Yirmiyahu the Prophet of Destruction

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1. A Fresh look at Eicha Chapter 5

   Rabbi Chaim Brovender

   תאריך פרסום: תשס"ט | |

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag provides a ten minute introduction concerning the book of Yirmiahu, and Yirmiahu's purpose as related to the Destruction of the Temple. Yirmiahu's purpose is not to predict the destruction, but to prevent it. This serves as important background to Megillat Eikha, which is ascribed by Chazal to Yirmiahu and which presents the Destruction in the past tense. Rabbi Brovender discusses the fifth chapter of Eikha and connects its ideas to other parts of Tanakh.

2. Yirmiyahu and Moshe - Two Models of Prophecy

   Haftarot: Pinhas

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   The haftara describes Jeremiah's initiation as a prophet. This lesson compares Jeremiah's initiation with Moshe's consecration. Moshe refuses his appointment, while Jeremiah requests reinforcement. The different reactions stem from the different roles they are expected to fill.

3. The Personal Dimension of Yirmiyahu’s Prophecy

   Part I

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Yirmiyahu stands out among the prophets with the descriptions of the deep involvement of his personal life with his prophecies. There is no other prophet whose prophecies are described as inseparably connected to the prophet's personal life as those of Yirmiyahu.

   Embedded among Yirmiyahu's chapters of prophecy are his personal prayers, in which he pours out his supplications before God and reveals his doubts and troubles. A tension exists between Yirmiyahu the prophet, who is not permitted to cry in front of the people, because this would contradict his standing and his mission, and Yirmiyahu the representative of his people, who identifies with their grief and suffering and secretly weeps with them day and night. On the one hand he transmits God’s prophecies of destruction. On the other hand he attempts to rip up the decree of evil through his prayers. On numerous occasions God halts his prayers, but not because of a deficiency in Yirmiyahu, but because of the nation's inability to repent.

4. The Good Figs and the Bad Figs

   Rabbi David Sabato

   The prevalent mood among those who remained in the Land of Israel after the exile of Yehoyakhin was that their brothers had been exiled from the land and they viewed themselves as heirs to the land. Yirmiyahu struggled against this perception, arguing that it is precisely the exiles, who are likened here to good figs, who will return to the land and inherit it, while those who remained in the land, who are likened to bad figs, will become diminished in numbers and disappear.

   There are several lines of similarity between the vision concerning the figs in Yirmiyahu's prophecy and the dreams of Pharaoh that were interpreted by Yosef. Yosef interprets Pharaoh's dream and reveals to him that a great calamity is about to fall upon Egypt. However, Yosef, who was sold as a slave to Egypt, succeeds in saving his family in the years of famine and sustaining them in the exile of Egypt. 

   In the same way, Yirmiyahu, the prophet of destruction and exile, stands before a great calamity that is threatening to befall the people. In this vision, Yirmiyahu reveals that it is precisely in the depths of the calamity that we find a bright spot in the form of the good figs, the exile of Yehoyakhin, who were "picked" at an earlier stage, before they became ruined, in order to constitute a base for the renewal of the people after the destruction and after the exile in Babylon.

5. Rachel Weeping for Her Children

   Rabbi David Sabato

   This unique prophecy exalts the figure of Rachel and has been a source of inspiration for future generations. It has engraved the image of a loving and compassionate mother on the consciousness of the exiled and tormented people for thousands of years.

   Yaakov's lack of reconciliation with the loss of Yosef expresses his inner recognition that Yosef is alive. This is the principle alluded to by Rachel's continuous bitter weeping. Her non-stop weeping and refusal to be comforted testify to a similar cognition: Deep inside, Rachel knows and feels that her children will one day return to their land. This weeping is not a weeping of despair but a weeping meant to stir up the mercies of Heaven for her children and return them to their land. Just as Yaakov merited to be comforted and to see his lost son, so too Rachel is promised that her weeping will have an effect, and in the end her children will return to their land.

   In contrast, the second part of the prophecy describes a return of a different kind. Here, the son is active in the process; Ephraim's desire to return is what drives the wheels of salvation. Indeed, here too there is parental love for a lost son, but this is a father's love for his son, which symbolizes God's love for Israel.

   The difference between the two parts stands out in the root "shov." In the first part, it appears twice and denotes the children's return to the land as a result of Rachel's weeping. In contrast, in the second part, it appears three times and describes Ephraim's repentance, which will bring about his salvation.

6. Introduction to the Book of Yirmiyahu

   Rabbi David Sabato

   The introduction to the study of Sefer Yirmiyahu discusses the introductory verses of the book, including the biographical information provided about the prophet and the background of the time period in which he lived. Also discussed is the place of this book among the other books of the Prophets, and as its structure.

7. Yirmiyahu’s Prophecy of Consecration

   Rabbi David Sabato

   The consecration prophecy of Yirmiyahu is compared to the opening prophecies of Yishayahu and Moshe. What does this consecration prophecy teach about Yirmiyahu and his prophecies in general and what is the significance of the fact that God chose the prophet "from the womb"?

8. Yirmiyahu’s Prophecy of Consecration - The Visions

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Despite the similarities between the vison of the almond rod and the vision of the boiling pot, there is a striking difference between the two visions. In the vision of the pot, the calamity is explicitly stated in the words of God, and even the direction from which it will come is explicitly noted. In the vision of the almond tree rod, on the other hand, the impending calamity is not explicitly mentioned. Indeed, references to God’s “haste” in fulfilling His Word appears later in Yirmiyahu's prophecies and allows for interpretation in two directions. It falls upon Yirmiyahu to identify in his prophecies of doom not only the catastrophe, but also the good that is concealed within them as the foundation for rebuilding.

   Additionally, it falls upon Yirmiyahu to stand firm and fearlessly proclaim the words of God; at the same time, God will strengthen him and protect him from those who wish to harm him. The threat and the encouragement highlighted in these verses were meant to prepare Yirmiyahu for the difficult trials that he would be forced to undergo over the course of his prophetic mission – real mortal danger and acute suicidal thoughts.

9. Yirmiyahu's Initiation: The Pot and the Almond Rod

   Rabbi David Sabato

10. Yirmiyahu 3-4

    Matan Al Haperek

    Rabbi David Sabato

    Perek 3 details prophecies relating to the repentance of both the northern and southern kingdoms, specifically criticizing the nation's insincere repentance during the reign of king Yoshiyanu. The continuation of the perek includes a vision of consolation including mention of the ingathering of the exiles, a perfected spiritual atmosphere, and the unification of the kingdom. The prophecies in this perek echo the rebuke in perek 2 through the use of similar phrases and imagery.

    In perek 4, Yirmiyahu envisions the sights and sounds of Yehuda's future destruction: the arrival of the enemy from the north which is compared to a lion (5-8, 12-13), the helpless response of Yerushalayim's leaders (9), and the destruction and abandonment of the land of Israel in the wake of the enemy takeover (23-29). Interwoven through these descriptions, are Yirmiyahu's pained reactions to the shocking images of his own prophecy. 

11. 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.

12. Yirmiahu and Family Metaphors for God's Relationship with Israel

    Erev Shabbat Pinchas 5769

    Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 18 minutes

    We begin the Three Weeks leading up to Tisha Be'Av (the Ninth of Av) with Haftarot from the book of Yirmiahu. Yirmiahu seems to be very pessimistic and dark on the most part. He is constantly disbelieved and must warn the people of the bitter reality which they do not wish to confront.

    He is commanded to tell the people of Israel about God's plan to destroy - but also about His plans to rebuild. During the Three Weeks, the haftarot seem to focus on the more depressing content, but within these chapters are also some messages of hope.

     

    Chapter 3 begins with an analogy of a wife who is unfaithful, who cannot then return to her first husband. Can the people of Israel return to God, or are they too far gone in their sins? We find that Yirmiahu begins to take up a different theme, using the metaphor of a parent-child relationship. No matter how far the children stray, there is always an option to return.