Flowering Faith 

This week’s Haftorah is familiar to us as part of the readings of the Haftorot of Shabbat Shuva and Tisha B’Av afternoon. The following posuk is found in this Haftorah, אֶהְיֶ֤ה כַטַּל֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִפְרַ֖ח כַּשּׁוֹשַׁנָּ֑ה וְיַ֥ךְ שׇׁרָשָׁ֖יו כַּלְּבָנֽוֹן׃, ⁦I will be to Israel like dew; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like a Lebanon tree. 

The metaphors in this posuk are replete with messages and meaning. The שושנה according to the Malbim, is a flower whose seeds fly in the wind, spreading far and wide. Just as these seeds take root in their new environment and flourish, the exiled Jewish people are able to create new communities and rebuild. 

Once these communities launch, how are they sustained? The Gemara,Taanit 4b, describes this process with a poignant dialogue: אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּתִּי אַתְּ שׁוֹאֶלֶת דָּבָר שֶׁפְּעָמִים מִתְבַּקֵּשׁ וּפְעָמִים אֵינוֹ מִתְבַּקֵּשׁ אֲבָל אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָךְ דָּבָר הַמִּתְבַּקֵּשׁ לְעוֹלָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״אֶהְיֶה כַטַּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל״. The Holy One Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: My daughter, you request the manifestation of My Presence by comparing Me to a matter, rain, that is sometimes desired, but is sometimes undesired, e.g., during the summer. However, I will be to you like a matter that is always desired, dew, as it is stated: “I will be as the dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:6), since dew appears in all seasons and is invariably a blessing.

Even though most days, we don’t actually see the morning dew, we know how necessary it is to sustain our world. Just as Hashem is not visible, we have faith that His presence is ever-present. While we may feel lost through the travels and travails of exile, Hoshea closes his prophetic book with the reassurance that ‘כִּֽי־יְשָׁרִ֞ים דַּרְכֵ֣י ה, for the ways of Hashem are straight.