Bamidbar: Eternal Faith, Eternal Love 

Hoshea 2:1-22

וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִי֙ בְּצֶ֣דֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּ֔ט וּבְחֶ֖סֶד וּֽבְרַחֲמִֽים׃ 

And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness and mercy,

וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י בֶּאֱמוּנָ֑ה וְיָדַ֖עַתְּ אֶת־ה’׃ 

And I will betroth you with faithfulness; then you shall know Hashem.

These verses from Hoshea are familiar as they are recited when binding Tefillin. They describe the covenant that binds us to Hashem, our G-d. In His spousal role, Hashem outlines the elements of commitment He will demonstrate to us, His people, in our eternal relationship. What are the components of our Divine marriage?

The Malbim interprets  צֶ֣דֶק, righteousness as the willingness to go beyond the letter of the law while מִשְׁפָּ֔ט, justice means following the letter of the law.  In a lasting relationship, one goes out of the way for the other but has low expectations in return. Kindness, חֶ֖סֶד, is giving to the other, showering the one you love with as much as you can share.  Mercy, רחמים, according to the Maharal is being there for one another in a time of crisis or difficulty.  

Why,, then, is the fifth element in a separate posuk?  What is it about faith that it stands on its own but is only mentioned after an affirmation of the relationship?  The simple translation of the word אֱמוּנָ֑ה is faith.  The Radak however explains that in this Divine relationship, אֱמוּנָ֑ה connotes an eternal relationship, one that is predicated on trust.  The root of the word אֱמוּנָ֑ה is א-מ-ן, as used in the verse in Megillat Esther, וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙, “and he (Mordechai) raised Hadassah, that is Esther.” The more accurate translation of this posuk is that he nurtured Esther, committed himself to her every need and as such, Esther relied and depended on Mordechai to protect and care for her.  By presenting faith as separate from the other four principles of marriage, Hoshea tells us that to achieve longevity in our Divine relationship, we must have faith in Hashem, and Hashem in us.  

In these times of crisis and upheaval, knowing that Hashem is committed to an eternal relationship provides us with the fundamental faith to persevere. May Hashem protect the people of Israel, His Eternal Love.