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.