Reasons for the Destruction of the First Mikdash and the Exile

Found 9 Search results

"Shall He Return to her Again?" - A Collection of Prophecies of Repentance
Rabbi David Sabato
In chapter 3, Yirmiyahu presents a prophecy that portrays the difficulty inherent in the repentance of the Jewish People through a parable. Israel is compared to a woman who has left her husband – God - for other men - idols. Such a woman is halakhically forbidden to return to her first husband and that sin pollutes and defiles the Land of Israel. Can Israel possibly return to God?
Shabbat in the Book of Yirmiyahu
Rabbi David Sabato
In this unique prophecy, Yirmiyahu discusses the breach of the covenant of Shabbat. While the Torah and other prophecies connect immorality with the destruction of Jerusalem, Yirmiyahu stresses the importance of the observation of Shabbat as a condition for the people's continued existence in their country due to its nature as a national covenant with a most public nature. This prophecy is compared the prophecy in chapter 7, as well as to the prophecies of the other prophets regarding Shabbat.
The Soul that Sins – It Shall Die
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The people of Yehezkel’s generation claimed that since the destruction was inevitable, their individual actions no longer had any importance and it made no difference whether they remained loyal to God’s commandments or not. Others believed that “The way of the Lord is unfair”. Therefore Yehezkel repeats and emphasizes the responsibility of every individual for his actions and the life-and-death consequences that follow. Yehezkel concludes by stating that the people’s claim – that the son dies because of the sins of the father – is simply incorrect.

The prophet also declares that the gates of repentance remain open to the individual. These verses are quite unusual given that nowhere in the book is there any call for the people to mend their ways so that God will not destroy His Temple. Although the prophet here calls upon the people to repent, he offers no promise that this will prevent the destruction; he only speaks of deliverance from the death for the sinners when the destruction comes.

The sins brought about the imminent destruction of the city according to Yehezkel are idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed. Yehezkel does not seem to attribute the destruction of the First Temple to the social transgressions of the nation as a whole – in neither the prophecies before nor after the Destruction.

In Chapter 22 as the Destruction of Jerusalem draws nearer the prophet appears to place more of an emphasis on the personal responsibility that the leaders of the people bear for their actions, along with the dire consequences of their corrupt leadership for the nation as a whole. This chapter attributes sins both social and religious in nature to the office-bearers in leadership positions. Thus, the fate of the city is sealed because of idolatry, sexual immorality, bloodshed, and – finally – the deeds of the leadership.
The Abominations of their Fathers
Part 1
Dr. Tova Ganzel
This chapter illustrates the cyclical process of history going back to the slavery in Egypt: Am Yisrael violates God’s laws and as a result is deemed unworthy of redemption – even survival. But nonetheless the nation is restored to its land to prevent God’s Name from being desecrated in the eyes of the nations. The desecration of God’s Name lies not only in the actual transgression of His laws, but also by how this betrayal is perceived by the nations. Thus the repair of this desecration – the sanctification of God’s Name – must likewise also be “before the nations”: through the ingathering of Am Yisrael from the places to which they have been scattered.

The commandment of Shabbat enjoys a place of honor in Sefer Yehezkel. What makes Yehezkel’s attitude towards Shabbat special is not that he mentions more often than the other prophets, but that he views Shabbat as a sign and symbol – not of the Creation of the world - but of the special sanctity of Israel.

The testimony offered by the Shabbat that “I am the Lord your God” – is a concept unique to Yehezkel; there is no parallel to it elsewhere in the Torah. This accentuates the importance of Shabbat: through its observance, the nation not only expresses its sanctity, but also testifies to and calls to consciousness the fact that the Lord is their God. Conversely, the breach of Shabbat is testimony to the distance between the nation and their God. This ultimately led to the defiling of the Temple and its Destruction.
Shall Kohen and Prophet be Slain in the Sanctuary?!
Rabbi Moshe Taragin
Why is the story of the murder of a Kohen and Prophet in the Beit Hamikdash so dominant in the midrashim and in the prayers of Tisha be-Av? The connection between him and the tragedy of Tisha be-Av is quite indirect; why, then, is his murder presented as such a fundamental and important event?

The Sages pinpoint several sins that were themselves the cause of the destruction. Aside from these specific sins, the Sages regarded the nation's refusal to accept rebuke from the prophets as a fundamental factor leading to the great tragedy.

The people would ignore the prophets of God and wave off their warnings with stubbornness and a complacency born of illusion. They convinced themselves that God would not destroy His own Temple. They wished to continue making merry and living their worry-free lives, rejecting out of hand the concept of reward and punishment. Additionally, people of vulgar spirit who were living successful lives were incapable of accepting advice from dusty, wandering moralizers.

For this reason Yirmiyahu mourns for the destruction, which came about mostly because of the nation's inability to listen to the prophets and their messages. Every individual always has the ability to repent, thereby avoiding punishment and destruction. But the moment he shuts himself off and blocks his ears, the road to repentance is closed.
The Vision of the Future Temple
Part 2 - More Concealment than Revelation
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The description of the Temple and the city, has some concrete and precise elements, but at the very same time, lacks some very central details.

According to Yehezkel's prophecy, the changes in this Temple include not only the outer structure of the edifice, but also fundamental difference in who enters it. This change relates both to the measure of access afforded the people, but also the division of roles among the various leaders of the nation, and the degree to which they are connected to the Temple.

The impression arising from Yehezkel’s prophecy is that the Temple is not a spiritual center for the entire nation. The Temple serves the kohanim and leviim, who perform their service within it as representatives of the people, while the only roles that are given to the people are the auxiliary functions and appearances: funding of the sacrifices, prostration, and a partial view of the Divine service.
The Weeping of Yosef and Binyamin and the Exiles to Come
Rabbi David Silverberg
Erev Shabbat Behar-Behukkotai: The Sabbatical Year and Social Justice
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 20 minutes
What is the 50-year Yovel counting cycle about? The commandment of counting the 50 yeras helps guide us toward the implementation of freedom and equality for all - not only in the Sabbatical (Seventh "Shemitta" year) and Yovel (Jubilee) year, when the Torah commands that land and people shall be released, but that throughout the cycle, we should be helping people to stand on their own two feet.

What is important about he Shemitta and Yovel cycle is not only whether the land lies fallow, but whether the social justice system behind the "Shabbat of the years" is being fulfilled. If that system is failing to be fulfilled, mass exile will be the consequence (as detailed in Yirmiahu's castigating those who freed the slaves -but then immediately forced them to return).

It is only on the basis of social justice that the Mikdash and its significance can survive - and we can dream of the restoration of Jerusalem's former glory only if we build a just and kind society.
Eikha: Chapter 1
Shiur #09
Dr. Yael Ziegler
The opening of the book of Eikha reveals a melancholic scene. Formerly a bustling metropolis, Jerusalem is desolate; the sound of the priests mourning and the young women grieving eerily echo in the abandoned city.

Eikha’s initial chapter attempts to grasp the reason for this calamity.

Erratic movement between one notion and its opposite illustrates the chapter’s frenzied churn of emotions. Jerusalem is shattered. It is no wonder that this chapter fluctuates wildly between perceptions, experiences, and emotions.

Nevertheless, the acrostic structure allows for a measure of order and even progression in this chapter. Indeed, we will see that the chapter moves steadily towards assuming responsibility for the events, towards admission of sin, which will allow Jerusalem to make sense of the roiling madness that has engulfed her.