Haftarah of Parshat Vayetze - 5761

Traditions of the various communities differ with regard to what selection from the Prophets to read as the Haftarah for Parshat Vayetze.

The entire Sephardic Community begins with Hoshea 11:7, "And My People are in doubt about returning to Me…"  Most Sephardim conclude the Haftarah with Hoshea 12:12, where Hoshea prophecies the fate of the idol-worshipping cults of the Kingdom of Ephraim, "their altars shall be as heaps in the furrows of the field."  A minority of Sephardic Communities continue through 13:5, "I made you aware (that I am G-d) in the desert, in a thirsty land."

Ashkenazim begin at Hoshea 12:13, with the verse that is the clearest link to the Parshah (for more, see below), "And Yaakov fled to the fields of Aram…" And they continue till the end of the Book of Hoshea, which is the end of the first section of the Haftarah of  Shabbat Shuvah, at 14:10, "Whoever is wise will understand these, a discerning person will know them, for the ways of HaShem are just - the righteous will walk in them, but  sinners will stumble on them."

Introduction

The Prophet Hoshea

Hoshea "belonged" to a group of "Minor Prophets," called that only by virtue of the quantity, not the quality of their prophetic legacy. This group was called the "Trei Asar," which means in Aramaic the number twelve. As a group, they rebuked the Jewish People about their continuous idol-worship and, possibly worse, for their worship of Hashem with the proper outward trappings, but with none of the required inwardness, reducing their great religion to a mockery and a meaningless shell of ritual. They also harshly criticized the people for their lack of social justice, whereby they trampled upon the rights of the underprivileged. And yet another great theme was their reliance on foreign nations for their salvation, rather than upon Hashem, Who had stood by them always and saved them from Egypt, the Seven Nations, Amalek and on and on.

Hoshea is a Prophet of extreme emotion. In this Haftarah, he portrays Hashem's legitimate anger against His People as that of a "she-bear who has lost her young, who rips open the heart of her enemy, and as a young lion, devouring its prey." (Hoshea 13:8)

Yet, on the other hand, his Book is called the Book of Love, because it contains such expressions as "I will be like the dew for Israel" (Hoshea 14:6), "And let us know; let us pursue the goal of knowing Hashem as the dawn, and it will come to us as the rain, the late and the early rain, entering the earth." (Hoshea 6:3) And the expressions of engagement recited daily as we put on the "Tefilin shel Yad," near the heart, "And I will betroth you unto Me forever, and I will betroth you unto Me in righteousness and justice, and with kindness, and with mercy, and you will know Hashem." (Hoshea 2:21-22)

A Summary of the Haftarah

Verses 11:7 - 11:11

The Prophet Hoshea describes the hesitation of the Jewish People to return to HaShem, at the time of the Redemption.  HaShem will therefore assure them that He has not forgotten their special relationship, and that He will choose no other city besides Yerushalayim.  He will not continue to punish the Kingdom of Ephraim, that had sinned most grievously.

He will roar like a lion, and the Jewish People will comes to Him out of the Exile.  They will flock to Him as birds returning to their coops.

Chapter 12

HaShem compares and contrasts the Kingdoms of Ephraim (Israel) and the Kingdom of Yehudah.  Both have sinned against Him.  But Ephraim has been by far the worse.  They have attempted to surround HaShem with lies and deceit, while Yehudah has been more faithful.

Ephraim made alliances with Ashur and Mitzrayim, instead of relying upon the saving power of their G-d.  The Kingdom of Yehudah sinned as well, and will be punished for its sins.

But HaShem gave special strengths to the People of Israel, as shown by the ability of Yaakov to grasp tightly the heel of Esav, while still in the womb.  And even more, by his ability to wrestle with an Angel, the Heavenly Guardian of Esav, and defeat him, until the Angel, as it were, cried for mercy.

The Kingdom of Ephraim attempts to emulate the Nations of Canaan, in their thievery and corruption.  Yet Ephraim says, "I am innocent; no sin can be found in my behavior!"

HaShem reminds the Jewish People of His many kindnesses to them, beginning with taking them out of Egypt, the House of Bondage, and protecting them in the desert.  He poured the Prophetic Spirit onto hundreds of Prophets and thousands of  "Children," or  disciples of the Prophets.

Yet the kings who ruled over the Kingdom of Ephraim responded to those kindnesses by establishing numberless cults of idol worship.

The Patriarch Yaakov fled to Aram and labored there for the love of a woman, and for the love of that woman, he guarded sheep.  Likewise, HaShem, as it were, went down into Egypt and labored with the Jewish People for His love of them, and redeemed them and guarded them by His Prophet, Moshe.

Yet Ephraim has provoked HaShem most bitterly; therefore his blood will be cast upon him, and the contempt that he showed to HaShem, HaShem will show to him.

Chapter 13

Hoshea continues to pour out the devastating wrath of HaShem upon the Kingdom of Ephraim:

HaShem gave them a leader who had the potential of greatness, Yeravam ben Nevat.  But, in his arrogance, Yeravam betrayed HaShem, and the People whom he was responsible to lead, and set up Calves for them to worship, and forbade their traveling to Yerushalayim.

And the People added to his sins, by instituting other cults of image-worship; images that they fashioned out of silver, and they kissed idols whose cults practiced human sacrifice.

Therefore, says HaShem, they will be blown away, like chaff in the wind, and as smoke coming from a window.

HaShem reminds them again that He took them out of Egypt, that He is their only G-d, and He provided evidence for them to know Him, by His protection in the desert.

Yet they, cattle-like, fed, were self-satisfied, and their pride rose within them, and forgot the One Who had provided for them.

HaShem, in desperation, as it were, says "I will be like a leopard against them, like a female bear who has lost her cubs who rips open their hearts, and will devour them like a female lion, and leaves their carcasses for the wild beasts."

You asked inappropriately for Kings, so I gave you inappropriate Kings.

Your sin is stored up, and cannot be erased!

You want me to save you from death, and from the grave.  What nerve!  Come, death!  Come, grave, and have your way with them!

Let a mighty east wind dry up their source and make like the desert their spring!

Chapter 14

Verse 14:1

Hoshea lets out one last almost intolerable blast at the Kingdom of Ephraim, before he will call upon them for Repentance:

"Shomron shall bear her guilt,
For she has rebelled against her G-d;
They shall fall by the sword;
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant women shall be disemboweled."  

Verses 14:2-10

After all that deserved punishment, miraculously there is still hope for the People of Israel, and that is by means of "Teshuvah," Repentance.

"Return, O Israel, unto the L-rd your G-d,
For you have stumbled in your iniquity."  

And, if you do, 

"I will be as dew unto Israel;
He shall blossom as the lily,
And cast forth his roots as Lebanon." 

"His branches shall spread,
And his beauty shall be as the olive tree,
And his fragrance as Lebanon." 

"They that dwell under His shadow 
Shall again make corn to grow,
And shall blossom as the vine;
The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon."  

"Ephraim shall say,
'What have I to do with idols?'
As for Me, I respond and look on him,
'I am like a leafy cypress-tree;
From Me is your fruit found.' "  

"Whoever is wise, let him understand these things,
The one who is prudent, let him know them.
For the ways of the L-rd are right,
And the just do walk in them;
But transgressors do stumble in them."  

Connections

• In the Parshah, as was mentioned above, we find Yaakov fleeing to Charan, to the house of his uncle, the wicked Lavan, because Esav has expressed his desire to kill him, and in order to fulfill the command of his mother.

In the Haftarah, we find a reference to this event in the words "And Yaakov fled to the fields of Aram;…" (Hoshea 12:13)

• In the Parshah, Yaakov requests as the wage of seven years of his labor the hand of Lavan's daughter, Rachel.  When Lavan switches Leah for Rachel, Yaakov works another seven years for Rachel.

In the Haftarah, there is a reference to the above in the words, from the same verse as cited above, Hoshea 12:13, "…And Yaakov labored for the hand of a woman…"

• In the Parshah, we find Yaakov working for twenty years as a shepherd for Lavan.

In the Haftarah, once again, not to abuse this "passuk," but in 12:13, there is also a reference to the kind of work that Yaakov did, "…and for the sake of a woman, did he guard the sheep."

Also in the next verse, Hoshea 12:14, we find a reference to the major work of Moshe Rabbeinu; that is, to be a faithful shepherd for the People of Israel, "And by a Prophet,  did HaShem bring out the People of Israel from Egypt, and by a Prophet were they guarded."

• In Parshat VaYishlach (Bereshit 32:25-30), we will find the struggle of Yaakov with "Saro shel Esav," the Heavenly Guardian of Esav, from which Yaakov emerges victorious.

In the Haftarah, there is a reference to this struggle of Yaakov, in Verses Hoshea 12:4-5, "…And in his strength he bested an Angel.  And he overpowered an Angel and was victorious; the Angel wept, and pleaded with him…"

• In the Parshah, there are numerous references to the deceitful practices of Lavan; switching Leah for Rachel, switching in other ways Yaakov's salary, many times.

In the Haftarah, the Kingdom of Israel is accused of adopting the deceitful practices of the Canaanites (Hoshea 12:8-9)

• In the Parshah, and in surrounding Parshiyot, Yaakov gains the reputation of being the "Ish HaEmet," the Man of Truth, par excellence.  This is in accord with the basic nature of the Jewish People.

However, in the Haftarah, Yaakov stands in stark contrast to the Jewish People, his descendants, who are easily swayed to idol-worship, cheating of the poor, and to the sin of attributing none of their success to G-d.

• In Parshat Eikev, Devarim 8:10, the Torah states the proper attitude of a human being towards eating and being satisfied, "And you will eat and be satisfied, and bless HaShem Your G-d, for the productive Land that He has given you."

In the Haftarah,  in 13:6, Hoshea portrays the attitude of the citizens of the Kingdom of Israel, "And as they ate (using the term 'ke-maritam,' the word used for an animal eating), and they became satisfied, their hearts were raised up; therefore, they forgot Me.

• In Parshat Toldot, Yaakov is blessed by his father, "And may the L-rd give you from the dew of heaven and from the fat places of the earth, and abundant grain and wine" (Bereshit 27:28), where dew symbolizes permanence.

In the Haftarah, the residents of the Kingdom of Israel are told by the Prophet Hoshea that they will be like the "early dew that evaporates" (Hoshea 13:3),  symbolizing fleetingness and impermanence.

Conclusion

A key element in the Haftarah is the Section beginning "Return, O Israel unto the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your sin." The Prophet declares the tremendous power of Teshuvah, for even if a person commits a sin on purpose, if he or she does Teshuvah, the deed will be viewed by Hashem as accidental.

Why was Hoshea selected as the Prophet who would give the "Teshuvah Drashah" to the People of Israel?

Rabbi Moshe Weissman, author of "The Weekly Haftaros," published, appropriately for this Shabbat by Benei Yaakov Publishers (Bklyn., N.Y.), cites a Midrash which first notes that Hoshea ben Beeri was a member of the Tribe of Reuven. It then proceeds to answer the question posed by focusing on the events surrounding the sale of Yoseph by his brothers. At a critical moment, just before the sale, Reuven is absent. Where was he? According to the Midrash, he was engaged in Teshuvah for his sin of involving himself, for the sake of his mother, in his father's private affairs. And the Torah itself testifies that Reuven wanted to pull Yoseph out of the pit and return him to his father.

For his pure intentions, Reuven was rewarded with having one of his descendants, the Prophet Hoshea, deliver the Message of Teshuvah to the Jewish People.

Rabbi Pinchas Frankel