Introduction
In this part of Chapter 9, Yirmiyahu continues his rebuke and prophecy of calamity, transitioning into a description of the great lamentation yet to come. Throughout these verses, the prophet teaches a fundamental principle: troubles are not mere coincidence; they do not "arise on their own." Rather, everything unfolds under complete Divine Providence from the Holy One, Blessed be He. From this, he arrives at the sublime verses, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom," which teach the true purpose of the gifts and faculties bestowed upon man.
Wormwood and Gall: Measure for Measure in the Spiritual Realm
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מַאֲכִילָם אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה לַעֲנָה וְהִשְׁקִיתִים מֵי רֹאשׁ׃ - Therefore, so said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am feeding them - this people - wormwood, and I will give them water of gall to drink.
Rashi explains that wormwood is a bitter herb. Regarding "water of rosh," some explain that it refers to snake venom, the liquid that comes from its head (rosh); others explain that it is the pressed juice of an exceedingly bitter herb called "rosh," and the liquid extracted from it bears that name. Either way, the metaphor signifies a lethal poison: the tribulations will be as bitter as wormwood and rosh.
The Malbim explains this from a spiritual perspective: just as they nourished their souls with bitter foods - meaning toxic beliefs that corrupt the soul - so in return will they be given wormwood and water of rosh. For having filled your head with all manner of vanity, in return comes rosh and wormwood, reflecting that very corruption.
וַהֲפִצוֹתִים בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ הֵמָּה וַאֲבוֹתָם וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אַחֲרֵיהֶם אֶת הַחֶרֶב עַד כַּלּוֹתִי אוֹתָם׃ - And I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers knew, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.
Here too, we see measure for measure: just as they worshiped other gods whom neither they nor their fathers knew or feared, so will they be scattered among nations whom neither they nor their fathers knew. And as for the words, "until I have consumed them," Radak explains: until the majority of them are consumed. For there is an explicit promise that the Jewish people will never be entirely wiped out; of necessity, then, this does not mean total annihilation, but the destruction of the majority.
Call for the Mourning Women and Send for the Wise Ones
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת הִתְבּוֹנְנוּ וְקִרְאוּ לַמְקוֹנְנוֹת וּתְבוֹאֶינָה וְאֶל הַחֲכָמוֹת שִׁלְחוּ וְתָבוֹאנָה׃ - So said the Lord of Hosts: Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the wise women, that they may come.
"Consider" - contemplate the calamity that is drawing near. Note the precision in the phrasing: it does not merely say "for mourning women," but "for the mourning women," with the prefix letter lamed serving as the definite article. Call the well-known, experienced, and expert mourning women. Since there is reason here for a profound and grave lamentation, summon those who specialize in the craft. Likewise, "the wise women" refers to those skilled in eulogy and lamentation.
And what precisely must be contemplated? The Malbim explains: the slaughter and devastation before them are unlike other periods of suffering and disaster. Normally, a mourning woman laments the deceased, those who are no longer among the living; the survivors mourn those who have departed. Here, however, the lamentation will be fundamentally different, for its focus will be on the survivors rather than on the dead. Indeed, the state of those who have already died may well be far better in comparison to the horrors awaiting those who remain alive. Therefore, "consider": examine your ways; do not merely look to weep for the dead who have already passed on, for you still have the power to change your path. The mourning women who usually lament the dead will now come to weep over you.
The wise women, on the other hand, do not need to be brought to lament. On the contrary, the wise women will provide counsel and wisdom on how to preserve the living so that they do not die, and how to rescue the people. They are the ones who might find a remedy for what the future holds.
And why does the verse say "call" for the mourning women, whereas for the wise women it says "send"? Furthermore, why is the term of arrival repeated twice - "and let them come" (vatevo'enah) and then "and let them come" (vetavo'nah) - rather than stating a single arrival for all of them? The Malbim explains: The mourning women were readily available in every city. Mourning women were somewhat like the Chevra Kadisha of our day, lehavdil. Just as an orchestra is hired for a wedding, so too for a funeral they would hire a troupe of mourning women, and we find in the Mishnah that flutes would accompany them with special melodies of lamentation. And just as a cemetery is found everywhere, so the mourning women were found in every region, and therefore it is enough to "call" and they arrive immediately. But wise women are not found everywhere; they are few in the country and scattered, and therefore it says "send" - requiring special messengers. This also explains the repetition of the arrival: the mourning women come immediately because they are locally present, whereas with the wise women, it will take time until the messengers reach them and until they arrive from afar, which is an arrival in its own right.
The Eye and the Eyelid: For Whom Do We Weep?
וּתְמַהֵרְנָה וְתִשֶּׂנָה עָלֵינוּ נֶהִי וְתֵרַדְנָה עֵינֵינוּ דִּמְעָה וְעַפְעַפֵּינוּ יִזְּלוּ מָיִם׃ - "And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters."
When the mourning women consult with the wise women, they will not weep for the dead, for those have already departed from here and are in a place of rest. "And take up a wailing for us": nehi is an expression of lamentation and weeping, and they will realize that it is for the one who remains behind, with all the suffering still ahead of him, that tears must be shed. And do not delay, but rather "let them make haste", like a critically ill person moments before the end, where people hurry to summon a doctor in the hope that he might save him. For the mourning women and the wise women come to bring change to the living, to inform the people of what is destined to befall them, so that perhaps when the people hear these words, they will repent in teshuvah.
The Malbim notes the precise distinction between the eye and the eyelid: eyelids represent closed eyes. When we open our eyes and see the fallen corpses lying before us, our relatives who are no longer, then "our eyes may run down with tears." But "our eyelids gush out with waters" refers to when we close our eyes and look not at the dead before us, but reflect and think ahead about ourselves. When we grasp the message of what the future holds for us, it will no longer be mere tears, but water flowing incessantly like an open tap. And why? The Malbim explains: because in our mind's eye we will realize that death would be preferable to a life of such contempt and disgrace. God forbid, death would seem preferable to the harrowing future prophesied by the prophet - that Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins and a den of jackals. And when we understand what is yet to be, we will weep for ourselves far more than we weep for those who are already gone.
"For a Voice of Wailing Is Heard out of Zion"
כִּי קוֹל נְהִי נִשְׁמַע מִצִּיּוֹן אֵיךְ שֻׁדָּדְנוּ בֹּשְׁנוּ מְאֹד כִּי עָזַבְנוּ אָרֶץ כִּי הִשְׁלִיכוּ מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֵינוּ׃ - "For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion: 'How are we spoiled! We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.'"
And why specifically "out of Zion"? Radak explains: It is true that a voice of wailing was heard from the other conquered places as well, but as long as Zion - which is Jerusalem - still stood, people thought the story was not over: we will flee, escape, and find refuge in Zion, and later the other cities will be rebuilt. That is what happened in the days of Sennacherib, who conquered everything except Jerusalem; Jerusalem served as their stronghold, and once he withdrew, they returned and resettled the other places. But here, once Zion too was conquered, a voice of wailing and weeping was heard: "How are we spoiled!" The destruction is absolute, and we have no continued existence. "We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land" - for as long as Jerusalem stood, we thought we would still remain in the land, but now we have abandoned the land entirely.
The phrase "for they have cast down our dwellings" (ki hishlichu mishkenoteinu) is difficult, as it seemingly should have said, "for we were cast out from our dwellings." Several explanations are offered. One explanation: the dwellings themselves cast us out, similar to "that the land vomit you not out", where the land figuratively vomits and expels; so too, our houses cast us outside. And Radak notes that there is no greater humiliation than a person being forced against his will to leave his home. A second explanation, which aligns more closely with the simple meaning of the verse: the enemies cast us out of our dwellings. And Rashi explains: our dwellings were cast down to the ground - that is, they demolished our homes.
The Malbim connects this verse to the preceding ones: The instruction to send for the wise women and mourning women is not over the plundering that has already occurred, about which they raise a wailing voice, "How are we spoiled!" That is not the essence of the ruin, nor the main cause for tears. The primary lament is not for the dead, but for those who are still alive, for whom a bleak future is in store. You feel safe because you are alive, and regarding this it says, "We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land" - you are destined to go into exile. And not to a nearby place, but "because they have cast down our dwellings" - and the expression of casting (hashlachah) always denotes distance, as in "and cast them into another land." This is not a mere exile to a nearby place from which one immediately returns, but being cast away to dwell in a distant land. Thus, it is over the shame and the tribulations befalling the living that one must weep and mourn, not over the dead, whose ordeal has already ended.
"And Teach Your Daughters Wailing"
כִּי שְׁמַעְנָה נָשִׁים דְּבַר יְהֹוָה וְתִקַּח אׇזְנְכֶם דְּבַר פִּיו וְלַמֵּדְנָה בְנוֹתֵיכֶם נֶהִי וְאִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ קִינָה׃ - For hear the word of the Lord, O women, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and each woman her fellow a dirge.
Why does the prophet address the women? Radak explains that eulogizing and wailing are mostly carried out by women, for they are more softhearted than men. It is always the case - may we know of no sorrow - at a funeral or in a time of tragedy, that women are tenderhearted and are the first to weep.
The Malbim adds: Hear, you mourning women, for it is the word of Hashem that will teach you how to raise a wailing and a lamentation. Until now, you attributed everything that happened to mere chance, and consequently your weeping was neither correct nor fitting, since in your view everything was accidental. But when you realize that everything happening here is deliberate, you will know how to lament properly. According to what you hear from the word of Hashem, so shall you teach your daughters wailing.
And why wailing (nehi) for the daughters, but a dirge (kinah) for a woman? The Malbim explains that this was the structure of mourning: the mature women would recite the kinah, meaning the poetic expressions of sorrow, and the young girls would respond with nehi, like a verse and a refrain. The women would say a stanza of lamentation, and the girls would respond after them with cries of weeping. Therefore: "Teach your daughters wailing" - to teach them to respond with wailing; "and each woman her fellow a dirge" - that she should teach her peer to recite the dirge properly. And for this reason he opened, "Hear, O women, the word of Hashem": listen to what Hashem is about to tell you, for He will teach you what to lament over and in what manner, reflecting the magnitude of the approaching calamity.
"For Death Has Come Up into Our Windows": The Flaw in the Lament
כִּי עָלָה מָוֶת בְּחַלּוֹנֵינוּ בָּא בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵינוּ לְהַכְרִית עוֹלָל מִחוּץ בַּחוּרִים מֵרְחֹבוֹת׃ - For death has come up into our windows, it has entered our palaces, to cut off the child from outside, young men from the streets.
The Malbim presents here the wording of the lamentation recited by the people and points out its flaw. You say "death has come up," as if death came up on its own, by coincidence, and you do not attribute it to the Holy One, blessed be He. Moreover, you say "into our windows," as if it came surreptitiously. One who enters openly enters through the door, whereas one who enters through a window comes like a thief; and in this way you lament that death came up to the windows, and from there entered the palaces to cut off infant and youth.
The Malbim analyzes the precise wording: "to cut off the child from outside, young men from the streets." The streets are the marketplace, where the young men are found; and "outside" refers to the area behind the houses, known in the language of Chazal as muktzeh, where infants and nursing babies were typically found. Each is described according to his natural place.
Radak explains that a palace is a tall building, and once its doors are locked, no one can enter inside. You might wonder: but does a palace not have windows? Because of the height of the palace, it is also difficult to enter through the windows, which are set up high. For this reason, they would even leave the palace windows open, considering them secure, for who could reach such a high window? The verse comes to say: see how death found its way specifically through the opening that remained open - the window - and from there penetrated the palaces. This expresses the sense of shock, that the disaster came from an unexpected direction. And although the prophets had warned them, Radak adds, they did not listen and did not believe that the calamity would be so vast and severe.
"Speak, Thus Says Hashem": Everything Is from Him
דַּבֵּר כֹּה נְאֻם יְהֹוָה וְנָפְלָה נִבְלַת הָאָדָם כְּדֹמֶן עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה וּכְעָמִיר מֵאַחֲרֵי הַקֹּצֵר וְאֵין מְאַסֵּף׃ - Speak: Thus says the Lord, and human corpses shall fall like dung upon the open field, and like a sheaf behind the reaper, with no one to gather them.
According to the approach of the Malbim, the prophet tells them: You do not know how to lament; therefore wait for the word of Hashem and He will teach you. And what is the mistake in your lamentation? That you said "death has come up into our windows," as if it were an independent entity sneaking in like a thief. To this the verse responds: "Speak: Thus says Hashem" - recite in your dirge that Hashem has spoken thus. The Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who sent the destroyer; the destroyer did not come on its own. This is not "death came up into our windows" as some random accident that befell us, but rather everything is from Hashem. Nor does it come surreptitiously through windows, but openly for all to see: "and human corpses shall fall like dung upon the open field."
Anyone who reads this verse cannot help but see before their eyes the terrible images of the Holocaust in Europe. "And as sheaves behind the reaper, with none to gather them" - for indeed, there was no one to gather the human corpses.
The Malbim explains why the verse employs two similes: both sheaves (amir) and dung (domen). Dung is refuse, while sheaves are the wheat that the reaper cuts down. Sheaves are indeed harvested and severed from their source of life, but afterward they are gathered home and utilized. Dung, on the other hand, falls upon the open field; no reaper acts upon it, nor does anyone gather it, and it simply remains where it fell. Thus Scripture teaches: on the one hand, their carcasses shall fall like sheaves, meaning the reaper comes and cuts them down deliberately and not by chance. And lest one say, "At least the harvest is gathered afterward, so they will receive burial" - the verse clarifies that regarding burial, they will be like dung upon the open field, with no one to gather them for burial.
"Let Not the Wise Man Glory in His Wisdom"
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחׇכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעׇשְׁרוֹ׃ - Thus says Hashem: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches.
כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם יְהֹוָה׃ - But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Hashem Who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says Hashem.
Targum Yonatan explains the verse outside the context of the calamity: "Let not Shlomo son of David, the sage, glory in his wisdom; nor Shimshon son of Manoach, the warrior, glory in his might; nor Achav son of Omri, the wealthy, glory in his wealth." These were three great men, each paramount in his domain: Shlomo in wisdom, Shimshon in strength, and Achav son of Omri in wealth, yet even they ought not to boast of these gifts.
And in the context of our verses: the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them, if there are wise men among you, let them not boast, saying, "Do not worry; whatever trouble arises, we will know how to extricate ourselves, everything is under control, and we will overcome every challenge" - and all manner of boastful words. Let them not glory in their wisdom, for it will avail them nothing, since they did not know Hashem and did not walk in His ways, so what benefit is their wisdom? And if there are mighty warriors among you, let them not glory in their might, for it will not rescue them from death and captivity. And if there are wealthy people among you, confident that their money can buy anything, even freedom and life itself, let not the rich man glory in his wealth, for his wealth will not redeem him from the sword, and ultimately both he and his wealth will perish.
Why did the verse mention specifically these three? The Radak explains that these are the things that normally serve to protect and save. The wise man is often saved through the stratagems of his cunning and wisdom, as it is written that there was a poor wise man who delivered the city by his wisdom. The warrior can certainly be saved through his valor. And the rich man often ransoms his life from the enemy with his money. Therefore, the prophet informs them that even though by the way of the world one may be saved through these three means, when Hashem decrees a coming calamity, no man can escape it.
The Malbim's Explanation: The Purpose of Wisdom, Might, and Wealth
The Malbim connects this verse to what was said above: The prophet told them to recognize that death, troubles, and disasters did not happen by chance when "death has come up into our windows," but rather "thus says Hashem" and "the word of Hashem" - everything is guided by full Divine providence from Him, Blessed be He. Hence the reason for "let not the wise man glory in his wisdom": so they will realize that there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel, nor might against Hashem. Whatever a person imagines - that he might be saved through wisdom and cunning, or through wealth, money, and strength - if Hashem has decreed harm against him, it will be of no avail. And since "Speak: Thus says Hashem: The carcasses of men shall fall" came forth from Hashem's mouth, certainly all the stratagems man devises to outsmart the Divine decree will prove futile.
"But let him that glories glory in this": If there is any situation in which a person may glory in wisdom, might, and wealth, it is only when he utilizes them for a positive purpose, as vessels for the service of Hashem. If one uses wisdom to "understand and know Me" - how wonderful; he has taken the wisdom Hashem gave him and used it for the very purpose for which it was intended.
And what was wisdom created for? To invent an atomic bomb? To devise an innovative scheme for winning the lottery? Consider that a machine was recently invented to solve a Rubik's Cube in two seconds. Is this why man was granted an intellect - for someone to spend months building such a machine? And what is there to marvel at? A calculator also solves mathematical equations in a split second; a machine does that! Yet man squanders his time and intellect on vanities and foolishness. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Do you know what wisdom was created for? "But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me" - whoever was granted wisdom should apply it to the service of Hashem and the apprehension of the Divine, and through the principles of wisdom come to know Hashem.
The same applies to might and wealth: "doing kindness, justice, and righteousness in the land." Through might, on the one hand, one renders justice to the oppressed, rescuing the victim from the hand of his oppressor; by virtue of his might and the power of rule within him, he rescues those trampled by those stronger than they, and thus might becomes a vessel for the service of Hashem. And through wealth, one performs kindness and charity. We find that the very tools the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him brought him closer to His service. Therefore the verse concludes: "For in these I delight, says Hashem" - this is the ultimate purpose desired before Him, that you utilize all the tools He gave you to attain spirituality.
A Homiletical Approach: What Are You Boasting Of?
The Malbim adds an explanation by way of derush. When a person boasts of wisdom, might, or wealth, what is he boasting of? Of something that is not truly his own doing at all. For regarding wisdom, what did you do to earn it? You were born wise. The Holy One, blessed be He, brought you into the world with an intellect, with great analytical ability, with comprehension, with memory, and with the power of deep thought. You could have been born with an IQ of sixty, and you were born with one hundred and sixty, and you did nothing to bring that about. And so it is with might: some people are naturally strong, exceptionally tall and all muscle. Perhaps one developed it a little, but inherently he was born that way, more in the realm of the object (cheftza) than of personal accomplishment (gavra). And what did he do for this? That is how he was born. As for wealth, we all know that its decree comes from Him, blessed be He. A person can invest his entire life in acquiring wealth and come away with nothing, whereas someone else invested nothing and wealth was decreed upon him, as our Sages stated: regarding that drop it is decreed what will become of it even before the child emerges into the air of the world, and whether one will be rich or poor is determined in advance.
If so, why should a person boast of this? And even if he added something of his own, ultimately the innate nature itself was granted to him by Hashem: a nature inclined toward wisdom, might, or wealth. None of these belong to him; rather, they are a deposit entrusted into his hands, and the One worthy of praise for them is the Holy One, blessed be He, Who bestowed them. The glory does not rightfully belong to you.
However, when a person uses these three elements to know Hashem, to perform kindness, justice, and righteousness, this depends solely on his choice. I received wealth, but what I do with it is purely my own choice without the intervention of the Holy One, blessed be He - for if there were intervention, for what would I deserve reward? If I decide to perform charity with my wealth, that is my choice. If I decide to learn Torah with my wisdom and attain knowledge of the Divine, that is my choice. If I decide through my might to rescue the oppressed from the hand of his oppressor, that is my choice. Therefore, "in this let him who glories glory" - here you are truly worthy of praise, because you have done something that is genuinely your own: the good choice made through the wealth, through the wisdom, and through the might.
"For in These I Delight": A Wondrous Insight on Free Will
The Malbim notes precisely: Regarding the Holy One, blessed be He, it is generally unfitting to say that He merely "delights" or "desires" something, for the moment Hashem wills something, He spoke and it came to be, and the thing immediately exists. With a human being, one can say, "I desire a certain item," so I saved money, went, and bought it, where the desire is one thing and the outcome is another. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, His will and His action are one, and the moment He desires, the matter is instantly accomplished.
In what area is this not the case? Only regarding man's free will. There, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed a barrier and a partition: on the one hand, He deeply desires that you be righteous, yet on the other hand, His desire is not immediately realized by His mere will, for if it were, where would your free choice be? Here the Holy One, blessed be He, set a division between the divine will and its practical realization, saying: I deeply desire that you observe the mitzvos and be righteous, but that is up to you.
Thus, says the Malbim, it is specifically here that it is appropriate to say, "For in these I delight, says Hashem." In all other matters, it is not applicable to say "I delight" (as a mere unfulfilled desire), for from the moment He desires, it is instantly done. But in these matters it remains solely in the realm of desire, because the implementation is placed entirely in your hands, so that through it you may merit the life of the World to Come. Only in these matters - how to use these tools in a positive or negative way - does the Holy One, blessed be He, say, "In this I delight," and if you act accordingly, in this let him who glories glory. For this is free choice that belongs to you alone, and therefore you are worthy of glorying in it, and for this you deserve reward without nahama d'kisufa (the bread of shame), since this is what you genuinely labored for. Hashem says, "In these I delight," but whether Hashem's desire will be fulfilled is entirely in your hands.
"Haskel Ve-yadoa": Two Modes of Knowledge
The Malbim explains here, as is his approach in several places, the distinction between *haskel* (intellectual comprehension) and *yadoa* (knowing). *Haskalah* proceeds from cause to effect, from the earlier to the later: one understands things from their premise and deduces from them what will follow. *Da'as*, by contrast, is arrived at through sensory perception or proofs, from effect to cause, from the later to the earlier: one observes an outcome and from it deduces what existed originally. However, through this latter method, one is not necessarily correct, as one might observe a phenomenon now and, lacking full knowledge, assume that it looked different originally, thereby failing to draw accurate conclusions.
An example of this: researchers examined a stalactite cave and concluded that the cave has existed for a million years, based on the rate of stalactite growth. People then came and testified that fifty years earlier they were familiar with the cave and there was nothing in it. And what turned out to be the case? In the past, a stream flowed above it at a tremendous rate, and back then the stalactite grew by a centimeter every day; whereas today, now that the water has dried up, it adds a centimeter once every ten years. They calculated based on today's rate, extrapolated backward, and arrived at hundreds of thousands and millions of years. Thus, they reached a conclusion from effect to cause, from the later to the earlier, but not using the correct metrics or proper tools, and therefore the conclusion was flawed. A person can always deduce from the later to the earlier, but often it remains within the realm of an estimate rather than absolute knowledge of the reality itself.
"And I Will Punish All Who Are Circumcised Along with the Uncircumcised"
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם יְהֹוָה וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כׇּל מוּל בְּעׇרְלָה׃ - "Behold, days are coming, says Hashem, when I will punish all who are circumcised along with the uncircumcised:
עַל מִצְרַיִם וְעַל יְהוּדָה וְעַל אֱדוֹם וְעַל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וְעַל מוֹאָב וְעַל כׇּל קְצוּצֵי פֵאָה הַיֹּשְׁבִים בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי כׇל הַגּוֹיִם עֲרֵלִים וְכׇל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַרְלֵי לֵב׃ - Upon Egypt, and upon Yehudah, and upon Edom, and upon the children of Ammon, and upon Moav, and upon all who clip the edges of their hair who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."
"Behold, days are coming" - meaning they are already close at hand, as the Radak explains. The prophet mentions here all the nations that Nevuchadnezzar destroyed. He and his descendants were also ultimately afflicted, the Radak adds, because they truly distressed and harmed Israel exceedingly.
And what is the meaning of "I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised"? Mul means circumcised. The words "I will punish all" apply twice: I will punish all who are circumcised, and I will punish all who are uncircumcised. This is similar to the phrasing in Aleinu, "for He did not set our portion like theirs, nor set our lot like all their multitudes," where the word "set" applies to both clauses. Both the Radak and the Malbim explain this in the same way, that the phrasing applies to both: days are coming when I will punish the circumcised and the uncircumcised alike.
The verse then specifies: "Upon Egypt, and upon Yehudah, and upon Edom, and upon the children of Ammon, and upon Moav, and upon all who clip the edges who dwell in the wilderness." The Radak explains that the kingdom of Ephraim, Israel, had already been destroyed by the king of Assyria; this is why Ephraim is not mentioned here, but rather "upon Egypt and upon Yehudah," for Yehudah had not yet been destroyed, and it was Nevuchadnezzar who destroyed it. And who are the "ketzutzei fe'ah who dwell in the wilderness"? According to the Radak, these are Kedar and the kingdom of Chatzor, whom Nevuchadnezzar struck down, as Yirmiyahu prophesies later at the end of the book. And "ketzutzei fe'ah" means those who dwell at the far edge, for the word pe'ah signifies a corner and extremity, as in the expressions "on the north side (pe'ah)" and "on the south side (pe'ah)"; they are the ones who dwell in the far extremities, in remote places. For this same reason, sidelocks of hair are called pe'ot, as they are at the edges of the head. And Kedar refers to the Ishmaelites.
"For all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart": Here the verse clarifies what was said previously regarding the circumcised and the uncircumcised. I will punish the nations who are uncircumcised, and I will punish Israel, for even though they are circumcised, they are considered uncircumcised of heart. Their circumcision is purely external: a person circumcised his flesh, but his heart remained uncircumcised as before.
The Radak emphasizes that one should not understand that the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes the nations merely because they are uncircumcised, for they were never commanded regarding circumcision, so why punish them for that? Rather, the meaning is that the uncircumcised nations and circumcised Israel are, as it were, considered one and the same: the nations have an uncircumcised flesh, and Israel has an uncircumcised heart, and therefore I will punish both of them. He will punish the nations for their sins, as noted earlier, because they distressed Israel severely; yet Israel will also be included in this reckoning, since in this regard they are no different from them. And if you might say, "Behold, we are circumcised!" - you are still uncircumcised of heart.
The Radak further explains: The circumcision of the flesh will not avail them, and it is as though they were never circumcised at all. For physical circumcision was given as a covenant and a sign, to be a treasured nation from among all peoples to serve Hashem - "for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you" - and this sign was sealed into their flesh so that they would always remember that they are set apart from the nations. Yet what do they do? Despite their circumcision, they assimilate among the nations and learn from their deeds. If so, they become just like them, and the judgment upon Israel, Heaven forbid, will be just like the judgment upon the nations.
The Malbim, however, interprets "ketzutzei fe'ah" differently: these are the descendants of Keturah and the descendants of Yishmael, for the descendants of Kedar and Yishmael clip the edge of their body - meaning they too are circumcised. Thus, pe'ah here does not refer to the corner of the desert, as Radak and Rashi explained (that they are set apart in the far reaches of the wilderness, dwelling at the edge of the desert), but rather the extremity of the body, its edge, which refers to circumcision. It follows that the Holy One, blessed be He, will punish them all: the circumcised among the nations, and even Israel - for even though their circumcision is more complete, as they perform both milah (circumcision) and pri'ah (uncovering), they still possess an uncircumcised heart, and for this they must be held to account.
Countering the Reassurances of the Astrologers
The Malbim explains that the proximity of this verse to the opening of the next chapter - "Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed at them" - comes to teach us what these words were aimed against. The astrologers claimed that Nevuchadnezzar would rule only over the uncircumcised, not over the circumcised, and this was the illusion that calmed their fears: do not worry.
It has already been pointed out several times that the false prophets always reassured the people: the enemy will not come, the Beit HaMikdash will protect us, the Holy One, blessed be He, loves His people and will guard and deliver them. This was their way of watering down and nullifying the words of the true prophets. When the prophets called for repentance, the false prophets put the nation to sleep and soothed them, claiming there was no need to worry, no need to repent, and no reason to panic over grim predictions (saying the rabbis just like to scare everyone with Gog and Magog, that everything will be fine, that we have a wonderful people, our youth are magnificent, and all is well). Even back then, they had their media.
Regarding this, the prophet comes and says: Know, declares Hashem, that He will punish the circumcised and the uncircumcised alike. And if you claim, "Behold, we are circumcised," of what value is circumcision if you are uncircumcised of heart? How will your circumcision save you when the foreskin of the heart remains within you? Therefore, do not believe the words of the astrologers, for ultimately Nevuchadnezzar will come and do just this.
In summary:
In this part of the chapter, Yirmiyahu teaches us that the retribution is measure for measure: because they corrupted their souls with venomous beliefs, Hashem will feed them wormwood and poisonous water; and because they worshipped gods they did not know, they will be scattered among nations they did not know. Above all, the prophet teaches us how to lament properly: not to weep merely for the dead, but for the living whose future is bitter; and not to say "death has climbed into our windows" as though it were mere happenstance, but rather "Speak: Thus says Hashem," for everything occurs by absolute Divine Providence. From this it follows that one must not glory in wisdom, might, or wealth, which cannot save one from Hashem's decree and are not even man's true acquisition, but merely a deposit entrusted to his care. True glory lies in spiritual choice: to understand and know Hashem through wisdom, to execute justice through strength, and to perform lovingkindness and righteousness through wealth, "for in these things I delight, says Hashem" - a desire whose fulfillment is placed solely in our hands. Finally, the prophet warns against succumbing to the complacency of false reassurances: Hashem will punish the circumcised and the uncircumcised alike, for circumcision of the flesh is of no avail to one who remains uncircumcised of heart.