“And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea and I will betroth thee to me in righteousness and in judgment and in loyal love and in mercies. And I will betroth thee to me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the L-rd.”

— Hos. 2:21-22

G-d speaking through Jeremiah, explicitly tells Israel: “I married you...” and that she has turned away from her husband / friend. (Jer 3:14, 20.) Jeremiah citing Israel’s adulterous example, warned Judah to repent. He warned Judah of how the former was given a “bill of divorcement,” and was put away (Jer. 3:8). This action was in accordance with the Torah. If the promise of faithfulness to the Covenant and its holy clean life, i.e. cleanness is broken, the wife is sent away with divorce papers (Deut. 24:1-2). The Hebrew term ervah in Deut. 24:1 is often mistranslated as uncleanness. Strictly speaking, it does not mean unclean. The word for that is tamei. Ervah implies an inappropriate exposure of one’s nakedness to another, other than to whom one is married.” It implies invitation to intimacy and union.  Because the exposure’s inappropriate context, such exposure is viewed as “indecent.” The Torah warned Israel to not inquire after the gods of the gentiles, lest the Land spew them out, and they would be cut off from the G-d of their people. (Deut. 12:30, 28:58, 63-64, Lev.18: 24-30, 20:22). 

The Covenant has its built-in divorce clauses. They warn that if Israel reneges on her promises to be faithful, she will be automatically cast out of the Land to be with her lovers, the nations, (Deut. 28:63-64, Jer. 11:8-9). In the exile she will have to stay identified with the nations she wanted to imitate and there eat her words. They were to be cut off, i.e. divorced, in order that they may learn the quintessential lesson. "I had sent her away with a decree [bill] of divorce," (Jer.3:8).   "Then said G-d, call his name LoAmmi, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your G-d."  (Hosea 1:9). Their membership in the legal body of Israel was suspended; legally they were to be considered the same as "Gentiles" (Yebamot 17). Their spiritual connection to their identity, being the people of G-d, was to be hidden from their consciousness for a long time.

The Hebrew root for the term “bill of divorcement” means cut off. Being cut off was synonymous with death, not necessarily physical death, but spiritual death, death of the relationship. Although among humans the penalty for adultery was death, the penalty on Israel could not be a final physical death, since the Covenant was an eternal agreement, in which God promised to regather His errant wives after they have learned their lesson. That is why in Ezekiel 37 her return is like a resurrection from the dead.  Israel was temporarily sent away from G-d’s land, and was cut off from the benefits of the Covenant in the Land, (Isa. 54: 6, Jer. 7:15, Hos. 9:17). She wanted to be like the nations, and she received her heart’s unclean desire, (Psalm 81:11-12). This is clearly stated in the opening verses of Hosea 1:6,8-9, where she is called, “not having obtained mercy... and not my people...” and is told: “I will not be your G-d.” Ezekiel, also uses the metaphor of unfaithful wives, and calls the Northern Kingdom, Samaria, Ahola.  Ahola is a derivative of ohel, i.e. dwelling / tent. Instead of being a tent for the Presence of G-d, the Northern House was to bear the sins of her idols she bonded to. HaShem allowed this free choice so that in time she may learn the quintessential lesson for all Israel: “and you shall know that I am the L-RD,” (Ezekiel 23). Hosea cannot make it any clearer: “Thou shalt know no god but me, for there is no savior beside me” (Hos. 13:4). Though Israel, the desolate wife was forsaken, the birthright blessings still went with her, for they were unconditional. She has far more children than Yehudah, and is dwelling in a large tent of great lands she inherited for her progeny, (Isa. 54:2-3). She is prophetically told that though she was put away, God is still her true husband, and will call her back to the Covenant after a little while, and all her children shall be taught of the L-RD, (Hos 2:2, Isa. 54: 5-7,13). They will be taught the Torah, not the ways of “the imagination of their heart, the patterns of their spiritual exile and grave, (Jer. 13:10-11). G-d makes a point of this, since the House of Israel cannot see straight, and is confusing the G-d of Israel with her adopted savior that she added to and amalgamated with the G-d of Israel. She has a valid-sounding excuse: “My G-d we know thee,” (Hos. 8:2). However, G-d says they have transgressed the Covenant and rebelled against the Torah (Hos 8:1).

G-d decreed that she will have to be the way she wants to be, imitating the nations. After a long period of this estrangement, she is prophesied to come to her senses and ask for the forgiveness of her husband and return to Him and reaccept the Covenant (Hos. 2:21-22). G-d Asks: “Where is your bill of divorcement?” She is asked this because she does not have it, for she cast it away saying: “What is this Torah to me? (Isa. 5: 24, Hos.8: 12). She has forgotten the Torah of God (Hos. 4:6). She does not understand that the Covenant is also the bill of divorcement, for it contains the clauses for divorce and for being cut off, from G-d, resulting in spiritual death, (Jer. 8-11, Deut 28-30). She is “joined,” i.e. wedded to idols, (Hos. 4:17). From all the references to another god and “savior” in the book of Hosea, it is quite easy to figure out who their savior is to whom Ephraim is “wedded” and takes pride in. The Northern House of Israel, the people of Ephraim / Joseph, is called to come out of this Babylonian [confusing] relationship, and return to the paths of old, (Isa. 42:15, Jer. 6:16). Israel, who is dwelling and waiting for the Torah in the isles in the latter days, (Deut. 29:4, 22, Isa. 42:4, 10), is called to “hear” for they are spiritually deaf (Isa. 30:9, 41:26, 42:18, 43:8). They are called to hear G-d’s wake-up call to their identity. They are also called to hear the Shema, that there is no other G-d besides the Holy One of Israel. He is the One who is waking them up. They are called to hear that G-d’s firstborn people were not to be split in their consciousness and be joined to other gods, but are to be one as He is one. They are also called to repentance: “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the L-rd, for I am married to you,“ (Jer. 3:14). We the early returnees, on behalf of all of the House of Joseph, are to ask for the old paths, which we have not known, and G-d promises to lead us therein (Isa. 42:16). The implication for the returning tribes today is to note that we, the unfaithful wife, are to return to faithfulness to that contract, i.e. Covenant, as G-d communicates that directive to us on our individual and collective homeward journeys. This eventual reacceptance of the Torah was prophesied for the whole house of Israel, for both the northern House of Israel, and the southern House of Judah, when both houses will reaffirm and reaccept the Marriage Covenant of Israel. Hosea wrote of this grand reunion. Israel’s particular return to the Marriage Covenant as G-d’s chosen, i.e. betrothed, is explicitly prophesied: “And it shall be in that day, saith the L-RD, that you shall call me Ishi, [my husband], and shalt no more call me Baali [my master], (Hos.2: 7, 20).  Ephraim will no longer regard the G-d of Israel as that “harsh, God of the Old Testament Law, and make an idolatry of the "god of grace.” Rather they shall realize G-d’s kind “grace” and loving kindness always has been there for them. They will surely reciprocate in kind to G-d’s “kind and friendly” message to them, (Hos.2: 14). This time the split between the two houses will be healed. They shall be united with each other to be united to their husband, the Eternal G-d of Israel, (Jer. 31:30-33). Before that great formal event, this reacceptance of the Covenant, the ketuba / marriage contract is especially relevant to the early individual returnees of the people of Joseph now. 

Moses pointed out to us that the Covenant was made with all of Israel, even with those of future generations, who were not [visibly] present at Mt. Sinai (Deut. 29:15). Yet in a way, we were all there, because we are all parts of the "one soul" of Israel.  All Israelites, be they of whatever Tribe, whether known to themselves or not, are part of that one soul. As such, recovering our identity as members of the "spiritually exiled House of (northern) Israel, will have to include the reacceptance of the Covenant and its marriage contract, the Torah, by which we ALL promised to faithfully abide.

We are given the marriage metaphor to understand the relationship between G-d and His betrothed. It is replete with great mysteries. Yet, they will begin to unfold, for us when we understand it as an everlasting Covenant and begin to conform to it. The Mishkan’s innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies housed the Ark, where the Torah, i.e. the Ketuba / marriage contract between G-d and his people Israel was kept. This is why the Holy of holies was sometimes referred to by mystics as "The Bridal Chamber."  The cover of the Ark of the Covenant had two winged figures on it, one with a male the other with a female face on it. There are many guesses with many good possibilities as to what spiritual principles and relationships they symbolized. The Zohar explains that the mystical meaning of the two winged figures reaching out for each other on the cover of the Ark symbolized the relationship between HaShem and the children of Israel. The latter was understood to be standing for the Shekhinah, the soul of Israel, symbolizing all of Israel. For this reason mystical prayers plead for the eventual reunification of the exiled Shekhinah with HaShem. Knowing our identity is only the beginning of our resurrection from the dead. We are also to seek healing and purification that the Shekhinah may ensoul us, (Hos. 6:1). Where are we? If we ask G-d, the Healer of Israel, He will surely tell us, individually and collectively. He will speak kindly to our split hearts, and heal our backsliding (Hos. 2:24, 10:2, 14:4). He will guide us with His eye, (Psalm 32:8).

“Turn O backsliding children for I am married to you… A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way and they have forgotten the L-rd their G-d. Return Ye backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings. Behold we come unto thee; for thou art the L-rd our G-d.”

— Jer. 3:14, 20-22