Yirmiyahu's Prophecies of Destruction

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Yirmiyahu 19-20
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
One of Yirmiyahu's harshest prophecies of rebuke appears in perek 19, addressing the worshippers of Ba'al in the Valley of Ben-hinnom who sacrifice their children in the name of divine worship. The prophecy opens with God's commandment to Yirmiyahu to buy a "jug of potter's ware," a symbolic act similar to the purchase of the belt (perek 13) and the shattering of the earthenware (perek 18). Yirmiyahu is commanded to first share his prophecy with the elders and priests of the nation, and then repeat it in front of the nation in the courtyard of the Temple. Pashchur the son of Immer, who is both a priest in the Temple and a false prophet, reacts with vehemence to the prophecy: Pashchur beats Yirmiyahu and then jails him overnight. Upon his release from jail, Yirmiyahu pronounces a severe prophecy of destruction about Pashchur himself.

While the previous perek discusses Yirmiyahu's actions and prophetic messages, perek 20 gives the reader insight into Yirmiyahu's emotional reality. His prophecy, which rages uncontrollably inside of him, cannot be suppressed and brings Yirmiyahu great pain and suffering. The first section of the prophecy ends on a brighter note of thanksgiving (7-13); however, in the prophecy's continuation, Yirmiyahu regrets his entering the world and curses the day he was born (14-18).
Yirmiyahu 25-26
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
Perek 25 is the first perek in Yirmiyahu which opens with the date on which the prophecy was said. During the prophecy, Yirmiyahu summarizes twenty-three years during which he tried in vain to cause the nation to repent and change their ways. Because the people refused to listen to the prophecies they will be punished by the king of Babylonia, who will destroy the land and enslave the people. In the second half of the perek (15-38) the calamity spreads past the borders of Israel. The prophecy describe the "wine cup of fury" which God will give to the nations to bring them to their destruction. It seems that the prophetic vision in these pesukim symbolizes the domination of the Babylonian empire over the nations and kingdoms mentioned in the prophecy.

Perek 26 goes back to deal with Yirmiyahu's prophecy about the Temple, a prophecy which first appeared in perek 7, this time from a different angle. While perek 7 focused on the content of the prophecy, our perek focuses on the story of Yirmiyahu being put on trial for the prophecy of the destruction of the Temple (described in brief in pesukim 1-6), and on the rescue of Yirmiyahu from death as a result of his pronouncements. The Priests make a serious accusation against Yirmiyahu, but his response does not directly answer their accusation, and so he brings a second explanation to prove his innocence. The story presents to us the nation's distorted perception of holiness in relation to Jerusalem.
Yirmiyahu 27-28
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
Perek 27: After Tzidkiyahu's rise to the throne, the countries in the area attempt to reorganize against the Babylonian Empire. The smaller countries rely on the strength of the Egyptian superpower, and their representatives meet in Jerusalem to oppose the spreading Babylonian occupation. The prophecies to the kings of the gentile nations, to the king of Judah and to the nation which are found in our perek were given in light of this gathering. From the perek we see that the false prophets found among both the Jews and the gentiles are encouraging opposition to the Babylonian Empire, and Yirmiyahu stands alone, warning against opposition and accompanying his words with symbolic visual aids - bonds and bars - which are meant to strengthen the message to the kings that they must accept the bondage of Babylonia and not listen to the words of the false prophets.

In perek 28 we have a continuation of the description of Yirmiyahu's struggle with the false prophets in the time of the king Tzidkiyahu. Central to the perek is the direct confrontation between Yirmiyahu and one of the false prophets - Chananya ben Azur, who publicly contradicted the prophecies of Yirmiyahu. Throughout the story the character of the false prophet is described and contrasted with the unique character of the true prophet.
Yirmiyahu 37-38
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
Perakim 37-38 deal with the end of the days of the kingdom of Judah, when the Babylonian army is standing at the gates of Jerusalem. Two characters are central to the perakim: Yirmiyahu - who repeats again and again his prophecy that those left in the city must surrender to the Babylonians and save what can still be saved; and Tzidkiyahu, the last of the kings of Judah, who is described here in all his complexity, his indicision and political weakness. Tzidkiyahu's heart follows the words of the prophet, but his hands are tied by the opinions of his ministers. Perek 37 opens with a temporary respite from the siege on Jerusalem as a result of Pharaoh's coming to help the kingdom of Judah. Yirmiyahu takes advantage of the break in the siege to exit the city, but he is caught at the gate, accused of treachery and thrown in jail. When Tzidkiyahu gets involved, Yirmiyahu is taken out of jail and moved to the court of the guard.

In perek 38 we are in the midst of the second Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, which ends with the city being conquered and destroyed. Even at this point, Yirmiyahu continues to try to convince the people of Jerusalem to surrender to the Babylonians. In a way similar to the events of the previous perek, Yirmiyahu is accused of treachery and of lowering the morale of the troops. The ministers and the king sentence him to death, and throw Yirmiyahu into a pit full of mud, so that he should die there. In the last moments of his life, Yirmiyahu is saved by Eved-Melech the Kushi, and he attempts one last time to convince King Tzidkiyahu to recant and surrender. The King's apprehensions outweigh the fact that he acknowledges the truth in what Yirmiyahu is saying - and he continues to rebel until the destruction of the city.
Yirmiyahu 43-44
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
This perek describes the first prophecy of Yirmiyahu in Egypt. Yirmiyahu is commanded in his prophecy to perform an action which will symbolize the "laying of the cornerstone" of Nevuchadnezzar's rule over Egypt.

In perek 44 we see that despite the fact that Yirmiyahu's prophecies of the destruction of Judah have come true, the people have not learned their lesson and have continued to worship idols. This causes a harsh confrontation between Yirmiyahu and the Judeans who are now in Egypt. Yirmiyahu chastises the men and their wives for their sin of idolatry, while reminding them of the process which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah. He warns them that calamity will continue to befall them (1-14). The people react to this speech by reinterpreting history such that the cause of the fall of Judah and the destruction was that the people ceased worshipping idols in the time of Yoshiyahu and therefore they conclude that they must return to idolatry (15-19). The confrontation ends with a prophecy of doom for the Jews living in Egypt (20-30). On this harsh note we conclude the last prophecy of Yirmiyahu to Israel in our book, from here on the book brings prophecies for the gentile nations and historical descriptions.
Yirmiyahu 49-50
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
Perek 49 includes prophecies to five nations. The perek opens with a prophecy about the destruction of Ammon, Moab's northern neighbor, who fought with the tribes of Israel who were in the Transjordan area (1-6). Afterwards, there is a prophecy about Edom which is south of the Transjordan area (7-22). The third prophecy deals with Damascus in the North, which was the capital of Aram in the past (23-27). Afterwards there is a prophecy about Keidar and the nomadic tribes that lived in the Syrian- Arabian desert and were conquered by Nevuchadnezzar twelve years before the destruction of the First Temple (28-33). The final prophecy in our perek deals with the distant kingdom of Elam, which was east of the Tigris River, and whose capital city was Susa (Shushan) (34-39).

The portion of the book which deals with prophecies of the gentiles closes with a series of long prophecies of doom about Babylonia in perakim 50-51. The prophecy of doom which will come to Babylonia has woven within it prophecies of consolation and redemption for Israel. The destruction is divine retribution and revenge for the destruction of Israel and the Temple, and will bring redemption to Israel and allow it to return to its land.
Yirmiyahu 51-52
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
The prophecies about Babylonia, which continue in perek 51, are the final prophecies in the book of Yirmiyahu. Described in these prophecies is God's revenge on Babylonia and its gods which will bring to its total destruction. The perek ends with God's command to write a book of prophecies about Babylonia and to throw it into the Euphrates River, an act which symbolizes the "sinking" of this great empire.

Perek 52 which concludes our book does not include any prophecies by Yirmiyahu, rather it is a summary of his prophecies, and describes the realization of his different prophecies of destruction. The perek opens with a description of Tzikiyahu's bitter fate, and afterwards the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is described, the looting of the Temple, and the murder and exile of the residents of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Perek 25 in Melachim II is the parallel source to our perek, and parts of it are mentioned as well in perek 39 of Yirmiyahu. Here, as well as in the parallel source in Melachim, the book ends with a spark of hope - the "lifting of the head" of Yehoyachin in the 37th year of his exile.
The Fall of Shiloh: The Mystery of the Tanach's Silent Tisha B'av
Rabbi Moshe Shulman | Hour and 6 minutes
Yirmiyahu the prophet uses the destruction of the mishkan in Shiloh as the paradigm on which to model the imminent destruction of the Temple. What is the relationship between the destruction of Shiloh and the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash? What was the sin of Shiloh? When and why was Shiloh destroyed? This lecture addresses these questions, as well as the discussion of why this cataclysmic event in Jewish history is barely mentioned in Tanach.
First Shabbat Haftara of the Three Weeks: Boiling Pot of Discord
Rabbi David Silverberg
Yirmiyahu's First Prophetic Vision: The Almond Branch
Rabbi David Silverberg
When Politics and Religion Clash: A Crash Course on Sefer Yirmiyahu
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag | Hour and 4 minutes
Yirmiyahu, like most other prophets, rebukes the nation on issues relating to idol worship and ethical behavior. However, at a certain point in his career, Yirmiyahu finds himself in a unique and most uncomfortable position, when God demands that he tell the people (and the King) to surrender to the Babylonian army. In our class, we will explain when and why this happens, and how it affects our understanding of not only the book of Yirmiyahu, but also the underlying reason for the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the first Temple.