(א) תֶּאְשַׁם֙ שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן כִּ֥י מָרְתָ֖ה בֵּֽאלֹהֶ֑יהָ בַּחֶ֣רֶב יִפֹּ֔לוּ עֹלְלֵיהֶ֣ם יְרֻטָּ֔שׁוּ וְהָרִיּוֹתָ֖יו יְבֻקָּֽעוּ׃ (פ) (ב) שׁ֚וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֥י כָשַׁ֖לְתָּ בַּעֲוֺנֶֽךָ׃ (ג) קְח֤וּ עִמָּכֶם֙ דְּבָרִ֔ים וְשׁ֖וּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה אִמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו כָּל־תִּשָּׂ֤א עָוֺן֙ וְקַח־ט֔וֹב וּֽנְשַׁלְּמָ֥ה פָרִ֖ים שְׂפָתֵֽינוּ׃ (ד) אַשּׁ֣וּר ׀ לֹ֣א יוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נוּ עַל־סוּס֙ לֹ֣א נִרְכָּ֔ב וְלֹא־נֹ֥אמַר ע֛וֹד אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֵ֑ינוּ אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ֖ יְרֻחַ֥ם יָתֽוֹם׃ (ה) אֶרְפָּא֙ מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם אֹהֲבֵ֖ם נְדָבָ֑ה כִּ֛י שָׁ֥ב אַפִּ֖י מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ (ו) אֶהְיֶ֤ה כַטַּל֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִפְרַ֖ח כַּשּֽׁוֹשַׁנָּ֑ה וְיַ֥ךְ שָׁרָשָׁ֖יו כַּלְּבָנֽוֹן׃ (ז) יֵֽלְכוּ֙ יֹֽנְקוֹתָ֔יו וִיהִ֥י כַזַּ֖יִת הוֹד֑וֹ וְרֵ֥יחַֽ ל֖וֹ כַּלְּבָנֽוֹן׃ (ח) יָשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ יֹשְׁבֵ֣י בְצִלּ֔וֹ יְחַיּ֥וּ דָגָ֖ן וְיִפְרְח֣וּ כַגָּ֑פֶן זִכְר֖וֹ כְּיֵ֥ין לְבָנֽוֹן׃ (ס) (ט) אֶפְרַ֕יִם מַה־לִּ֥י ע֖וֹד לָֽעֲצַבִּ֑ים אֲנִ֧י עָנִ֣יתִי וַאֲשׁוּרֶ֗נּוּ אֲנִי֙ כִּבְר֣וֹשׁ רַֽעֲנָ֔ן מִמֶּ֖נִּי פֶּרְיְךָ֥ נִמְצָֽא׃ (י) מִ֤י חָכָם֙ וְיָ֣בֵֽן אֵ֔לֶּה נָב֖וֹן וְיֵֽדָעֵ֑ם כִּֽי־יְשָׁרִ֞ים דַּרְכֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה וְצַדִּקִים֙ יֵ֣לְכוּ בָ֔ם וּפֹשְׁעִ֖ים יִכָּ֥שְׁלוּ בָֽם׃
(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. (2) Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, 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. (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!” (5) I will heal their affliction, 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. (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. (10) He who is wise will consider these words, 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.
Shiur #18: Chapter 15
...FOUR CONCURRENT PROPHETS
In our previous shiur we depicted the powerful and prosperous period of Yerav’am II (Yisrael) and Uzzia (Yehuda). We described the prophets Amos and Yishayahu who offered a biting critique of the thriving kingdom with their accusations of the wealthy societies of both Shomron and Yerushalayim as religiously smug, corrupt, aloof, materialistic, and exploitative of the working classes. Amos warns that Shomron will be destroyed; Yishayahu prophesizes the ruin of Yehuda.
The Talmud suggests that these two prophets – Amos and Yishayahu – were not alone:
Rabbi Yochanan said: “…Four prophets prophesized concurrently: Hoshea, Yishayahu, Amos and Mikha.” [6]
The source for Chazal's statement may be found by simply examining the opening lines of the prophetic books:
The vision of Yishayahu the son of Amotz, which he saw concerning Yehuda and Yerushalayim in the days of Uzzia, Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiyahu, kings of Yehuda.(Yishayahu 1:1)
The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea, the son of Be’eri, in the days of Uzzia, Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiya, kings of Yehuda, and in the days of Yerav’am the son of Yoash, king of Yisrael. (Hoshea 1:1)
The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Yisrael in the days of Uzzia king of Yehuda and in the days of Yerav’am the son of Yoash, king of Yisrael, two years before the earthquake. (Amos 1:1)
The word of the Lord that came to Mikha of Moreshet in the days of Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiya, kings of Yehuda, which he saw concerning Shomron and Yerushalayim. (Mikha 1:1)
In other words, starting with the Yerav’am-Uzzia period and continuing throughout kings Yotam, Achaz, and Chizkiyahu (all kings of Yehuda), we are witness to a veritable burst of prophetic voices. Typically, Tanakh features the prophet as a lone figure; only a single prophet occupies the national stage at any given moment in time. A historical epoch in which multiple prophetic voices sound in parallel suggests a message that must be heard, as God funnels His guidance through a variety of channels, determined, so to speak, that the message penetrate. God's sending of prophet after prophet indicates an impending catastrophe.
The looming danger is the ascent of the Empire of Ashur, a superpower the likes of which the Middle East has never seen. It is a historical event that will fundamentally change the region. Ashur is the aggressor that exiles and destroys the Northern Kingdom. In Yehuda, forty-six walled cities will be invaded and burned, and Yerushalayim will survive by dint of a miracle. The storm is approaching.
What sort of message does the prophet offer to a country that will soon be threatened by a devastating empire? The final chapter of Hoshea offers two pointers:
"Ashur shall not save us; we will not mount horses…" (Hoshea 14:3)
Hoshea's statement is more than a prophet's directive. We shall suggest that Hoshea is critiquing and contesting opinions that were current in the contemporary society.
What strategy should be employed in the face of a huge superpower that threatens to overwhelm your nation? One obvious policy is to ally with the superior kingdom, serving as a vassal to their king. Hoshea rejects this policy as ill-fated. He says: "Ashur will not save us!" Fealty of this sort generally exacts a heavy cultural and religious price. This will be aptly demonstrated by King Achaz's treaty with Ashur which instigated an absolute replacement of Judaic religion by the deities of Ashur and their worship.
A second alternative would be to organize a resistance, a coalition of states which could fight and fend off the foreign aggressor. Again Hoshea warns against this: "We shall not mount horses." The horses are a reference to the leading power in the resistance to Ashur: Egypt. Hoshea warns that a direct confrontation with Ashur could endanger the very existence of the Judean state.
These messages recur, as we shall see, in the prophecies of Yishayahu. Everyone agrees about the threat. Everyone wants to save the Jewish State. The question is the appropriate policy. As we progress through this challenging era, we shall identify God's call to Yehuda to maintain its neutrality and to avoid alliances. For now, let us simply take note of the enormous hurdle on the horizon.
- Rav Alex Israel
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SEFER MELAKHIM BET: THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS
By Rav Alex Israel
Shiur #18: Chapter 15
Tumult and Decline
By Rav Alex Israel
Shiur #18: Chapter 15
Tumult and Decline
In our previous shiur we depicted the powerful and prosperous period of Yerav’am II (Yisrael) and Uzzia (Yehuda). We described the prophets Amos and Yishayahu who offered a biting critique of the thriving kingdom with their accusations of the wealthy societies of both Shomron and Yerushalayim as religiously smug, corrupt, aloof, materialistic, and exploitative of the working classes. Amos warns that Shomron will be destroyed; Yishayahu prophesizes the ruin of Yehuda.
The Talmud suggests that these two prophets – Amos and Yishayahu – were not alone:
Rabbi Yochanan said: “…Four prophets prophesized concurrently: Hoshea, Yishayahu, Amos and Mikha.” [6]
The source for Chazal's statement may be found by simply examining the opening lines of the prophetic books:
The vision of Yishayahu the son of Amotz, which he saw concerning Yehuda and Yerushalayim in the days of Uzzia, Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiyahu, kings of Yehuda.(Yishayahu 1:1)
The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea, the son of Be’eri, in the days of Uzzia, Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiya, kings of Yehuda, and in the days of Yerav’am the son of Yoash, king of Yisrael. (Hoshea 1:1)
The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Yisrael in the days of Uzzia king of Yehuda and in the days of Yerav’am the son of Yoash, king of Yisrael, two years before the earthquake. (Amos 1:1)
The word of the Lord that came to Mikha of Moreshet in the days of Yotam, Achaz, and Yechizkiya, kings of Yehuda, which he saw concerning Shomron and Yerushalayim. (Mikha 1:1)
In other words, starting with the Yerav’am-Uzzia period and continuing throughout kings Yotam, Achaz, and Chizkiyahu (all kings of Yehuda), we are witness to a veritable burst of prophetic voices. Typically, Tanakh features the prophet as a lone figure; only a single prophet occupies the national stage at any given moment in time. A historical epoch in which multiple prophetic voices sound in parallel suggests a message that must be heard, as God funnels His guidance through a variety of channels, determined, so to speak, that the message penetrate. God's sending of prophet after prophet indicates an impending catastrophe.
The looming danger is the ascent of the Empire of Ashur, a superpower the likes of which the Middle East has never seen. It is a historical event that will fundamentally change the region. Ashur is the aggressor that exiles and destroys the Northern Kingdom. In Yehuda, forty-six walled cities will be invaded and burned, and Yerushalayim will survive by dint of a miracle. The storm is approaching.
What sort of message does the prophet offer to a country that will soon be threatened by a devastating empire? The final chapter of Hoshea offers two pointers:
"Ashur shall not save us; we will not mount horses…" (Hoshea 14:3)
Hoshea's statement is more than a prophet's directive. We shall suggest that Hoshea is critiquing and contesting opinions that were current in the contemporary society.
What strategy should be employed in the face of a huge superpower that threatens to overwhelm your nation? One obvious policy is to ally with the superior kingdom, serving as a vassal to their king. Hoshea rejects this policy as ill-fated. He says: "Ashur will not save us!" Fealty of this sort generally exacts a heavy cultural and religious price. This will be aptly demonstrated by King Achaz's treaty with Ashur which instigated an absolute replacement of Judaic religion by the deities of Ashur and their worship.
A second alternative would be to organize a resistance, a coalition of states which could fight and fend off the foreign aggressor. Again Hoshea warns against this: "We shall not mount horses." The horses are a reference to the leading power in the resistance to Ashur: Egypt. Hoshea warns that a direct confrontation with Ashur could endanger the very existence of the Judean state.
These messages recur, as we shall see, in the prophecies of Yishayahu. Everyone agrees about the threat. Everyone wants to save the Jewish State. The question is the appropriate policy. As we progress through this challenging era, we shall identify God's call to Yehuda to maintain its neutrality and to avoid alliances. For now, let us simply take note of the enormous hurdle on the horizon.