​Parashat Bamidbar-Shavuot 5784, 2024: “And I will Betroth You to Me Forever”

 








​


Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
This week’s haftarah concludes with two of the best-known pasukim in Sefer Hoshea:
And I will betroth (v’arastich) you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know Hashem. (2:21-22, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
This three-fold repetition of the term “v’arastich” foretells the time when the intimacy characterized by a loving husband – wife relationship will be completely restored between the Almighty and our people.
 
The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, 1512-1609) underscores the everlasting nature of the bond that will exist between Hashem and our nation:

The connection that will exist in the future between the Holy One blessed be He and the Jewish people will be eternal (yi’yeh l’netzach), [that is,] this link will never cease nor be severed… It is in this sense that the prophet Hoshea said: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy.” Behold, the prophet explicitly stated that this connection, that is, “the betrothal,” will be everlasting in nature… (This and the following quotations, Sefer Netzach Yisrael, chapter 47, translations and brackets my own.)
 
In the Maharal’s opinion, the central features of this relationship are symbolized by the repetition of the phrase “v’arastich”:

And in this passage, we find the word, “v’arastich” repeated three times… [A person must] realize that this future connection entails three different aspects. Firstly, it will be permanent in nature. Secondly, the Jewish people will cleave to all of the behavioral characteristics (middot) of the Holy One. Lastly, this bond will be all-inclusive (chibur gamur).
 
The Maharal explains how each repetition of v’arastich supports the essential ideas of the new relationship:
​
“And I will betroth you to Me forever” proves that the connection will be eternal. In addition, the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy.” Each of these qualities is mentioned, since they…encapsulate the middot of Hashem [that the Jewish people will develop and master] … Afterwards the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith (b’emunah), and you shall know Hashem.” This proves that the new relationship will be all-inclusive.
 
Based upon a careful reading of our two verses, one may question why Hoshea needed to state the third instance of v’arastich, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith,” which focuses upon the chibur gamur motif. After all, would not the second phrase of v’arastich have led one to this conclusion? Apparently the Maharal wrestled with this problem, as we find in his keen analysis:
 
The notion of the new relationship being one of chibur gamur (all-inclusive) is an idea that stands on its own (ma’a’lah bifnei atzmo), since when the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy,” this only teaches us that the Jewish nation will cleave to the Blessed One with all of these middot… Therefore, the prophet proclaims, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith,” as this phrase suggests the concept of a complete and total connection [to Hashem].
 
Chazal established the calendar in such a manner as to ensure that the public reading of our haftarah frequently precedes the Festival of Shavuot. Based upon their divinely inspired wisdom, they understood that there is a close association between this portion from Hoshea and the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. With the Maharal as our guide, we find that the link between nevuat Hoshea and Shavuot becomes quite clear: Both Hashem and the Jewish people ultimately yearn for an intimate and permanent relationship based on the Almighty’s never-ending tzedek, mishpat, chesed and rachamim, and our desire to emulate these actions. May we achieve these holy heights soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav

---