Quotation zu Hoschea 14:11

Man or woman, who does any of the sins etc. - Rabi Abahu says (Hosea 14:8): 'Those that dwell under His shadow' those are the gerim that come and have love for the shadow of the Holy One of Blessing. 'They shall grow as grain' in [the study of] Talmud. 'Shall blossom as vine' in [the study of] Aggadah. 'His memory/scent shall be as the wine of Lebanon' - said the Holy One of Blessing: "The appreciation of the gerim is as dear to me as the wine that was poured on the altar [as libation.]" And why does He call it [the altar] Lebanon (root LVN)? Because it whitens (maLViN) the sins of Israel like snow, as it is written (Isaiah 1:18) 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai says: because all the hearts (LeVavot) become happy due to it. As it says (Psalms 48:2): 'Fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth.' And the rabbis say - because of the verse (II Kings 9:3) 'and My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.' Another interpretation: 'they will grow as grain' - they will make the essence, they are like Israel; as it is said (Zechariah 9:17) 'grain [for] the young men [of Israel]'. 'They shall blossom as vine', as [just like] Israel, as it says (Psalms 80:9) 'You plucked a vine from Egypt.' And so you find that, just as a portion of the Torah was written regarding one Israel and another - that if he misappropriated something of him, that he is obligated to a sacrifice, as it is written (Leviticus 5:21) 'If any one sin, and commit a trespass etc.' - so too you find that the Holy One of Blessing wrote a portion of the Torah regarding what goes on between Israel and gerim, that if a man from Israel steals from a ger, the judgement is as if he stole from another man from Israel. You find that regarding this it is written 'a sin that he sinned' and regarding stealing from a ger it is written 'from any sins of a man.' Regarding this one it is written 'and trespassed a trespass against the Lord' and regarding this one it is written 'to trespass a trespass against the Lord.' Regarding this one it is written: 'And it will be, when he sins and is guilty' and regarding the ger it is written 'and that soul will be guilty'. Regarding this one it is written: 'And he will pay with his head' and regarding the ger it is written 'and he will return his guilt with his head'. Regarding this one it is written: 'and he will add his fifth' and regarding the ger it is written 'and he will add a fifth'. Regarding this one it is written: 'and he will bring his guilt-offering to the Lord' and regarding stealing a ger it is written 'besides the ram for the kipurim'. Behold we have learned: that the essence of the gerim is like Israel's. Therefore, they will be as grain and blossom.

9 (Numb. 13:16, cont.) “Then Moses called Hoshea (hwsh') ben Nun, Joshua (yhwsh')”: What reason did Moses see for adding a yod (i.e., a y) to Joshua's name?⁹ Cf. Sanh. 107a; Gen. R. 47:1; Exod. R. 6:1. It is simply that Caleb had taken his reward from the land, as stated (in Deut. 1:36)), “to him will I gave the land on which he has trod.” But Joshua [received] the reward [that would have gone to the other] ten [spies], in that a yod [which stands for] ten was added to his name. (Numb. 13:16, cont.) “Then Moses called Hoshea (hwsh') ben Nun, Joshua (yhwsh'). Another interpretation: When Moses saw that they were so very wicked, Moses said to him, “May the Lord (abbreviated to yh) save (ywshy') you from this evil generation.”