[Avodah] Hoshea verse

[Stuart Feldhamer]

You're reading it correctly, except the distinction is more between good
things and bad things.  Essentially the Jews are being compared to a wayward
woman who is cheating on her husband.  Hoshea is furthermore being
symbolically asked to take a wife who will be unfaithful to him, just as the
Jews are unfaithful to Hashem who loves them. Hoshea is then to tell her
that she can no longer sleep around, but he will also not be with her. The
nimshal in pasuk 4 (which you quoted) is that in the future, the Jews will
not have either G-d or their avodah zarah to lean upon. They will realize
that the avodah zara is worthless and G-d won't help them either. Sort of
like a parent that says, "well if you can't make up your mind, then you'll
get neither". Then eventually they will finally realize that they should
have been faithful to G-d all along (Pasuk 5).

 

Stuart

 

From: avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org
[mailto:avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org] On Behalf Of Silverman, Philip B
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:52 AM
To: avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Subject: [Avodah] Hoshea verse

 

Maybe the chevra can answer a question I have on a verse in Hoshea.

 

"For the children of Israel shall remain for many days without king, and
without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod
or teraphim." -- Hoshea 3:4

 

The list of things we Jews will be without for generations appears to be
jumbled up. It mixes up things we're /sad*/ don't exist with things we're
/glad*/ don't exist.  Why is that?  (*If these assessments are mistaken, let
me know.)

 

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