Parshat Vayeitzei
The final chapters of the Book of Hoshea from which our haftarah is taken, reflect the basic theme of the entire book, that of teshuva, which explains why the last verses are included in the haftarot of both Shabbat Shuva and Yom Kippur. Although Hoshea, a contemporary of the navi Yishayahu, addresses his words to the soon-to-be-exiled Northern Kingdom, the region in which he himself lived, he has choice words of admonition for the Southern Kingdom of Yehuda as well.
Hoshe’a opens his words by bringing us back to the era of the forefathers and to the events recorded in our sedra. He reminds the nation that Yaakov worked and protected “shamar,” Lavan’s sheep in order to take in his beloved intended, Rachel, to his home. Using that same root word, the prophet reminds Israel that Hashem, through His prophet, also “worked” by protecting “nishmar,” His beloved nation and releasing them from the Egyptian bondage, in order to bring them to His “home.” And yet, Israel, bemoans Hoshea, Israel, as opposed to the faithful Rachel, forgot Hashem’s protection and kindnesses, and turned to other “gods.”
HaRav Yehuda Shavit, however, takes a unique view of these words of Hoshea, focusing specifically upon that same “root” word “sh.m.r.” Rav Shavit reminds us of the opening story in Parashat Vayeishev that relates the growing friction within Yaakov’s family, friction that was amplified by Yosef’s dreams of grandeur. Although Yaakov publicly dismissed the dreams—even berating Yosef for sharing them, the text closes the story with the words “v”aviv shamar et hadavar,” “and his father remembered the matter.” Commenting on that word “shamar” (root: “sh.m.r.”), Rashi contends that the word does not simply mean that Jacob remembered the dreams of his son but that he looked forward to them being realized. In other words, “shamar” should be understood as the father’s longing and yearning for the fruition of Yosef’s dreams
Based upon this approach, Rav Shavit suggests that the navi Hoshea was telling the people that, just as Yaakov longed for his soon-to-wife, and yearned to join with her so God longs for His beloved nation and yearns for them to return to Him! The nation’s perfidy in their abandonment of Hashem would condemn them to suffer God’s punishments, as Hoshea tells them. But perhaps equally tragic was their ignorance of how much Hashem desired them to return to Him and how He longed for their closeness. The harsh words of the navi that Hashem, the protector of His “sheep” will be forced to become its destroyer (“…I shall devour them like a lion…”) stands in contrast to the words of Yaakov to Lavan that, in all the years, he never brought back a torn lamb to his father-in-law. Yet underlying these punishments was the painful reluctance of God to chastise the nation He loves, and does so only so that they would eventually understand, repent and return.
Only when we understand this message of how Hashem is “shomer”—protecting AND yearning for—his nation, can we appreciate the closing pesukim calling for Israel to repair the rift.
Hoshea’s cry “Shuva Yisrael,” urging Israel to return, fittingly echoes the word of God to Israel/Jacob found in the parsha: “shuv el eretz avotecha,” “return to your ancestral land.” In truth, our return to God will be fully realized with our return to “Eretz Avotecha,” our ancestral land.
And all we need to do is look at the massive return to Israel and the miracle of its survival and growth in order to see how much our “Shomer” has longed for us.
Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Fort Lee, and now lives in Israel.
