"I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him." Hashem says to them: this is teshuvah - I will first heal their backsliding. "Their backsliding" refers to their mischievous waywardness, their conduct in which they deviated from Hashem's path; it is like an affliction that clings to them and requires healing. This is "I will heal their backsliding" - I will heal this wound. Afterward, "I will love them freely." This means not only will I forgive them for the past, but I will love them. And this is already a "freewill gift" (nedavah). A freewill gift means something Hashem is not obligated to grant, something not compelled. Hashem says, and why? "For My anger has turned away from him." Until now I had anger and wrath over their backsliding, their rebellious behavior, over their defying Hashem's word. Through their return, My anger will turn away, transforming into love for them.
"I will be like dew to Israel; he shall blossom like a rose, and strike his roots like Lebanon." This is the exact opposite of what we saw earlier, "and his spring shall become dry" - meaning, in the curse we saw that this tree's water sources would dry up and it would wither; here He says, I will be like dew to Israel, for dew never ceases. Likewise, Hashem's goodness will flow upon them without interruption, says the Radak. When are we speaking of? In the future to come, when they return from exile. "He shall blossom like a rose." Why like a rose? Because the Jewish people are indeed likened to a rose: "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys"; "Like a rose among the thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters." Now, you might say: blossoming like a rose is temporary, it does not remain permanent, because a rose has no deep roots and is easily uprooted. To this He immediately adds: "and strike his roots like Lebanon." Just like the trees of Lebanon whose roots are vast and deep, so too they will be firmly planted in the earth, putting down strong roots that cannot be uprooted, as Scripture says, "They shall no more be plucked up out of their land," and as written, "In days to come, Jacob shall take root" - meaning they will strike roots. And regarding the expression "and strike his roots" (veyach shorashav), the Radak notes that it is like our phrase "he struck roots," similar to "and struck (umacha) upon the shoulder of the Sea of Kinneret" - to strike roots.
The Malbim offers a fascinating explanation: regarding "he shall blossom like a rose," naturalists have noted that there is a flower known as the Rose of Jericho. This is not what we know today by that name - today the term refers to a type of skin rash - but rather an actual rose that grows in the region of Jericho. The unique trait of this rose is that it does not root in the soil; the wind carries it across vast distances through the desert, and it draws its sustenance solely from dew. In a way, it is similar to mushrooms, which also draw sustenance from moisture without roots in the earth. And it blooms and grows, says the Malbim, in splendor and majesty. This is an allegory for the Jewish people: just as this rootless rose is carried on the wings of the wind from place to place, so too the Jewish people are exiled and tossed about like this rose. Who sustains them? Hashem: "I will be like dew to Israel." Hashem grants dew even in the lands of their exile, and through this, Israel blossoms in beauty, splendor, and majesty like the rose. "And strike his roots like Lebanon." The Malbim explains that although they struck roots initially, firmly planted in the Land like the cedars of Lebanon - which, as explained, are rooted deep in the ground - those original roots were uprooted from their place, leaving them without a permanent abode.
"His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon." Even though they struck roots, "his branches shall spread." The Malbim explains that "branches" (yonkotav, sucklings) refers to the tender shoots that sprout near the roots. Often on a tree, alongside the trunk near the base of the root, another shoot emerges, additional tender branches; these are called yonkot. (Parenthetically, this often poses a halachic question regarding counting the years of orlah, and in many places people fail to track this and pick fruit from them even though they are new shoots that began growing later than the tree itself.) In any case, "his branches shall spread" means these tender shoots rising from near the roots will branch out and spread wide. What does this represent? The Malbim explains that this refers to the children of the End of Days; they are in the category of these tender shoots. As Rashi cites and the Targum translates: "Sons and daughters shall multiply." This fits well, for yoneket shares the root of yonek, an infant nursing from its mother's breast. Thus it symbolizes children. They are the young shoots growing after the ancient roots seemed to have vanished; suddenly a fresh, fruit-bearing branch springs forth. "And his beauty shall be like the olive tree." The olive provides oil for illumination; so too, their fruits will shine with the light of Hashem. The olive possesses another virtue: you will never see dry olive leaves; its foliage remains fresh in summer and winter alike. Thus the Jewish people will enjoy continuous, enduring success at all times. Not only that, but "and his fragrance like Lebanon." They will possess the fragrance of Lebanon - Lebanon alluding to the Beit HaMikdash, where the fragrance speaks of holiness and purity, representing the Land of Israel, the dwelling place of holiness and purity.
Rashi cites the Targum, which renders: "His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon" - sons and daughters shall multiply, and their radiance shall be like the holy Menorah in the Beit HaMikdash, and their fragrance like the incense of sweet spices. "And his fragrance like Lebanon" means like that which was offered as incense in Lebanon. What was offered in Lebanon? The incense of spices, which had a singular fragrance.
Verse 8: "Those who dwell in his shade shall return; they shall revive like grain and blossom like the vine; his remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon." Let us first read Targum Yonatan: They shall gather from their exiles; they shall sit in the shade of their Messiah; the dead shall come to life; goodness shall increase upon the earth; the memory of their goodness shall ascend and never cease, like the memory of the trumpet blasts over the aged wine poured as a libation in the Beit HaMikdash. Just as the sound of the trumpets blown during the libations in the Beit HaMikdash rises in remembrance before Hashem, so shall Israel's remembrance rise before Him. About whom does this speak? Rashi says: about those who dwell in his shade - those who dwell in the shade of Lebanon, which, as noted, means the shade of the Beit HaMikdash; though currently exiled, they shall return. "His remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon" - as explained, just as Israel is remembered when offerings and libations are brought, so will their remembrance ascend before Him, blessed be He. The Ibn Ezra explains that "those who dwell in his shade shall return" refers to those dwelling in the shade of Lebanon returning - that is, the verse speaks of the Jewish people. Alternatively, the Ibn Ezra explains that it refers to those who dwell in Israel's shade: who dwells in our shade? The non-Jewish laborers, our plowmen and vinedressers; they too will return. Do not think you will have to perform all the manual labor yourself; rather, those who dwelt in your shade will return with you to be your plowmen, vinedressers, and husbandmen.
The Radak explains: "Those who dwell in his shade shall return" - they will return to their Land and dwell in the shade of God, blessed be He. "They shall revive like grain" - how so? They will sustain their lives through Hashem's mitzvot which they observe; just as grain sustains man, so will they be sustained by Torah and mitzvot. And if you ask: grain is ephemeral, once harvested it is gone and must be replanted? The verse continues: "and blossom like the vine." Their flourishing will be like that of the grapevine: once you harvest the grapes, it produces again the following year, and after you harvest again, it yields once more. It will not be like grain that requires sowing anew after every harvest; rather, they will be like the vine that yields fruit continuously. The Radak notes that this is indeed how it will be in the future to come, for Chazal said that in the future wheat will grow like a tree and the Land of Israel will produce ready-baked cakes - meaning sustenance will be perfected and provided steadily without the need to plant anew each year. And if you wonder how this can be, given that "there is nothing new under the sun," the answer is that according to one Sage, the Tree of Knowledge was wheat, and you see it is called a "tree"! In the past, wheat was indeed a tree. Do not be surprised, then, if in the future wheat returns to being a tree that yields fruit year after year without needing annual replanting. "His remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon." The Radak explains that "remembrance" (zichro) here means its aroma. What is the connection between aroma and remembrance? The Radak explains that it is related to azkarah, the handful of frankincense placed upon the meal offering, which produces a fragrant scent. Thus, "his remembrance" - his fragrance - will be like the wine of Lebanon. What was the wine of Lebanon? The Radak writes: I saw in the book of Asaph the Physician (the hospital is named after him) that he writes that the wine of Lebanon, the wine of Hermon, the wine of Carmel, the wine of the mountains of Israel and Jerusalem, the wine of the mountains of Samaria, and the wine of Caphtor-Egypt surpass all varieties of wine in fragrance, taste, and medicinal value. Thus he lists the most exquisite wines. So the verse says his scent will be like that supreme wine of Lebanon. Today our wines have very little aroma; connoisseurs swirl the wine in a glass and bring it to their nose to detect its bouquet, but wine today hardly carries a scent. In their days, wine had a very powerful fragrance, and based on its scent alone they could determine its quality and maturity. They would insert a straw into the barrel, inhale, and know its state - how it had developed and whether it was ready to drink. Their wine possessed a truly exceptional bouquet. Thus the prophet says they will have a remarkable fragrance, like the fragrance of the wine in Lebanon.
The Malbim explains: "Those who dwell in his shade shall return" - speaking of the exiles who will return; those who desire to dwell in the shade of Lebanon will come back. The Malbim notes that here lies a prophecy that many exiles will return to live in Eretz Yisrael and establish their dwelling in the Holy Land in the shade of Lebanon. And "they shall revive like grain" - they will have grain for household bread, unlike in the exile where hunger drove them to wander; here, in simple terms, the Land of Israel will yield its produce. "And blossom like the vine" - just as a vine spreads far and wide, so too will they multiply, flourish, and yield fruit; this describes our contemporary reality. "His remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon." What does this mean? The Malbim offers a novel interpretation: even those who do not return to dwell in the shade of Lebanon, remaining in the lands of the diaspora, their remembrance of Lebanon will always be like the wine of Lebanon. When they recall Lebanon, they will remember it as one remembers the exquisite wine of Lebanon - when a person recalls something truly wonderful, it never fades from memory. So too, they will remember this goodly mountain and the Lebanon - the Beit HaMikdash (so called because it whitens, malbin, Israel's sins, or because it was built from the cedars of Lebanon). In any event, they will always remember the Beit HaMikdash, placing Jerusalem above their highest joy and yearning to return to it. In simple terms: not only those who dwell here will remain attached to the Beit HaMikdash, but even those still living in the diaspora will keep the memory of the Beit HaMikdash ever present in their minds.
"Ephraim shall say: What more have I to do with idols? I have answered him and observed him; I am like a leafy cypress tree; from Me is your fruit found." Rashi explains that Ephraim will say: What more do I need with idols, which are avodah zarah? That is, Ephraim will repent. "I have answered him and observed him (ashurenu)" - Hashem says: ashurenu means "I will gaze upon him," as in "Gaze (shuru) and see," or "Look (shur) to the right." Shur means to look; a wall is also called a shur because guards ascended it to look out. Thus He says: I will look upon his affliction, and "I am like a leafy cypress tree" - Hashem says, I bend down, as it were, to take him by the hand, just as a youthful, leafy cypress can be bent toward the ground so you can grasp its branches. In simple words, Hashem says: I will make Myself accessible to them. When a cypress grows exceedingly tall and distant, it is out of touch with those below; but when it is supple and leafy, its branches bend downward. Hashem says: I will be to them like a leafy cypress. "From Me is your fruit found" - meaning all your goodness will stem from Me. The Radak similarly explains that Ephraim will say: What more have I to do with idols? When I worshiped them I was exiled, suffered tribulations, and faced hardships; now that I serve Hashem, I will experience only good, as described in the previous verse. Hashem says: "I have answered him and observed him" - I will be to you like the cypress, as explained: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit." That is, even toward one who is crushed and lowly of spirit, I will extend My help. And if you say: a cypress bears no fruit, so there is a drawback? He immediately counters: "From Me is your fruit found." With Me it will not be like the cypress in that respect; rather, I will bend down to you and you will also find fruit from Me.
The Malbim explains that the prophet mentions Ephraim specifically because it was primarily Ephraim who served avodah zarah and fashioned the golden calves. Now he will recognize that idolatry is completely empty. Hashem says: "I have answered him and observed him" - I will answer their prayers and watch over them from afar. What will I answer them? "I am like a leafy cypress tree." I am like a cypress whose branches are abundant and widespread, its foliage eternally fresh. What does this mean? Anyone sitting beneath it is always in the shade. There are trees that shed their leaves in winter, making it impossible to sit in their shelter; Hashem says: by contrast, I will be a shield and buckler for you always. Thus, according to Rashi and the Radak, the image of the leafy cypress represents branches bending down toward us - Hashem inclining Himself to us. According to the Malbim, it represents evergreen branches that never shed their leaves, meaning you will always have shelter. One who takes refuge in Me will find protection, says the Malbim, from all the hazards of the times, at all moments. And "from Me is your fruit found" means from Me you will receive both physical and spiritual fruit; Hashem is, as it were, the fruit of the Tree of Life.
"Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is prudent, let him know them; for the ways of Hashem are straight, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." Whoever is wise among them, let him reflect and pay close attention to everything with which I have now rebuked you. "For the ways of Hashem are straight, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." This means the rebellious stumble through failing to walk in them, as Rashi explains. There is a difficulty here: if the ways of Hashem are straight, why do the rebellious stumble in them? The meaning is: when Hashem commands a mitzvah, if you fulfill it, fortunate are you - the righteous walk in it. The wicked person does not fulfill that same mitzvah, so the rebellious one stumbles through it. That very mitzvah served as a merit for you, but as a stumbling block for him. This is Rashi's explanation, the plain understanding: the rebellious stumble in them because they refuse to observe the mitzvah Hashem commanded.
The Radak explains that "whoever is wise, let him understand these things" is the verse that seals the Book of Hoshea. Since Hoshea is concluding his prophecy, he says: whoever is wise, let him understand "these things" - meaning all the prophecies throughout these fourteen chapters that I have prophesied up to this point. "For the ways of Hashem are straight." What does this mean? The Radak explains that there were people who claimed, "The way of Hashem is not just," as mentioned in Ezekiel. Hashem answers: "Is My way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?" Yet they maintained that Hashem's way was supposedly crooked. The prophet tells them: know that if you return in complete teshuvah, Hashem will not remember any of the abominations you committed. "And the righteous walk in them" - all will recognize and know that all His ways are justice. That is, if they see a righteous person suffering or a wicked person prospering, they will have no questions. True servants of Hashem recognize that everything is truth. Why, then, does a righteous person suffer? As we explained, it is very possible that in his innermost heart he is not entirely righteous, or he committed a minor infraction for which the Holy One, blessed be He, collects payment in this world, or He chastises him for his own good to grant him reward in the World to Come. And when a wicked person prospers, the righteous person knows it is very likely that the wicked person performed some minor good deed, and Hashem pays him his reward in this world so as to destroy him in the World to Come, as Moshe Rabbeinu said, "and repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them." Thus, "the righteous walk in them." "But the rebellious stumble in them" - the transgressor, when seeing what appears to be disorder, a righteous person suffering and a wicked person prospering, stumbles over it. From this he draws the mistaken conclusion that either there is no Creator or the Holy One, blessed be He, does not govern His world with justice, Heaven forbid. Consequently, this apparent disorder brings him to ruin: "the rebellious stumble in them." When the transgressor witnesses this apparent lack of order in the world, it leads him to stumbling and heresy.
The Radak cites another explanation in the name of his father, an exquisite and deeply truthful insight into "the rebellious stumble in them." He explains that when transgressors return to the path of Hashem, they face a very different challenge than the righteous. What is the difference between them? The righteous person has ingrained habit; he has been attached to Hashem from his youth. The wicked person, by contrast, has wandered along broken paths until now, and only now is he returning in teshuvah. He is in desperate need of a GPS; without one, he will hopelessly lose his way! What does this mean? If a transgressor repents without guidance, without a rabbi to direct him, without a paved road, he will most likely stumble. This is what the verse means by "the rebellious stumble in them" - along the very paths where the righteous walk straight. Why? Because the righteous person has guidance, tradition, and a received path, walking along an established and paved road, whereas the rebellious stumble in them. This explains why we often see people become baalei teshuvah and later abandon observance. What happened? "The rebellious stumble in them." Because he was not accustomed to this path and did not acquire a rav to direct him properly, he stumbled. But if one repents wholeheartedly with a pure heart and receives proper guidance along the right path, there is no doubt that he too will reach the stature of the righteous, never stumbling, and his path will be straight and paved.
The Malbim explains this based on principles we elaborated upon at length in Sefer Mishlei: that there is a difference between wisdom (chochmah) and knowledge (da'at). Wisdom, the Malbim explains, must be received from a prophet, from Hashem. Wisdom consists of axioms that cannot be proven by independent logic. The path of Hashem, the path of morality, cannot be deduced by proof alone. You argue one thing, and someone else says, "No, I understand it differently." You claim this is moral, and another argues that the exact opposite is more moral - as seen today in political debates between the right and the left, where each side claims morality is on its side. We have no way to attain ultimate wisdom except through Hashem, through a prophet who instructs us in what is proper and true. Understanding (binah), on the other hand, means deducing one thing from another. I contemplate, and from that I understand additional matters; I delve deeper and infer further conclusions. A person can arrive at conclusions even in matters where he lacks a direct tradition from his teachers, through contemplation - through logical deduction. By possessing first principles, one derives one concept from another and reaches conclusions about things he never explicitly studied. But take note: in an area where a person has no premises, no foundational starting points, how can he deduce one thing from another? To derive one concept from another, one must first possess an initial premise, and from it infer other things. But if you have no premise - meaning you never received the fundamentals - how can you draw conclusions about additional matters? Therefore, regarding matters to which the human intellect has no independent access, says the Malbim - such as knowing Hashem's conduct, divine providence, and the deep matters of divinity - man cannot comprehend them through pure intellect. He requires foundational premises received through the ways of wisdom. If a person possesses these, he can comprehend, infer one thing from another, and delve deeply into them. This is what the verse means: "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things." The laws of wisdom, as noted, cannot be independently proven; so "whoever is wise, let him understand these things" - how can you reach understanding (binah) if you do not first possess wisdom (chochmah)? You must possess wisdom, which is received from a wise teacher and a prophet, and only afterward "let him understand these things." Only then can you reach understanding. If you lack wisdom and fundamentals, upon what will you contemplate? What will you reflect upon? You have no foundation. "Whoever is prudent, let him know them" - by contrast, one who possesses the laws of wisdom can contemplate, and through understanding he will arrive at knowledge (da'at). What is da'at? We explained that da'at is clear, definitive knowledge. Da'at is like mathematics: 2 + 2 = 4; that is da'at, something verified by undeniable proof. Thus, that which was initially accepted merely as tradition - received from a sage and a prophet without prior independent knowledge - will, through contemplation and deep reflection, transform into definitive, absolute knowledge, like mathematics. After deep contemplation, one reaches knowledge so clear and absolute that it is as though he perceived it with his own physical senses. What one perceives through the senses is da'at - clear, absolute knowledge. Therefore he says: "whoever is prudent, let him know them." Why? "For the ways of Hashem are straight." That is, all the complaints people raise against divine providence - that there is supposedly disorder in the world, the righteous suffering and the wicked prospering, making it seem chaotic and devoid of providence - one who possesses the tradition of wisdom received from a prophet knows that the Holy One, blessed be He, does everything for the good. He will understand and know that Hashem's ways are entirely straight. What appears to us as improper or unjust stems from those who are governed: people corrupted their ways, and therefore they warranted a conduct of retribution. The rebellious stumble along the very paths where the upright walk smoothly on account of their good conduct. That is, the path itself is straight; it is up to you to decide whether to walk uprightly or to deviate. This is the meaning of "the ways of Hashem are straight; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." What does it mean that they stumble? The transgressor chooses to deviate from the path, and the moment he deviates, he is stricken and punished. The righteous walk in them and do not stumble. The Malbim explains that this addresses those who complained about the exile and the punishments Hashem inflicted upon His people, making it seem as though Hashem abandoned them to blind fate: "Whoever is wise" - if one is wise and discerning, he will know that everything is directed by Hashem's providence, that Hashem's ways are straight, that the righteous who walk uprightly receive good, and the wicked receive retribution. When you see them suffering, it is because they deviated from Hashem's path and from proper conduct, and consequently they were punished.
Having mentioned this verse, we may recall a fascinating anecdote involving the Noda BiYehudah. It is told that the Noda BiYehudah was among the Misnagdim, and in one of his responsa he directed a sharp remark toward the Chassidim. If I recall correctly, it concerned the proper time for reciting the Shema. He wrote: "The ways of Hashem are straight, the righteous walk in them, and the Chassidim stumble in them." This was his phrasing, intending to rebuke the Chassidim over an issue where he felt they were lax regarding the appointed time for Shema, so that it became a stumbling block for them. Now, the printers were sympathetic to Chassidut. When they saw that he wrote "and the Chassidim stumble in them," they emended the text, reasoning: "Shall we alter Scripture? The verse says: 'and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them'!" At least that way, the Chassidim would not be singled out. When the printed book reached the Noda BiYehudah and he saw that they had altered what he wrote, he remarked: "Look at the difference between me and them! I took the 'rebellious' of the verse and elevated them to 'Chassidim.' But they took the 'Chassidim' that I wrote, and turned them into 'rebellious'! You erased 'Chassid' and made him a 'rebellious sinner'; I took sinners and called them Chassidim!"
We have concluded Sefer Hoshea, the first of the books of Trei Asar. Just as we have concluded this book, so may Hashem grant us the merit to learn and to teach, to observe, to perform, and to fulfill, and to serve Him with a whole heart. Amen and Amen.