10th of Tevet

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1. The Beginning of the End

   God’s Sword in the Hand of the King of Babylon - Part 2

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   This article provides historical background about the king of Babylonia, Nevukhadnetzar and contrasts how he was seen by the two major prophets of his time, Yirmiyahu and Yehezkel. Additionally, this article examines life in the Babylonian exile, based on extra-biblical sources.

2. The Destruction of the City

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The prophecy concerning the imminent fate of the city resembles the destruction that Yehezkel had prophesied in the past, but he no longer reacts with cries of surprise or distress, as he had earlier; now he is apathetic. From now on, his pre-destruction prophetic mission is limited to describing the situation in the city.

   The description begins presenting a city that is full of bloodshed. Yehezkel’s accusation is against all of Jerusalem’s inhabitants – all classes and positions. Throughout the book Yehezkel avoids using the name Jerusalem altogether. Perhaps this is that the actions of the nation have not only led to the defiling of the name, but have also caused a rupture in God’s attitude towards the eternity of the city.

   Chapter 24 contains two accounts of loss: the loss of Yehezkel’s wife, and the loss of the Temple. The connection between Yehezkel’s private loss and the nation’s loss of the Temple indicates that the profaning of the Temple is irreversible: in other words, the Temples that will be built after the destruction of the First Temple represent a new creation, not a recreation of the Temple that existed.

   Yehezkel is commanded not to mourn for his wife as a sign to the people. Why, then, is Am Yisrael commanded not to mourn over the Temple?

   The withholding of mourning may represent a sort of Divine punishment – or, alternatively, an act of acceptance of God’s will. Perhaps mourning is only significant for the comfort that others give to the mourner and the commandment not to mourn signifies that there are none to comfort.

   This prophecy concludes Yehezkel’s prophecies of rebuke uttered before the destruction and ends his term of silence.

3. Sticks, Stones, & Sour Figs: Misinterpreting Messages of Nevuah

   Shani Taragin |

   What is the unique nature of Yirmiyahu's mission? By focusing on the first perek detailing Yirmiyahu’s inauguration, we can explore Yirmiyahu’s prophetic purpose at a deeper level. God asks Yirmiyahu three times over the course of the book - "what do you see", and through an analysis of the text we can infer that this as a test to see whether he grasps the full meaning of his prophetic mission. This leads us to grapple with the concept of true and false prophecies in general, and the messages we are meant to learn from these prophecies for the future.