Sefer Hoshea, Chapter 14: "Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed to pieces, and her pregnant women shall be ripped open."
The Malbim explains that this verse is a continuation of what we saw in the previous chapter: "From the hand of Sheol I will redeem them, from death I will save them; where are your plagues, O death, where is your destruction, O Sheol? Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes." Hashem says: I will not reconsider the calamity; rather, the calamity will surely come. The Malbim explains that when the prophet Hoshea hears that there is no remorse, no relenting, and that Hashem will not rescind the decree - because the decree is absolute and irrevocable - he now turns to the People of Israel and says to them: The primary sin, the primary rebellion, the primary transgression belonged to Samaria. As we explained, Samaria represents the kingdom of Ahab, the Ten Tribes who acted wickedly throughout their history, where there was not even a single righteous king. They were the ones who initiated the rebellion and betrayal, beginning already with Yarov'am ben Nevat who made the golden calves, and continuing until the exile. He therefore tells them: The core of the sin was Samaria, the royal capital; they upheld the worship of the calves and caused the rest of the nation of Israel to stumble. The people of Israel stumbled because of their kings, who led them astray toward evil.
The prophet says to them: If so, you do have a remedy through teshuvah, for you have what may be called a defense: "It did not stem from me; the kings led me astray, the kings caused me to sin." He says to them: If so, why should the People of Israel perish along with Samaria? It is proper that only Samaria bear the guilt. Samaria is the one that must bear the culpability; she is the one that rebelled against her God. In her case, it was wilful rebellion and betrayal, as we noted, whereas the broader populace of Israel does not deserve to be punished in that way. Therefore, it is specifically Samaria that rebelled against her God: "they shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed to pieces, and her pregnant women shall be ripped open." "Her pregnant women shall be ripped open" means the pregnant women will be torn apart; this is what they deserve by the strict measure of justice. Thus, "Samaria shall bear her guilt" - Samaria alone should become desolate, but the rest of the nation of Israel, who were merely misled by them, do not deserve this punishment. The Malbim notes that the prophet says all this only after hearing explicitly from Hashem: "Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes" - I will not relent regarding the calamity; the calamity will surely come. The prophet says: If it must come, let it fall upon the wicked alone, while the rest, who were merely led astray by them, should be spared.
"Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity." From this point until the end of the chapter is the Haftarah of Shuvah Yisrael, familiar to us from Shabbat Shuvah. "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity." To whom is he turning now? The Malbim explains that he is addressing Israel - the nation as a whole, excluding Samaria. He says to them: Let Samaria bear her guilt. Samaria must pay a heavy price; if Hashem does not relent, it is right that Samaria pay the price. But you, Israel - the nation at large - you can repent, "for you have stumbled in your iniquity." The Malbim explains that this is the merit pleaded on their behalf: you did not sin out of rebellion, defiance, or spite; rather, you stumbled. You stumbled in your iniquity because the kings of Samaria caused you to stumble. You should be judged as an unwitting offender, as one under duress, and therefore you do have a remedy. He tells them here, "Return unto Hashem" - "unto" implies that Hashem is, as it were, far off, telling you that you must go all the way to Him, to the place where He is. That is to say: abandon your iniquities, abandon your sins, repent of them, for what you committed under duress and inadvertently, and seek the path to return all the way to Hashem.
Rashi also explains this verse, noting that these words are directed toward Judah. According to the Malbim, it refers to the common folk of Israel, distinct from the royal court of Samaria: the royal dynasty of Samaria were the wicked ones, whereas the general populace of Israel, even among the Ten Tribes, were led astray by the kings. Rashi, on the other hand, explains that this addresses the people in the land of Judah. After speaking of Samaria - which, according to Rashi, represents the entire kingdom of the Ten Tribes - the prophet says: "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God," so that what happened to Samaria does not happen to you. Rashi notes that this is why the two passages are juxtaposed: It is like a king against whom a province rebelled; the king sent a polemarchos (a military commander) and told him to destroy it. This commander was prudent and deliberate - meaning level-headed - and told them: "Take some time to reconsider; otherwise, I will do to you just as I did to such-and-such province and its neighbors, and to such-and-such district and its neighbors." In other words, to persuade them, he said: It is worth your while to think carefully. Look at what I did here and what I did there; my record includes several provinces that I have destroyed, so think carefully, because you are next. Rashi explains that the same applies here: This is why it says, "Samaria shall bear her guilt." Hashem says: I have already dealt with Samaria; they bore their guilt and received their deserved punishment. Therefore, you, Judah - "Return, O Israel" - see what I did to them, see how their iniquities brought about their downfall, and do not persist in your own sins, lest your end be like the end of Samaria.
"Unto Hashem your God" - why does it not say simply "unto Hashem" or "unto your God"? Why "unto Hashem your God"? As is known, Hashem (the Tetragrammaton) represents the attribute of mercy, while Elokim represents the attribute of strict justice. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem" - while He is still Hashem, before He becomes your Elokim. Repent while Hashem still relates to you with mercy, still leaving an opening, before He becomes Elokim, which is strict justice, for once the attribute of strict judgment takes over, you will no longer be able to return, as the decree will already be sealed. This is also what the Targum says: "Before the defender is turned into a prosecutor." "For you have stumbled in your iniquity" - these stumbling blocks came about because of your iniquities.
There is a wonderful explanation cited in Yalkut Shimoni in the name of the Apiryon. Our Sages ask: *avon* (iniquity) denotes an intentional sin (*mezid*), so how can it be described with the word "stumbled" (*kashalta*)? "For you have stumbled (*kashalta*) in your iniquity (*ba'avonecha*)." What is a stumbling block? One walks along and trips; stumbling is accidental (*shegagah*). An *avon*, on the other hand, is a distortion of the intellect, where a person deliberately commits a transgression. Thus it would seem inappropriate to say "you have stumbled in your iniquity" - it should say "you have acted willfully in your iniquity," for that is not a mere stumble. He explains this beautifully based on what the Alshich wrote: often a person stumbles inadvertently and then says, "Nothing really happened; I had no bad intention, I did not want to do it, I merely stumbled." What happens then? He feels that he does not even require rectification or atonement: "What could I do? Clear me from unperceived faults; after all, humans are prone to mistakes." That is an error and a distortion, because, as we see, all the sin-offerings (*korbanot*) are brought specifically for inadvertent sins. A sacrifice does not avail for an intentional sin. This shows that an inadvertent sin requires a sacrifice. If a person accidentally turns on a light on Shabbat, he is told on Sunday: take off from work, go buy an animal for two thousand shekels, travel with it to the Beit HaMikdash - which in those days could take several days with an animal - and stand there while the Kohen directs you to confess, perform *semichah* (resting your hands on the animal's head), and go through an entire process of remorse and confession, all because you once turned on a light inadvertently and unintentionally. That is just for an inadvertent sin! What, then, should be said of a willful sin? A willful sin requires a completely different level of atonement, where a sacrifice does not suffice; it requires teshuvah, remorse, and profound soul-searching. Thus, the entire excuse of "Sorry, it was a mistake, what happened?" misses the point entirely. A great deal happened! There are people who inadvertently press a button and destroy an entire region; costly mistakes do happen. The Alshich says a person should not dismiss an error by claiming, "What could I do? I was acting inadvertently." For to whom do inadvertent sins happen? To someone whose soul has already been impaired by previous intentional sins.
Let us consider a parable, an actual incident that illustrates this point. Two men were on a ship that was wrecked at sea. Each grabbed hold of a piece of wood and was eventually washed ashore. Their paths diverged and they lost sight of each other, though both survived. One arrived in Spain and was taken in by a host. After regaining his strength from the life-threatening ordeal, he noticed that before eating, his host washed his hands (*netilat yadayim*). He asked him, "Why are you washing your hands?" The host replied, "I am a Jew." He said, "I too am a Jew!" The host was an Anus (Crypto-Jew) from Spain, who told him, "Know that everything you have here is kosher." He showed him that downstairs they had a private slaughterhouse and everything needed. Meanwhile, the second survivor also found himself somewhere in Spain and was taken in by someone, but he ended up eating non-kosher food (*neveilot u'tereifot*) at the home of a gentile. In time, both returned to their hometown, met, and shared their experiences. The one who had eaten forbidden food was heartbroken: "Why was my friend protected by Heaven, while I was not?" They went together to the rabbi and asked him. The rabbi asked the one who had stumbled with forbidden foods: "Tell me, did you ever in your life willingly eat non-kosher food?" He replied, "Yes. When I was a boy, I saw a gentile neighbor who had a sandwich with pork sausage. It tempted me greatly; he did not want it and asked who wanted it, so I said I did, and I ate it. Later I regretted it, but I did do it once." The rabbi told him: "That is the answer. If a person has committed a sin willfully in the past, he becomes susceptible to inadvertent stumbling. But if someone has never sinned intentionally, Heaven protects him even from inadvertent mistakes." Thus, when a person encounters an inadvertent mishap, he should reflect: What did I once do intentionally? For if the Holy One, blessed be He, does not bring about a stumbling block even through the animals of the righteous, how could He allow a stumbling block through me? Evidently, I am not such a tzaddik; evidently, I had past failures. This is what the verse means: "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God, for you have stumbled" - even that which was a stumble was "in your iniquity." A stumble is an inadvertent slip, yet what caused it? "Your iniquity" - an intentional sin committed previously; had that not occurred, Hashem would not have allowed a stumble in a matter you never intended to violate.
This also explains what the prophet says in Yeshayahu 1:4: "Alas, a sinful nation (*goy choteh*), a people laden with iniquity (*am keved avon*)." Why have you become a "sinful nation" (*choteh* meaning inadvertent transgressors)? How did you become full of inadvertent sins? Because you were "a people laden with iniquity" (*keved avon*) - you carried the weight of intentional sins, and that in turn brought about inadvertent stumbling. This also illuminates the Vidui (confession) of Yom Kippur: "For the sin we committed before You knowingly (*beyodim*) and unknowingly (*uv'lo yodim*)." Commentators question this: the Gemara in Yoma 36b states that one confesses the lighter transgression first and then the more severe one; one always progresses from the lighter to the more severe. A person never says, "I robbed a bank, and I also parked in a no-parking zone." One does not begin with the severe crime and then mention the minor infraction, for the minor one is trivialized. Rather, one says: "I did this, and even worse, I committed such-and-such grave transgression." Why then do we confess "the sin we committed before You knowingly" - which is very severe - followed by "and unknowingly," which is lighter? Based on our principle, the explanation is clear: "For the sin we committed before You knowingly" - and because we once sinned knowingly, we ultimately came to sin "unknowingly." That single intentional act caused subsequent inadvertent slips. Indeed, an inadvertent error does not occur in an area about which a person is deeply vigilant and reverent. A person does not fall out of bed while asleep, because even in sleep there is an awareness of falling and one remains cautious. An electrician normally does not get electrocuted; ordinary people do, because an electrician knows the danger of electricity and exercises proper caution, whereas an ordinary person thinks he can handle electricity with wet hands or wet feet, and tragedy strikes. When something is truly burning within a person's consciousness, he does not stumble.
"Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with you and return to Hashem; say to Him: Forgive all iniquity and accept what is good." Before continuing with the verses in our regular manner, another explanation is cited in the name of the Tzavrei Shalal, quoting the author of Shachat HaLeket: There is a dispute whether repentance accomplishes half and prayer accomplishes everything, or prayer accomplishes half and repentance accomplishes everything (Vayikra Rabbah, chapter 10). Someone once came to a rabbi and asked, "Rabbi, please pray for such-and-such matter and bless me." The rabbi asked, "Did you pray yourself?" He replied, "No." The man added, "Prayer only accomplishes half anyway." The rabbi replied, "If so, pray twice, and you will have a complete outcome!" In any case, there is a dispute whether repentance accomplishes everything and prayer half, or repentance half and prayer everything. It follows that if a person performs only repentance or only prayer, he remains in doubt: Did I accomplish everything? If I only prayed, perhaps prayer accomplishes only half; if I only repented, perhaps repentance accomplishes only half. When can a person be assured? When he performs both: both prayer and repentance. If prayer accomplishes half, he has repentance; if repentance accomplishes half, he has prayer. In that way, he achieves complete rectification. This is what the verse teaches: "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God." The prophet tells us: "Take words with you" - "words" refers to prayer, verbal entreaty - "and return to Hashem," which is teshuvah. Thus we have both repentance and prayer: both words and return. Consequently, the verse continues: "Say to Him: Forgive all iniquity." Master of the Universe, now forgive all iniquities, for we have fulfilled both prayer and teshuvah, creating a complete rectification.
Let us return to the verse: "Take words with you and return to Hashem; say to Him: Forgive all iniquity and accept what is good, and let us substitute our lips for bulls." The Malbim explains: after telling them "Return, O Israel, unto Hashem your God" - until you reach Him completely - he adds that once you draw close to Hashem, you must further improve your deeds and perform repentance out of love (*teshuvah me'ahavah*). Until now, the repentance was out of fear (*teshuvah miyir'ah*). Having arrived all the way to Him, ascend another level and repent out of love, and then those words and deeds will plead your defense. This is the meaning of "Take words with you": those deeds you perform, the mitzvot and good deeds done through repentance from love, will speak on your behalf. "And return to Hashem" - having already said "Return, O Israel," why does it say "and return" a second time? As explained, the first stage was repentance from fear; now he tells us "and return" out of love. Through this, intentional sins are not merely downgraded to inadvertent ones, but transformed into merits. When one repents out of fear, intentional sins become like inadvertent sins; but when one repents out of love, intentional sins are transformed into merits, where each transgression is reckoned as a mitzvah. The forgiveness is not merely because Hashem says, "I consider this as an unintentional error or done under duress," but because Hashem considers it a merit. What was once a transgression now counts in one's favor. Hence, "Take words with you" refers to deeds that plead one's merit. When a person returns to Hashem wholeheartedly out of love, his intentional sins become merits, and you can say to Him: "Say to Him: Forgive all iniquity and accept what is good." Initially, Hashem did not lift the entire burden of the sin, but only part of it: He reduced an intentional sin to an inadvertent one. If you had a hundred-pound burden of intentional sin, Hashem lifted eighty pounds, leaving twenty - an inadvertent sin still remains, so the entire iniquity was not borne. Here, however, we say "Forgive all iniquity" - through repentance from love, Hashem lifts the entire sin, because it is converted into merits. "And let us substitute our lips for bulls" - notice that when Hashem initially reduced the sin to an inadvertent error, an inadvertent sin still requires a sacrifice. But here, through repentance from love, the Holy One, blessed be He, erases even the inadvertent fault and counts it as a merit. Thus, first we say "Forgive all iniquity," and then "let us substitute our lips for bulls" - the words of our lips will serve as the rectification, without any need to sacrifice a bull. A bull was necessary when an intentional sin was merely downgraded to an inadvertent one, which requires an offering; but through repentance from love, the sin is entirely wiped away, so verbal confession is sufficient without an animal offering. And what is that confession? "Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands: You are our gods; for in You the fatherless finds mercy." The Malbim explains: we will declare with our lips that we no longer trust in Assyria, nor in any nation other than Hashem. Whenever the kings of Israel faced distress, they sent to Assyria for salvation. Now they declare: Master of the Universe, we have repented; Assyria will not save us. "We will not ride on horses" - they used to rely on Egypt, who provided them with horses and chariots, Egypt being the prime source of horses; now they say, we will not ride on horses. "Nor will we say any more to the work of our hands: You are our gods" - until now we crafted idols with our own hands and called them our gods, provoking Your anger; no longer will we do so. Instead, we will trust only in You, knowing that "in You the fatherless finds mercy." When someone has no helper, supporter, or savior, You have mercy upon him out of Hashem's boundless compassion. Since we are like orphans - without Assyria, without Egypt, without man-made idols - who else will save us? Only Hashem: "for in You the fatherless finds mercy." You pity the one who has no savior. And when a person tells Hashem, "Only You can save me and no one else," Hashem, as it were, commits to save him, because he takes refuge solely in His shadow. Conversely, as the Chovot HaLevavot notes, when a person places his trust in another power, Hashem says to him: "Let them arise and help you, let them be your shelter; go to them and let them save you."
The Radak explains: "Take words with you" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: I do not ask of you silver, nor gold, nor burnt-offerings, but words. What are "words"? Verbal confession. Confess the evil deeds you have committed, and return to Hashem. This return must be genuine teshuvah, not mere lip service. In the Yom Kippur confession we say, "For the sin we committed before You through confession of the mouth" - we even confess for the superficiality of our confessions, which can be merely external. Therefore the prophet urges: do not settle for that; take words with you and truly return to Hashem. Confess, but let it be followed by complete repentance. "Say to Him: Forgive all iniquity" - meaning, forgive the entire iniquity; or, as the Radak offers an alternate explanation, forgive the iniquity of all: the entreaty is for the community as a whole, asking the Master of the Universe to pardon the sin of everyone. "And accept what is good" - accept a good deed, or a good heart, meaning our good deeds or our upright intentions. "And let us substitute our lips for bulls" - in place of bulls, we will render the confession of our lips. For in truth, the Radak notes, Hashem desires confession far more than bulls. What value is there in offering a bull without confession and remorse, while persisting in corrupt ways? As Hashem told Shaul: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (I Shmuel 15:22). And as Yeshayahu said: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says Hashem" (Yeshayahu 1:11). Sacrifices are not an end in themselves; they are an instrument toward the ultimate goal: confession, remorse, abandoning sin, and resolving for the future. The Radak points out that with the Scapegoat (*Se'ir HaMishtale'ach*), there was only a verbal confession, without anything offered on the Altar, yet it atoned for all the sins of Israel. This demonstrates that offering upon the Altar is not the essential point; the essential point is confession, which was performed over the Scapegoat. Therefore, the prophet tells them that what truly matters is sincere, proper confession stemming from genuine remorse.