Midrasz do Ozeasza 4:13

“He leaps over the mountains and bounds over the hills,” mountains are nothing other than courts, just as it says: “I will go and descend upon the mountains” (Judges 11:37).⁹⁹This is expounded to mean that Yiftaḥ’s daughter sought a court to abrogate her father’s vow. During this month you will be redeemed, as it is stated: “This month is for you the beginning of the months.”
The Rabbis say: “The sound of my beloved! Behold he approaches,” this is Moses. When he came and said to Israel: ‘During this month you will be redeemed,’ they said to him: ‘Moses our master, how will we be redeemed, when all of Egypt is contaminated with our idol worship?’ He said to them: ‘Since He desires your redemption, He does not look at your idol worship, but rather “he leaps over the mountains.” Mountains are nothing other than idol worship, just as it says: “On the mountaintops they slaughter and on the hills they burn incense” (Hosea 4:13). And during this month you will be redeemed, as it is stated: “This month is for you.”
Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Ḥunya, Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili and Rabbi Ḥunya in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov say: “The sound of my beloved! Behold, he approaches,” this is the messianic king. When he says to Israel, ‘this month you will be redeemed,’ they will say to him: ‘How will we be redeemed? Did the Holy One blessed be He not take an oath that He will subjugate us to seventy nations?’¹⁰⁰See Ezekiel 20:23. Their argument is that since they have not been subjugated to each of the seventy nations, it is not yet time for them to be redeemed. He responds to them [and gives] two answers, saying to them: ‘One of you was exiled to Barbary and one of you was exiled to Smatrya, and it is as though all of you were exiled [there]. Moreover, this kingdom [Rome] imposes levies upon the entire world, from each and every nation. If a certain Cuthean or a certain Barbarian comes and subjugates you,¹⁰¹If a Cuthean or a Barbarian employed by the Roman empire exerts authority over you, it is as though you were exiled to their land. it is as though you were subjugated to their entire nation, and [thus] it is as though you were subjugated to seventy nations. During this month you will be redeemed, as it is stated: “This month is for you the beginning of the months.”’

Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin began in the name of Rabbi Levi: “Woe, those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Woe, those who join house to house” – one who lends another on his house or lends another on his field in order to repossess it.⁶¹The reference is to one who loans another money in order to have a lien on the borrower’s house or field with the intention of repossessing it. The Holy One blessed be He says: What do you think, that you will inherit the land, that “you alone will be settled in the midst of the land” (Isaiah 5:8)? “In my ears, the Lord of hosts: If many houses will not be for desolation, great and excellent, without inhabitant” (Isaiah 5:9). Reish Lakish said: Like one who screams in the ear of another, not in one but in two, so, “in my ears, the Lord of hosts.”
Reish Lakish said: “Woe, those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8) – you have caused the first destruction to affect the second destruction. Just as in the first destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field” (Jeremiah 26:18), so too, in the second destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field.” “Until there is no room” (Isaiah 5:8) – what caused the place to be destroyed? It was because they did not leave any place where they did not engage in idol worship. Initially, they would worship it clandestinely. That is what is written: “He said to me: Have you seen, son of man, [what the elders of the house of Israel] are doing in the dark?” (Ezekiel 8:12). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so behind the door, as it is stated: “And behind the door and the doorpost you placed your commemoration” (Isaiah 57:8).⁶²Your idol Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so on the roofs, as it is stated: “Those who prostrate themselves on the roofs to the hosts of the heavens” (Zephaniah 1:5). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the gardens, as it is stated: “Sacrificing in the gardens” (Isaiah 65:3). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so on the mountaintops, as it is stated: “They slaughter sacrifices on the mountaintops, and they burn incense on the hills” (Hosea 4:13). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the fields, as it is stated: “Their altars, too, will be as heaps on the furrows of the field” (Hosea 12:12). Rabbi Yudan, Rabbi Aivu, and Rabbi Tavi said in the name of Rabbi Yoshiya: On each and every furrow they would place an idol. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya said in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya: Each of them would plow his field on a diagonal and place the idol in the center so that all of the heads of the furrows would point to it.
Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so at the crossroads, as it is stated: “At every crossroad you built your shrine” (Ezekiel 16:25). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the squares, as it is stated: “You built for you a platform, and made for you a shrine in every square” (Ezekiel 16:24). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the cities, as it is stated: “For like the number of your cities were your gods, Judah…” (Jeremiah 2:28; 11:13). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the streets, as it is stated: “And like the number of streets of Jerusalem you placed altars to the shame” (Jeremiah 11:13).
How far did they go? It was to the extent that they introduced it into the Holy of Holies, as it is stated: “This image of infuriation babia” (Ezekiel 8:5). What is babia? Rabbi Aḥa said: Woe, woe [biya biya] to the lodger because of the Homeowner. Rabbi Berekhya said: “For the mat is too short for stretching” (Isaiah 28:20) – what is “for stretching [mehistare’a]”? For holding [shetaria] a woman [isha], her husband, and her counterpart [vere’ah]. “And the cover [masekha] is too narrow [tsara] for covering [kehitkanes]” (Isaiah 28:20) – you made a cast image [masekha] as a rival [tsara] to the One of whom it is written: “He gathers together [kones] the water of the sea like a mound” (Psalms 33:7). When they sinned they were exiled. When they were exiled, Jeremiah began lamenting over them, eikha.

... Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot 4:5). R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: if one is praying outside of the land, he should orient his heart to the land of Israel. If one is praying within the land of Israel, he should orient his heart to Jerusalem. If one is praying in Jerusalem, he should orient his heart to the Holy Temple. If one is praying in the Holy Temple, he should orient his heart to the Holy of Holies. R’ Avin the Levi said: “our neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model (talpiyot)…” (Song of Songs 4:4) What does talpiyot mean? The hill (tel) toward which all turns (peniyot) are directed. And after all this praise, it is written “Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedars.” (Zechariah 11:1) And so too they said “He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) Israel said to Him: Master of the World! How long will it be like this? Did You not write in Your Torah “…the one who ignited the fire shall surely pay” (Exodus 22:5)? And You are the one who ignited the fire, as it says “From above He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) You need to rebuild it and to console us, not at the hands of an angel but You in Your glory. The Holy One said to them: by your life, so I will do! As it says “The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) And I am the one who consoles you. From where do we learn this? From that which they read in the prophets “I, yea I am He Who consoles you…” (Isaiah 51:12)

R. Meir was wont to say: When Israel were meritorious, they bore witness over themselves, viz. (Joshua 24:22) "And Joshua said to the people: Bear witness over yourselves that you have chosen the L-rd to serve Him. And they said: We are witnesses." When they went astray, viz. (Hoshea 12:1) "Ephraim has surrounded Me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit," the tribe of Judah and Benjamin testified against them, viz. (Isaiah 5:3-4) "And now, dweller of Jerusalem and man of Judah. What more could have been done for my vineyard that I did not do for it?" When the tribe of Judah went astray, viz. (Malachi 2:11) "Judah has been faithless, etc.", He had the prophets bear witness against them, viz. (II Kings 17:13) "The L-rd has borne witness against Israel and Judah by the prophets of every vision, etc." When they went astray with the prophets, viz. (II Chronicles 36:16) "And they mocked the messengers of G-d and despised His prophets," He had the heavens bear witness against them, viz. (Devarim 4:26, 30:19) "I call to bear witness against you this day, the heavens." When they went astray with the heavens, viz. (Jeremiah 7:17) "Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? (18) The children are gathering wood, and the gatherers are kindling the fire, and the women are kneading dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven!" — He had the earth bear witness against them, viz. (Ibid. 6:19) "Hear, O earth, I will bring evil upon this people." When they went astray with the earth, viz. (Hoshea 12:12) "Their altars, too, are like heaps upon the furrows of he field," He had the ways bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 6:16) "Place yourself on the ways and see, etc." When they went astray with the ways, viz. (Ezekiel 16:25) "At every crossroad you built your lofty place," He had the mountains bear witness against them, viz. (Michah 6:2) "Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the L-rd." When they went astray with the mountains, viz. (Hoshea 4:13) "They slaughter offerings upon the mountaintops," He had the nations bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 6:18) "Therefore, hear, O nations, etc." When they went astray with the nations, viz. (Psalms 106:35) "and they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds," He had a beast bear witness against them, viz. (Isaiah 1:3) "The ox knows its owner, and the ass, its master's trough, but Israel does not know, etc." When they went astray with the beast, viz. (Psalms 106:20) "They exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ass, eating grass," He had the animal bear witness against them, viz. (Jeremiah 8:7) "Even the stork in the heavens knows its seasons … but My people do not know the law of the L-rd." When they went astray with the animal, viz. (Ezekiel 8:10) "And I came and I saw, and behold, every sort of image — disgusting creeping things and animals, etc.", He had the fish bear testimony against them, viz. (Iyyov 12:8) "Or speak to the earth and it will teach you; the fish of the sea will report to you, etc." When they went astray with the fish, viz. (Tzephaniah 1:3) "… and the fish of the sea and the stumbling blocks of the wicked," He had the ant bear witness against them, viz. (Proverbs 6:6-8) "Go to the ant, you sluggard, see its ways and grow wise. Though it has no officer … she prepares her food in the summer, etc." R. Shimon b. Elazar says: "Wretched is man, who must learn from the ant!" If he learned and acted (accordingly) would he be "wretched"? Rather, he should learn from its ways, but does not.