We're diving into Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 2, which is like a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations and stories drawn from the Torah and the Prophets. What's so fascinating is how it wrestles with moments of apparent divine abandonment and finds, woven within them, the seeds of eventual redemption.
The passage starts with a quote from (osea 2:1), a verse brimming with transformation: "It will be that instead of it being said of them: [You are not My people], it will be said of them: [Children of the living God]." It's a staggering reversal! But where did this "You are not My people" idea even come from?
Well, the text points us back to the infamous episode of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32). Remember that? Moses is up on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah, and the Israelites, feeling abandoned and impatient, melt down their jewelry to create a golden idol. A huge betrayal! And according to our passage, it was at this moment, in the wake of this terrible sin, that God refers to them as "Moses' people" – a distancing, a severing of the bond. "Go, descend, as your people have become corrupted" (Exodus 32:7). Ouch.
But Moses, ever the advocate, jumps into action. He prays, he pleads, he argues with God. The text describes Moses' prayer as "girding his loins," suggesting an intense, almost physical exertion in his supplication. What's so interesting is the analogy the text uses to describe the situation: a king who finds his wife kissing a servant. The king, understandably furious, wants to divorce her. But the servant advises the king to reconsider because the wife might still bear him mighty sons. The implication? Even from a compromised situation, something good can still emerge.
Moses, in a similar vein, challenges God. He asks, "The calf that Israel crafted, does it assist You? Does it cause rains to fall...?" In other words, what threat does this idol really pose? As the text continues, Moses reminds God of His covenant with Abraham, urging Him to remember His promises. And, as we know, it works! "The Lord reconsidered the evil [that He had spoken to do to His people]" (Exodus 32:14). And that, the text argues, is the turning point, the moment where the possibility of being called "Children of the living God" is reborn.
But the passage doesn't stop there. It offers another interpretation, this time linking back to the beginning of the Book of Hosea. God commands Hosea to marry a "wife of licentiousness," Gomer, and to name their children symbolic names like "Not My People" and "No Mercy" (Hosea 1). It sounds harsh, doesn't it? But Rabbi Yoḥanan sees something deeper here. He argues that if God shows such concern and even affection when He's angry, how much greater is His love when things are good?
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) illustrates this with another story: a king who is furious with his wife and declares his intention to divorce her. But then he goes to a goldsmith and commissions beautiful jewelry for her. The message is clear: despite the anger, the love is still there, simmering beneath the surface.
The passage draws similar parallels with the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Even in moments of harsh rebuke and warnings of impending doom, there are glimmers of hope, promises of reconciliation. For example, even after Isaiah proclaims, “Hear, heavens and listen, earth…they have rebelled against Me” (Isaiah 1:2), he immediately follows with God's invitation: “Let us go now and reason together…if your sins will be like scarlet, they will be whitened as snow" (Isaiah 1:18).
These stories are powerful because they speak to the complexities of relationships, both human and divine. There are moments of anger, disappointment, and even apparent abandonment. But woven within these moments are the threads of enduring love, forgiveness, and the possibility of transformation. Even when we feel most distant from God, the tradition suggests that He is still crafting jewelry for us, so to speak – preparing for the moment of reconciliation.
So, the next time you feel like you've messed up beyond repair, remember this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah. Remember the Golden Calf, remember Hosea and Gomer, remember the king and his wife. Remember that even in the darkest of times, the possibility of being called "Children of the living God" remains. It's a powerful message of hope, resilience, and the enduring power of love.
“It will be that instead of it being said of them: [You are not My people, it will be said of them: Children of the living God]” (Hosea 2:1). Where was it said of them?35Where was it said, “You are not My people.” When they performed that action,36The making of the Golden Calf. the Holy One blessed be He called them Moses’ people, as it is stated: “Go, descend, as your people have become corrupted” (Exodus 32:7). Immediately, Moses girded his loins in prayer, as it is stated: “Moses implored the Lord his God…” (Exodus 32:11). This is analogous to a king who saw his wife kissing a eunuch.37One of the king’s servants. He said to her attendant: ‘I am divorcing her, I am casting her out of my house. Let her go to her father’s house.’ He said to him: ‘Why?’ He said to him: ‘Because I found her kissing a eunuch.’ He said to him: ‘Now she will produce for you fine and mighty sons, and they will descend with you to war.’38The attendant suggests that sons begat by the eunuch will be soldiers for the king. [The king responded] ‘There is no expectation from him, he will not beget for me.’ [The attendant said:] ‘Are you angry over a matter that does not involve any benefit?’ So, “Lord, why will your wrath be enflamed against Your people…” (Exodus 32:11). Moses said to him: ‘The calf that Israel crafted, does it assist You? Does it cause rains to fall and You produce the dews?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Is there any expectation from it?’ Moses said to Him: ‘If it has no substance, why are You angry?’ “Lord, why will your wrath be enflamed against Your people…Why will [Egypt] say…Remember Abraham…” (Exodus 32:11–13). What is written thereafter? “The Lord reconsidered the evil [that He had spoken to do to His people]” (Exodus 32:14). That is, “it will be that instead of it being said of them: [You are not My people, it will be said of them: Children of the living God].” Another matter, “it will be that instead…” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is written before the matter? “Go, take for yourself a wife of licentiousness…He went and took Gomer, …and she conceived and bore him a son” (Hosea 1:2–3), and the entire matter.39Consider the whole episode of Gomer, which is found in Hosea. “Call his name Not My People, as you are not My people” (Hosea 1:9), and then, “it will be that instead of it being said of them: [You are not My people, it will be said of them: Children of the living God]” (Hosea 2:1). If, when He was angry at them, He was so fond of them; when he loves them, all the more so. To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king who became angry at his wife. He said: ‘I am divorcing her and I will not have mercy on her children. She is not my wife and I am not her husband.’ He went down to the marketplace and went to the goldsmith. He said to him: ‘Craft gold jewelry for my wife.’ His friend went and found him at the goldsmith who had crafted jewelry for his wife. He went and told her neighbors: ‘Have you not heard that the king is quarreling with his wife and he is saying in her regard: I am divorcing her? Now, I saw him at the goldsmith saying to him: Craft jewelry for my wife.’ So, when the Holy One blessed be He became angry with Israel, He said to Hosea: “Take for yourself a wife of licentiousness…”; I will not seek her, “the land will stray…” (Hosea 1:2); I will have no mercy upon her, “call her name No Mercy” (Hosea 1:6); she is not Mine and I am not hers, “as you are not My people and I will not be yours” (Hosea 1:9). Hosea said to the nations of the world: ‘What do you think? Because He said to them these matters, “as you are not My people,” that He is angry at them? See what He says to them. What is written thereafter? “It will be that instead of it being said of them: [You are not My people, it will be said of them: Children of the living God].”’ Likewise, Isaiah says: “Hear, heavens and listen, earth, [as the Lord has spoken: I have reared children and raised them up and they have rebelled against Me]” (Isaiah 1:2), “Woe, sinful nation” (Isaiah 1:4). What is written thereafter? “Let us go now and reason together, [says the Lord; if your sins will be like scarlet, they will be whitened as snow; if they will be reddened like crimson, they will be like wool]”40Undyed wool, which is white. (Isaiah 1:18). “Wash, purify…[cease performing evil” (Isaiah 1:16). To what is this matter comparable? It is to the son of a king to whom his father said: ‘Go to school.’ He went to the marketplace and he began playing with the lads. His father knew that he had not gone to school. He cursed him and sounded words of reprimand. Then he said to him: ‘Wash your hands and come dine with me.’ So, Isaiah said: “I have reared children…[and they have rebelled against Me].” When he concludes the entire matter, what does he say: “Let us go now and reason together, [says the Lord; if your sins will be like scarlet, they will be whitened as snow; if they will be reddened like crimson, they will be like wool].” Likewise Jeremiah, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “What do you see, Jeremiah? I said: [I see] a branch of an almond tree” (Jeremiah 1:11), “a steaming pot…from the north evil will be released” (Jeremiah 1:13–14). What is written thereafter? “Go, and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: [So said the Lord: I have remembered for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials]… Israel is sacred [to the Lord…]” (Jeremiah 2:2–3). This is analogous to a king who took a wife. He would say there is none fairer than she, there is none more praiseworthy than she, there is none more level-headed than she. Her attendant entered the house and saw her repulsive, the house untidy, the beds unmade. Her attendant said: ‘If only you would have heard how your husband has praised you in the marketplace. That praise is not consistent with these actions.’ The attendant said: ‘If when she is repulsive he praises her so, were she proper, all the more so.’ So, Jeremiah’s generation were sinners, and he says to them: “I have remembered for you the kindness of your youth…” (Jeremiah 2:2). Jeremiah said: ‘If only you would hear what He is saying about you: “Go, and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: So said the Lord: I have remembered for you the kindness of your youth…Israel is sacred [to the Lord].”’ He said: ‘If when they are sinning so, He is fond of them, when they are performing His will, all the more so.’ Here, too, “you are not My people…” What is written thereafter? “It will be that instead […it will be said of them: Children of the living God]” (Hosea 2:1).
