Yirmiyahu's Scroll of Prophecies

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1. The Scroll of Yirmiyahu

   Rabbi David Sabato

   The fourth year of the reign of Yehoyakim is a pivotal one for the prophecies of Yirmiyahu. Babylon’s victory over Egypt made Babylon the most powerful empire in the region. This victory was a clear proof of the validity of Yirmiyahu's prophecies over the course of twenty three years. Now it became clear to all that Babylon was the primary enemy threatening the kingdom of Yehuda. Yirmiyahu is commanded to summarize all of the prophecies that he delivered until that time and to record them in a scroll. This scroll is read in Beit Hamikdash and ultimately in the ears of King Yehoyakim. The account of the reading of the scroll in the ears of Yehoyakim brings to mind a similar event involving his father, Yoshiyahu, when the Torah was read in his ears.

   There is an enormous difference between the responses of the two kings. While Yoshiyahu rends his garments when they read the scroll before him, Yehoyakim abstains from rending his garments, and instead tears up the scroll itself! Yoshiyahu is shocked to the depths of his soul, and he drags his princes and the entire people after him to take dramatic action to change the decree. In contrast, Yehoyakim demonstrates terrible scorn. While his princes are shocked by the scroll and bring it before the king, the king himself holds it in contempt, tears it up, and burns it. Rather than the king influencing his princes and dragging them after him, the reverse takes place here; the king stops his princes and refuses to listen to the princes who plead with him not to burn the scroll. Yoshiyahu immediately sends a delegation to seek the word of God from the mouth of Chulda the prophetess, whereas Yehoyakim sends his emissaries to kill the prophet and prevent him from sounding the word of God.

   Yehoyakim is absolutely impervious to the words of the prophet; he is not prepared to listen even after the Babylonian enemy begins to go up against Yehuda, and all of his behavior demonstrates scorn and contempt. Yehoyakim's conduct, which is described here and in other places in the book of Yirmiyahu, brings the people one step closer to the destruction.

    

2. Ripping Scrolls or Tearing Clothes: Yehoyakim is not Yoshiyahu

   Rabbi David Sabato

3. Yirmiyahu 35-36

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   At the time when the Babylonian army reached Jerusalem in the days of Yehoyakim, Yirmiyahu is commanded to take action to demonstrate to the nation their sins. Yirmiyahu is told to go to the house of Rechav, a family of nomads who were in danger for their lives and who had escaped into the city, and to give them wine to drink. The Rechav family passes the test and declines the wine, and reveals to Yirmiyahu that the patriarch of the family, Yehonadav ben Rechav, who had lived 250 years previously,  forbade them to settle the land and to drink wine. In contrast to the complete devotion of the Rechav family to the commandments of their father, stand the traitorous acts of Israel who transgress the commandments of God.

   In the fourth year of Yehoyakim's reign, the year that Nevuchadnezzer took the throne, Yirmiyahu is commanded to write down all of his prophecies, and this gives us a rare glimpse into the process of the writing of Sefer Yirmiyahu. Yirmiyahu asks Baruch ben Neryah the scribe to transcribe his prophecies and read them to the people in the Temple on the fast day which was set for the month of Kislev. From a Babylonian chronicle we learn that in that month Nevuchadnezzer conquered Ashkelon, and this act symbolized the beginning o fthe Babylonian conquest of the land of Israel. It may be that the fast day was set because of this event, making this an appropriate time to cause the nation to repent. However, while the words of Yirmiyahu are still ringing in the ears of the nation and their leaders, Yehoyakim remains rebellious, and tears and burns the scroll of prophecies.