֱהִ֨י דְבָרֶ֜יךָ מָ֗וֶת אֱהִ֤י קָֽטׇבְךָ֙ שְׁא֔וֹל נֹ֖חַם יִסָּתֵ֥ר מֵעֵינָֽי׃ (טו) כִּ֣י ה֔וּא בֵּ֥ין אַחִ֖ים יַפְרִ֑יא יָב֣וֹא קָדִים֩ ר֨וּחַ יְהֹוָ֜ה מִמִּדְבָּ֣ר עֹלֶ֗ה וְיֵב֤וֹשׁ מְקוֹרוֹ֙ וְיֶחֱרַ֣ב מַעְיָנ֔וֹ ה֣וּא יִשְׁסֶ֔ה אוֹצַ֖ר כׇּל־כְּלִ֥י חֶמְדָּֽה׃ (א) תֶּאְשַׁם֙ שֹׁמְר֔וֹן כִּ֥י מָרְתָ֖ה בֵּאלֹהֶ֑יהָ בַּחֶ֣רֶב יִפֹּ֔לוּ עֹלְלֵיהֶ֣ם יְרֻטָּ֔שׁוּ וְהָרִיּוֹתָ֖יו יְבֻקָּֽעוּ׃ {פ}
(9) You are undone, O Israel!
You had no help but Me.-b (10) Where now is your king?
Let him save you!
Where are the chieftains in all your towns
From whom you demanded:
“Give me a king and officers”? (11) I give you kings in my ire,
And take them away in My wrath.
(12) Ephraim’s guilt is bound up,
His sin is stored away. (13) Pangs of childbirth assail him,
And the babe is not wise—
For this is no time to survive
At the birthstool of babes.-b
(14) From Sheol itself I will save them,
Redeem them from very Death.
Where, O Death, are your plagues?
Your pestilence where, O Sheol?
Revenge shall be far from My thoughts.-f (15) For though he flourish among reeds,
A blast, a wind of the LORD,
Shall come blowing up from the wilderness;
His fountain shall be parched,
His spring dried up.
That [wind] shall plunder treasures,
Every lovely object. (1) Samaria must bear her guilt,
For she has defied her God.
They shall fall by the sword,
Their infants shall be dashed to death,
And their women with child ripped open.
For you have fallen because of your sin. (3) Take words with you
And return to the LORD.
Say to Him:
“Forgive all guilt
And accept what is good;
Instead of bulls we will pay
[The offering of] our lips.-a (4) Assyria shall not save us,
No more will we ride on steeds;
Nor ever again will we call
Our handiwork our god,
Since in You alone orphans find pity!”
This text is an interesting one to study in understanding the true nature of repentance.
What are the steps it mentions in this text?
(ב) וּמַה הִיא הַתְּשׁוּבָה. הוּא שֶׁיַּעֲזֹב הַחוֹטֵא חֶטְאוֹ וִיסִירוֹ מִמַּחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וְיִגְמֹר בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֵׂהוּ עוֹד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נה ז) "יַעֲזֹב רָשָׁע דַּרְכּוֹ" וְגוֹ'. וְכֵן יִתְנַחֵם עַל שֶׁעָבַר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה לא יט) "כִּי אַחֲרֵי שׁוּבִי נִחַמְתִּי". וְיָעִיד עָלָיו יוֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלוּמוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יָשׁוּב לְזֶה הַחֵטְא לְעוֹלָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע יד ד) "וְלֹא נֹאמַר עוֹד אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ" וְגוֹ'. וְצָרִיךְ לְהִתְוַדּוֹת בִּשְׂפָתָיו וְלוֹמַר עִנְיָנוֹת אֵלּוּ שֶׁגָּמַר בְּלִבּוֹ:
(2) What constitutes Teshuvah? That a sinner should abandon his sins and remove them from his thoughts, resolving in his heart, never to commit them again as [Isaiah 55:7] states "May the wicked abandon his ways...." Similarly, he must regret the past as [Jeremiah 31:18] states: "After I returned, I regretted."
[He must reach the level where] He who knows the hidden will testify concerning him that he will never return to this sin again as [Hoshea 14:4] states: "We will no longer say to the work of our hands: `You are our gods.'"
He must verbally confess and state these matters which he resolved in his heart.
(ד) מִדַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה לִהְיוֹת הַשָּׁב צוֹעֵק תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בִּבְכִי וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים וְעוֹשֶׂה צְדָקָה כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ וּמִתְרַחֵק הַרְבֵּה מִן הַדָּבָר שֶׁחָטָא בּוֹ וּמְשַׁנֶּה שְׁמוֹ כְּלוֹמַר אֲנִי אַחֵר וְאֵינִי אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹתָן הַמַּעֲשִׂים וּמְשַׁנֶּה מַעֲשָׂיו כֻּלָּן לְטוֹבָה וּלְדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה וְגוֹלֶה מִמְּקוֹמוֹ. שֶׁגָּלוּת מְכַפֶּרֶת עָוֹן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁגּוֹרֶמֶת לוֹ לְהִכָּנַע וְלִהְיוֹת עָנָו וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ:
(4) Among the paths of repentance is for the penitent to
a) constantly call out before God, crying and entreating;
b) to perform charity according to his potential;
c) to separate himself far from the object of his sin;
d) to change his name, as if to say "I am a different person and not the same one who sinned;"
e) to change his behavior in its entirety to the good and the path of righteousness; and f) to travel in exile from his home. Exile atones for sin because it causes a person to be submissive, humble, and meek of spirit.
Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 2
“When an opportunity presents itself for repeating an offense once committed, and the offender, while able to commit the offense, nevertheless refrains from doing so because he is penitent, and not out of fear or failure of vigor, this is true repentance. Even if one transgressed all his life and repented on the day of his death, all of his iniquities are pardoned”
Generously will I take them back in love;
For My anger has turned away from them. (6) I will be to Israel like dew;
He shall blossom like the lily,
He shall strike root like a Lebanon tree.-e (7) His boughs shall spread out far,
His beauty shall be like the olive tree’s,
His fragrance like that of Lebanon. (8) They who sit in his shade shall be revived:
They shall bring to life new grain,
They shall blossom like the vine;
His scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. (9) Ephraim [shall say]:
“What more have I to do with idols?
When I respond and look to Him,
I become like a verdant cypress.”
Your fruit is provided by Me.-a
He who is prudent will take note of them.
For the paths of the LORD are smooth;
The righteous can walk on them,
While sinners stumble on them.