Midras Hosea 2:18: Bamidbar Rabbah & Shemot Rabbah

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: If the wife of any man will stray and commit a trespass against him” (Numbers 5:12).
Another matter: “If [the wife of any man] will stray [tiste]…” – the Rabbis interpret the verse regarding the act of the calf. “Man” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, who is called man, as it is stated: “The Lord is a Man of war” (Exodus 15:3). “If the wife [of any man] will stray” – this is Israel, who strayed from following Him, just as it says: “They have quickly strayed [saru]” (Exodus 32:8), and it is translated: “They have quickly strayed [satu].” And they are called His wife, as it is stated: “It shall be on that day, the utterance of the Lord, that you will call Me my spouse [ishi]” (Hosea 2:18). Likewise it says: “You shall sanctify them [vekidashtam] today and tomorrow” (Exodus 19:10); “you shall be holy [kedoshim]” (Leviticus 19:2).¹⁷⁰Both verses are expounded as an allusion to betrothal [kiddushin].
“And commit a trespass against him” – this is the trespass of idol worship, just as it says: “To commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor” (Numbers 31:16).
“And a man had lain with her carnally, and it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded and she was defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she was not coerced” (Numbers 5:13).
“And a man had lain” – this is Aaron, who crafted the calf for them. “Carnally [shikhvat zera]” – as that was the way of its worship; they would pass their offspring [zaram] before it in the fire, just as it says: “And you shall not give from your offspring [umizarakha] to pass to Molekh” (Leviticus 18:21). “And it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded” – Heaven forfend, they thought to themselves as though the supernal eye does not see, just as it is written: “They said: The Lord will not see” (Psalms 94:7), and it says: “Clouds obscure for Him, and He does not see” (Job 22:14). “And she was secluded [venistera]” – just as it says: “Woe to those who go to the depths from the Lord to conceal [lastir] a scheme […and they say: Who sees us and who knows of us]” (Isaiah 29:15). “And she was defiled” – just as it says: “Like the impurity of the menstruant their way was before Me” (Ezekiel 36:17). “And there is no witness [ve’ed] against her” – there was no prophet in their midst who could warn [sheya’id] them; just as it says: “The Lord warned Israel and Judah by means of every prophet of every vision” (II Kings 17:13), as they had already killed Ḥur because he was rebuking them. “And she was not coerced” – they performed it of their own volition, and that is why they were punished.
“A spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was defiled, or a spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was not defiled” (Numbers 5:14).
“A spirit of jealousy [kina] overcame him” – “for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous [kana] God” (Exodus 20:5). “And he warned his wife” – just as it says: “Go, descend, because your people has become corrupted…” (Exodus 32:7). “And she was defiled” – just as it says: “They prostrated themselves to it and they sacrificed to it” (Exodus 32:8). “Or a spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was not defiled” – as there were many upright people in their midst but the Holy One blessed be He was jealous regarding all of them. He sought to eliminate the good with the wicked, as it is stated: “Now, let Me be, and My wrath will be enflamed against them, and I will eliminate them” (Exodus 32:10).
“The man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring her offering on her behalf, one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour; he shall not pour oil upon it, and he shall not place frankincense upon it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of remembrance, a reminder of iniquity” (Numbers 5:15).
“The man shall bring” – this is the Holy One blessed be He. “His wife” – this is Israel. “To the priest” – this is Moses, who was a priest all seven days of the inauguration. And it says: “Moses and Aaron were among His priests” (Psalms 99:6). What is the bringing? He brought their sentence to Moses, as He said to him: “Go, descend, because your people has become corrupted” (Exodus 32:7). “And he shall bring her offering on her behalf” – as He gave to Moses at that time two Tablets of Testimony, as it is stated: “When He finished…He gave Moses [the two Tablets of Testimony]” (Exodus 31:18). “One-tenth of an ephah” – as the Ten Commandments were written upon them. “Barley flour” – due to the iniquity of idol worship, Israel became like flour, just as it says: “Take a millstone and grind flour” (Isaiah 47:2).¹⁷¹See Shir HaShirim Rabba 3:4, where the phrase is interpreted as referring to Israel. And the Holy One blessed be He dispersed them among the nations, just as it says: “I dispersed them among all nations” (Zechariah 7:14), as in the commandment: “You shall not have [other gods]” (Exodus 20:3) – He alluded to the four kingdoms.¹⁷²In that commandment it says: “Who reckons the iniquity of the fathers against the children, against the third generation and against the fourth generation to My enemies” (Exodus 20:5). The four generations are an allusion to the four kingdoms to which Israel was exiled. “He shall not pour oil upon it” – as the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Now, let Me be…” (Exodus 32:10); “and he shall not place frankincense upon it” – just as it says: “Let Me alone…” (Deuteronomy 9:14), saying that he should mention neither the merit of the patriarchs nor the merit of the matriarchs. “For it is a meal offering of jealousy” – just as it says: “I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people” (Deuteronomy 9:13). “A meal offering of remembrance” – as in the commandment: “You shall not have [other gods]”; Israel will be remembered positively for those who recognize the futility of idol worship, as it is stated: “Who shows kindness for thousands […for those who love Me]” (Exodus 20:6). “A reminder of iniquity” – for those who stray after it, as it is stated: “Who reckons the iniquity of the fathers [against the children]” (Exodus 20:5).
“The priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord” (Numbers 5:16).
“The priest shall bring her near” – as he prayed on their behalf, just as it says: “Moses implored the Lord…” (Exodus 32:11). “And have her stand before the Lord” – as the Holy One blessed be He forgave and said that He would not eliminate them all, just as it says: “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14).

Another interpretation: “This month shall be for you” (Exodus 12:2) – that is what is written: “Behold, the former have come to pass and the new I declare” (Isaiah 42:9). Is there anything new in the future? Is it not written: “What was, that is what will be” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)? Rather, we find that there are ten things that the Holy One blessed be He is destined to introduce in the future.
The first is that He is destined to illuminate the world, as it is stated: “The sun will no longer be for you for light by day [and the glow of the moon will not illuminate for you; the Lord will be your eternal light and your God will be your glory]” (Isaiah 60:19). Is it possible for a person to gaze at the Holy One blessed be He? Rather, what does the Holy One blessed be He do to the sun? He has it illuminate forty-nine portions of light, as it is stated: “The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold” (Isaiah 30:26).⁵⁰The midrash assumes that there is a fixed ratio of 1:7 between the light of the moon and the light of the sun. Therefore, if the light of the moon increases sevenfold and has seven portions of light and the light of the sun is seven times greater than that, the sun has 49 portions of light. Even [for] an ill person, the Holy One blessed be He will command the sun and it will heal, as it is stated: “But for you who fear My name, a sun of righteousness, and healing with its rays will shine” (Malachi 3:20).
The second: He will bring spring water out of Jerusalem and heal everyone who has an illness, as it is stated: “Every living creature that swarms, any over whom the rivers will come, will live…” (Ezekiel 47:9).
The third: He will make trees produce their fruit every month, and a person will eat from them and will be healed, as it is stated: “Along the river on its bank, on this side and on that side…it will produce new fruit every month, because its waters emerge from the Temple, [and its fruit will be for food, and its leaf for healing]” (Ezekiel 47:12).
The fourth: That they will rebuild all the ruined cities, and there will be never again be places in ruins. Even Sodom and Gomorrah will be rebuilt in the future, as it is stated: “Your sisters Sodom and its daughters will return to their former state” (Ezekiel 16:55).
The fifth: That He will build Jerusalem with sapphire stones, as it is stated: “I will set your stones in fair colors” (Isaiah 54:11), and it is written: “I will make your windows of rubies” (Isaiah 54:12). Those stones will shine like the sun, and the idolaters will come and see the glory of Israel, as it is stated: “Nations will walk by your light” (Isaiah 60:3).
The sixth: “Cow and bear will graze, [together will their young lie]” (Isaiah 11:7).
The seventh: That He will bring all the beasts, all the birds, and all the creeping creatures and make a covenant with them and with all of Israel, as it is stated: “On that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, [and with the creeping creatures of the ground]” (Hosea 2:20).
The eighth: That there will no longer be crying and wailing in the world, as it is stated: “The sound of weeping and the sound of crying will no longer be heard in it” (Isaiah 65:19).
The ninth: There is no more death in the world, as it is stated: “He will eliminate death forever; and the Lord God will wipe tears from upon all faces; and the disgrace of His people He will remove” (Isaiah 25:8).
The tenth: That there will be no sighing, no groaning, and no despair, but rather, everyone will rejoice, as it is stated: “The redeemed of the Lord will return, and will come to Zion with song [and everlasting joy]” (Isaiah 35:10).