The Remnant of Jacob Like Dew - Gideon's Chosen and the Dew of Resurrection

It is written, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the LORD" (Micah 5:6). "And the remnant of Jacob" — these are the remnant of whom the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to Elijah, "Yet I will leave in Israel seven thousand" (1 Kings 19:18). And these are the very ones who were singled out in the days of Gideon, at the moment when he said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken — behold, I am setting out a fleece of wool" (Judges 6:36–37). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I have written, "I will be like dew to Israel" (Hosea 14:6), yet you say, "and upon all the ground let there be dryness" (Judges 6:37) — is it possible that I do not do so? How do we know? For it is not written here, "And God did so," but rather "And it was so" (Judges 6:38) — it came about of itself. But when he said, "Let there be dryness upon the fleece alone" (Judges 6:39), immediately "And God did so on that day" (Judges 6:40). Why? Because thus it is written, "I will be like dew to Israel." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will refine them for you there" (Judges 7:4). "And the number of those who lapped was…" (Judges 7:6). Those who knelt upon their knees to drink water — willing or unwilling — were bowing down to idolatry. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "By the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver you" (Judges 7:7). For those who did not bow down arose. Of these He says, "Yet I will leave in Israel seven thousand" (1 Kings 19:18), and of them He says, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be… like dew from the LORD" — for the dew is a sign of the resurrection of the dead. And so Isaiah says, "Your dead shall live, my corpses shall arise… for your dew is a dew of lights" (Isaiah 26:19). Rav Aristi said in the name of Rabbi Berekhiah: Isaiah cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Your dead shall live" — that one who was put to death by hanging, why? Because he circumcised his son; and this one who was burned, why? Because he kept the Sabbath; and this one who was slain, why? Because he read in the Torah. Concerning that one He says, "my corpses shall arise." Another interpretation: "And the remnant of Jacob…" Rabbi Pinchas ben Chama said: Israel said to Him, "You make us like dew." He said to them: When you are meritorious. This is what Scripture says, "And Israel dwelt in safety, alone, the fountain of Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:28). You find that even the righteous do not rule over the dew — only the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself. Would you know this? At the time when Elijah arose and said, "There shall be neither dew nor rain these years" (1 Kings 17:1), the Holy One, blessed be He, did not heed him, but the dew kept descending. How do we know? From what He says to Elijah, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain" (1 Kings 18:1). "Dew" is not written here, but rather, "and I will give rain upon the face of the earth." From here we learn that the dew kept descending throughout all that time, from the Holy One, blessed be He — to teach you that no man rules over the dew, only the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel: When you do My will, just as no creature rules over the dew, so no creature rules over you, as it is said, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be… like dew from the LORD."