Chapter 13 of Sefer Yirmiyahu opens with a command from the Holy One, blessed be He, instructing Yirmiyahu to perform a specific action. This is a recurring theme in the books of the prophets: the prophet is commanded to perform an action, and the action itself serves as a parable for the message that the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to convey, usually regarding the people of Israel and what is destined to happen to them. As is well known, in such instances there is a dispute among the commentators: was the action actually performed in physical reality, or did the entire event take place within a prophetic vision?
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי הָלוֹךְ וְקָנִיתָ לְּךָ אֵזוֹר פִּשְׁתִּים וְשַׂמְתּוֹ עַל מׇתְנֶיךָ וּבַמַּיִם לֹא תְבִאֵהוּ׃ - Thus said the Lord to me: Go and buy yourself a linen belt, and place it upon your loins, and do not bring it into water.
The Holy One, blessed be He, commands Yirmiyahu to buy a linen belt (ezor pishtim), which is a type of girdle or sash. The Radak cites the Rambam, "the great sage, the teacher of righteousness," stating that this entire event took place in a prophetic dream. This is not an isolated case: the Rambam explains many scriptural passages in this manner. For example, as explained in the sefer Mishnat HaChalomot, the Rambam explains that the entire episode of the guests who came to Avraham and the tidings they brought him occurred within a prophetic vision: "And behold, the Lord stood over him," and within that prophetic vision he was shown three men, and Avraham saw in the vision how he ran and served food before them, and so forth. It is important to emphasize that almost all other commentators disagree with the Rambam on this approach and understand the verses literally. Here, too, the commentators understand the text literally: when the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "Go and buy yourself a linen belt," Yirmiyahu literally went and purchased a linen belt; just as when guests arrived at Avraham's tent, actual guests arrived and he physically served them. Thus, the Rambam stands alone in his view, and we will follow the interpretation of the majority of commentators, that everything here took place in physical reality.
"And do not bring it into water" - in its plain sense: do not wash it. The Radak already writes that he did not know the reason for this phrasing: if the intention was not to wash it, the verse should have simply said, "do not wash it." Why did it say, "do not bring it into water"? However, the Malbim examines every single detail here and clarifies this point as well. According to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him regarding seven distinct matters:
1. "Go and buy" - not walking in secret, but an overt, noticeable walk that leaves an impression, so that everyone would see him going to buy it. 2. That it be an acquisition with money - not received as a gift, but paid for. 3. "And place it upon your loins" - that it be fitted precisely to the size of his waist. 4. That it specifically be an ezor (belt or sash) rather than a chagur (a loose belt or sword belt). 5. That it be made of linen, as linen symbolizes the badge of priesthood and royalty, an important garment. 6. "And place it" (vesamto) rather than "and gird it" (ve'azarto), since "to gird" implies tying it tightly, and a person cannot keep something tightly bound at all times; here, the belt was intended to remain on him constantly. 7. "And do not bring it into water" - a linen belt is white and therefore requires constant washing so that it does not become soiled and blackened; God tells him that not only may he not launder it, but he must not even perform the preparation for laundering, which is soaking it in water.
כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִדְבַּק הָאֵזוֹר אֶל מׇתְנֵי אִישׁ כֵּן הִדְבַּקְתִּי אֵלַי אֶת כׇּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת כׇּל בֵּית יְהוּדָה נְאֻם יְהֹוָה לִהְיוֹת לִי לְעָם וּלְשֵׁם וְלִתְהִלָּה וּלְתִפְאָרֶת וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ׃ - For as a belt clings to the loins of a man, so have I caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me, says the Lord, to be for Me a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory; but they would not listen.
Verse 11 explains the meaning of the parable, and the Malbim introduces and explains it here. The belt clinging to Yirmiyahu's loins symbolizes that the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, attached Israel to Himself: just as the belt clings to the loins, so are you bound to Me. Furthermore: just as I commanded that the belt be purchased at a price, so did I acquire you at a price. The Holy One, blessed be He, performed signs and wonders and altered the order of creation - investing, as it were, to acquire you. It was not that one day I simply declared that you would be My people; rather, I altered the order of creation, brought signs and wonders, and gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, meaning that you cost Me dearly. And what is a "cost" to the Holy One, blessed be He? Altering nature is heavy in His eyes - not difficult for Him, but undesirable in His eyes, because altering nature infringes upon free choice, and the Holy One, blessed be He, does not desire to override free choice. Yet despite all this, He paid a heavy price, as it were, intervened in human choice, performed miracles, and altered nature in order to acquire you, as it is written, "Possessor of heaven and earth," and Israel is one such cherished acquisition.
Third: just as the belt was fitted precisely to the dimensions of his body, so are we meant to align with His divine attributes - "You shall be holy, for I am holy," and "You shall walk in His ways": just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful; just as He is gracious, so shall you be gracious. The Malbim further hints: just as when a person wears a garment, when he raises his arm the shirt rises with it - the garment moving automatically according to the movements of the wearer - so was the intention and purpose that the Holy One, blessed be He, would be revealed through these garments known as the people of Israel; His conduct and attributes were to find expression through the Jewish nation. This is our purpose in the world - "And I will be magnified and sanctified," so that through seeing the people of Israel, His holy Name will be sanctified, and people will declare, "These are the people of the Lord, and from His land they have come," bringing about a sanctification of God's Name in the world. You are in the aspect of a garment for the holy Shechinah, through whom His divine guidance is revealed.
Furthermore: just as the belt clings to the loins, so is the Holy One, blessed be He, attached to them, as it were, through Divine Providence (hashgachah pratit). Not like the nations of the world, who are overseen through a heavenly ministering angel, but rather you are attached like a belt upon the loins, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is closely bound to you, as it were, watching over you with individual providence. And since the belt indicates strength, and linen indicates glory and honor, He attached them "for a name and for glory" - so that through the people of Israel, the Creator's might and glory would be made evident in His providence over His people.
Just as Hashem commands that the waistband remain constantly on his loins, so too Divine Providence over you is constant. The Jewish people cannot divorce the Holy One, blessed be He; this is an eternal marriage, and therefore it is said, "And I will betroth you to Me forever" - forever, not temporarily. And if the bride corrupts her ways, the Holy One, blessed be He, sees to taking her back by force, bringing afflictions so that the bride returns home, but a state of divorce is out of the question. This is indeed the claim of the nations, that the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned us and chose Christianity or Islam; yet the answer is "And I will betroth you to Me forever" - the bond is eternal. We are like the waistband tightened around Yirmiyahu's loins, bound, as it were, to the Holy One, blessed be He.
However, it is the nature of a waistband to become soiled. When a person wears a white garment, if he does not change it for a day or two, it blackens. So too the Jewish people, who are the waistband upon the loins of the Holy One, blessed be He, require laundering. And what is this laundering? "Wash with lye" - to cleanse oneself from sins. In order to cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, one must possess purity; one who is not pure and refined cannot connect to Him. And the laundering is accomplished through listening to words of Torah, words of rebuke, and words of prophecy - "Wash your heart from evil," as we saw earlier. Yet they not only refuse to be laundered, but they do not even want to be soaked in water - apparently the water is too cold for them. This is the meaning of "and place it upon your loins, but do not bring it into water": the Jewish people are upon Hashem's loins, yet they are not even willing to enter the water, not even a beginning of cleansing, not even a mere soaking - which represents listening to words of mussar. All the more so actual laundering, which requires scrubbing, stain removal, and great effort - that is entirely out of the question.
The Malbim, in his explanation of the words, notes several precise nuances. First, it does not say, "and buy a linen waistband," but rather, "and buy for yourself [lekha]." And "for yourself" everywhere implies for your benefit, for your good, or tailored to you (as in "Send for yourself" - according to your own judgment). Here, the intention is that the waistband was tailored to Yirmiyahu's body, and the lesson is that we are tailored to the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He.
The Malbim further distinguishes between the various terms for a belt: avnet, cheshev, mezach, chagur, and ezor. The avnet is designated for kohanim, as it is written, "and I will strengthen him with your sash [avnetekha]," stated regarding the kohen. The cheshev is unique to the ephod - "the decorated band [cheshev] of the ephod" - a half-belt, part of which is made from the ephod itself and part of which extends from it, crafted with "skillful workmanship" [ma'aseh choshev], meaning artistic work. The mezach is intended to gather and raise garments, just as a pier or breakwater [mezach] rises above the sea waves. The chagur encompasses anything a person girds around his body, from his chest downward to his legs: "gird on sackcloth," "gird weapons of war," a belt upon the loins - anything a person girds around his body is called a chagur.
The ezor, by contrast, is a specific belt meant to strengthen the loins, typically tied tightly, and it symbolizes strength and valor: "Gird yourselves [hit'azru] and be broken," "I girded you [a'azerkha] though you did not know Me," as well as alacrity: "And you, gird [te'ezor] your loins." It was always tightened firmly to express strength and might. If one girded the ezor over the garments, it was called a loins-band [ezor motnayim]; if underneath, a waist-band [ezor chalatzayim]. For instance, when one needed to run, and the runner's limbs would sway and hinder him, they would place a special belt, tie it around the abdomen, and cinch it tight so he could run without difficulty. An ezor was worn only by men, and specifically by warriors; whereas a standard belt [chagurah] was worn by women as well, as it is written, "instead of a belt [chagurah], a rope."
Linen signifies the prestige of its wearer; therefore, only leaders and kohanim wore a linen waistband. The angel is called "a man clothed in linen [badim]," and bad is linen; Yosef was dressed in garments of fine linen [shesh], and shesh is linen. As we have learned, linen is called both shesh and bad, and bad in gematria equals six [shesh]. For this reason, the deceased are wrapped in linen shrouds, because garments of shesh are governed only by six celestial bodies and not seven, thereby protecting the wearer from the harmful influence of an adverse constellation. In any case, "a man clothed in linen" and "garments of fine linen" convey prominence, which is why Yirmiyahu was told that the waistband he was to place upon his loins should be a garment of prestige. And why does it say, "and place it" [vesamto] rather than "and gird it" [ve'azarto]? Because "to gird" implies cinching tightly, and one cannot remain bound tightly at all times; He therefore told him to place it upon his loins merely as a symbol. And "do not bring it into water" means that it should not even be introduced to water at all, not merely that it should not be laundered or rinsed.
וָאֶקְנֶה אֶת הָאֵזוֹר כִּדְבַר יְהֹוָה וָאָשִׂם עַל מׇתְנָי׃ - "So I bought the waistband according to the word of Hashem, and placed it upon my loins."
Yirmiyahu fulfilled the command in accordance with all the details Hashem had commanded.
וַיְהִי דְבַר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי שֵׁנִית לֵאמֹר׃ קַח אֶת הָאֵזוֹר אֲשֶׁר קָנִיתָ אֲשֶׁר עַל מׇתְנֶיךָ וְקוּם לֵךְ פְּרָתָה וְטׇמְנֵהוּ שָׁם בִּנְקִיק הַסָּלַע׃ - "And the word of Hashem came to me a second time, saying: 'Take the waistband that you bought, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.'"
The waistband had already reached a state where it became soiled, since it had not been brought into water, and it was no longer dignified for Yirmiyahu to continue wearing it upon his loins. Hashem says to him: Go and hide it at the Euphrates - on the bank of the Euphrates River - in a cleft of the rock. And what is the allegory? After they failed to heed the Divine command and the waistband became soiled - meaning, the people of Israel became soiled with sins, refused to enter water, and were unwilling to be cleansed of their sins or accept rebuke - they were no longer worthy of Hashem binding us upon His loins. We are a soiled waistband, and a soiled belt must be taken and hidden away.
And where? At the Euphrates, which is along the route leading to Egypt; and in the cleft of the rock. This is an allegorical figure, explains the Malbim, meaning that they buried their faces in concealment: they suffered such immense disgrace and shame that they had to hide their faces from the humiliation. And what was this disgrace? As Scripture says, "They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them" - the shame of turning to Egypt. Turning to another nation for help is in itself a humiliation; and if you say there was no choice, for should they simply perish? If that other nation had actually helped, at least the shame would have paid off and you would have been saved. But when the appeal yielded nothing, it became a double disgrace: you lowered your own dignity and still did not receive what you sought. And that is what happened here.
There are two dimensions to this bond: in terms of acquisition - they were acquired to Me as a people, these servants whom I brought out of Egypt; and in terms of their clinging to My loins. Yet whom did they go seeking? They went to the Euphrates, seeking Egypt. Instead of turning to Me, while you are girded upon the loins of the Master of the Universe - what did you go looking for? Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Strip off the girdle and hide it in the cleft of the rock. The Euphrates River symbolizes that they abandoned the Holy One, blessed be He, because of their defilement, and went and concealed themselves away.
The Malbim also analyzes the precise nuance of the word hatman (to hide or bury), which differs from nistar, nechba, and nitzpan. The latter terms can refer to being behind something, where a person hides behind an object. But nitman specifically means covering oneself with something: "covering oneself in earth," "they hid themselves in flax" - it always denotes covering over. Here it describes how they concealed themselves in the cleft of the rock; that is, their shame was so overwhelming that they buried their faces in the rock's cleft when going to plead for Egypt's assistance, which not only failed to benefit them, but proved to be a broken reed of a staff. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Come and see, the nation that was on My loins at the highest possible level - where is it now? By the Euphrates River, buried in the cleft of the rock, begging Egypt for help.
וָאֵלֵךְ וָאֶטְמְנֵהוּ בִּפְרָת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אוֹתִי׃ - So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
"By the Euphrates" - near the Euphrates River.
וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים רַבִּים וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי קוּם לֵךְ פְּרָתָה וְקַח מִשָּׁם אֶת הָאֵזוֹר אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְטׇמְנוֹ שָׁם׃ - And it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me: Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the girdle that I commanded you to hide there.
"After many days" is an allegorical and figurative reference to what we will see later in chapter 42: how Israel went to Egypt, and Yirmiyahu sought to bring them back from there, and Hashem sent him with a prophecy to restore them - but they were no longer willing to listen to him. That is: you turned to Egypt by way of the Euphrates River, and ultimately you were exiled there, and Yirmiyahu comes to take you out - and what does he find?
וָאֵלֵךְ פְּרָתָה וָאֶחְפֹּר וָאֶקַּח אֶת הָאֵזוֹר מִן הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר טְמַנְתִּיו שָׁמָּה וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחַת הָאֵזוֹר לֹא יִצְלַח לַכֹּל׃ - Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the girdle was ruined, it was good for nothing.
The girdle was ruined, for the Euphrates is a river, a place of water, and when a garment is placed there - especially a plant-based linen garment - it rots and decays. The allegory and its meaning: the people of Israel, once they descended to Egypt, were ruined; there was no one left to speak with and no one left to redeem. Even when Yirmiyahu goes to redeem them, he sees that the people are unwilling to listen. And Nebuchadnezzar came along the route of the Euphrates River, struck Pharaoh, and the people of Israel perished along with him.
וַיְהִי דְבַר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה כָּכָה אַשְׁחִית אֶת גְּאוֹן יְהוּדָה וְאֶת גְּאוֹן יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הָרָב׃ - Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord: In this manner will I ruin the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
Now the Holy One, blessed be He, explains the nimshal to him: first the meaning of the girdle's decay, and then the meaning of buying the girdle itself. The girdle signifies the pride and splendor that belonged to the people of Israel - linen, girded as it were upon His loins - and now it was ruined at the Euphrates River. So too, "the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem," whose pride was their greatness and power, which had been immense, will be ruined just like that girdle.
הָעָם הַזֶּה הָרָע הַמֵּאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת דְּבָרַי הַהֹלְכִים בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעׇבְדָם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לָהֶם וִיהִי כָּאֵזוֹר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִצְלַח לַכֹּל׃ - "This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, shall be like this belt, which is fit for nothing."
Now Scripture corresponds each detail of the mashal to its meaning. Just as the belt was not brought into water, and thus became soiled and was no longer fit to wear, so too "this evil people, who refuse to hear My words" - they refuse to listen. And just as you went to hide the belt at the Peras River, a deliberate journey to a specific place along a distant path, so they act with premeditation - "who walk in the stubbornness of their heart." A person might sin out of passion, because his evil inclination overwhelms him; but one who does not sin out of lust, but rather walks in the stubbornness of his heart, faces a far harsher indictment, for he acts with willful malice and out of the wickedness of his heart. And just as you hid it in a cleft of the rock, so they buried their faces in shame and had to hide their faces from disgrace. And just as the belt was completely ruined, so they were utterly ruined there alongside their enemies - harm caused by the enemies and harm brought upon themselves.
וְנִפַּצְתִּים אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו וְהָאָבוֹת וְהַבָּנִים יַחְדָּו נְאֻם יְהֹוָה לֹא אֶחְמוֹל וְלֹא אָחוּס וְלֹא אֲרַחֵם מֵהַשְׁחִיתָם׃ - "And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, says Hashem; I will not spare, nor will I have pity, nor will I have mercy, from destroying them."
Why are there three terms, and why is one not enough? We noted this when studying the Malbim on the blotting out of Amalek, in the narrative of Shaul and Agag, and let us briefly review it here. *Rachamim* (mercy) is an expression used only regarding a human being; one does not say he had *rachamim* on an animal, a table, or a utensil. By contrast, *chamal* and *chus* can be said of inanimate objects and plants as well. And what is the difference between them? *Lachus* is based on one's own need for the object: I spare it because I wish to use it and still need it, as in, "And let not your eye pity your belongings" - vessels are things I need, which is why they were told not to pity them. Whereas *chemalah* is from the perspective of the object itself: I do not need it, but it pains me to destroy it; it is a shame to ruin it. Even an item I do not need - why destroy it? I will leave it outside so someone else might benefit from it.
And this was the indictment against Shaul: "And Shaul had compassion (*vayachmol*)." *Vayachmol*, the Malbim explains, is a conceptual and intellectual judgment, where he deemed that this object was deserving of compassion. Hashem says it is worthy of destruction, and you say it is worthy of compassion? Not because I need it or will gain from it, but that by right it deserves compassion - that was the severe charge against him. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says here: "I will not have compassion (*lo echmol*)" - I will not consider that perhaps they are not worthy of destruction; "nor will I spare (*ve-lo achus*)" - lest you say some benefit might come from them, perhaps they will sanctify the Name of Heaven, perhaps there could be some supposed utility to the Holy One, blessed be He? There is no benefit in them whatsoever; "nor will I have mercy (*ve-lo arachem*)" - even the mercy appropriate to a human being will not be extended to them.
שִׁמְעוּ וְהַאֲזִינוּ אַל תִּגְבָּהוּ כִּי יְהֹוָה דִּבֵּר׃ - "Hear and give ear, do not be proud, for Hashem has spoken."
Radak explains "do not be proud" - do not be arrogant; do not think that you possess wisdom and know ethics and have no need to hear reproof from God, as if you have your own moral path and do not need the reproof of the prophets. Not so; rather, hear and give ear, so that there will be no haughtiness in you, and on the contrary, incline your ear to the reproof of the prophets.
The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that "hear" refers to submitting to Nevuchadnetzar. The prophet informs them that they must surrender into his hands, and so long as they humble themselves before him and do not rebel against him, they will remain in the land; but the moment they raise their heads, when Tzidkiyahu rebels against Nevuchadnetzar, Nevuchadnetzar will exile them all. Thus, "do not be proud" means do not raise your heads to rebel against Nevuchadnetzar, "for Hashem has spoken" - the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who commanded that he be made king, and consequently any action against him is a rebellion against Hashem, for bringing Nevuchadnetzar here is your divine punishment.
The Malbim further notes: usually the order is *ha'azanah* (giving ear) followed by *shemi'ah* (hearing and accepting), since *ha'azanah* means merely inclining an ear to the words, while *shemi'ah* implies accepting them. Here, however, it is stated in reverse, "Hear and give ear," because he wanted to tell them: ideally, hear and accept the words; and even if you do not accept them fully, at least give ear to them. Giving ear is the initial, minimal step, and if you listen, there is a chance that in time the words will penetrate.
תְּנוּ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כָּבוֹד בְּטֶרֶם יַחְשִׁךְ וּבְטֶרֶם יִתְנַגְּפוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם עַל הָרֵי נָשֶׁף וְקִוִּיתֶם לְאוֹר וְשָׂמָהּ לְצַלְמָוֶת וְשִׁית לַעֲרָפֶל׃ - "Give glory to Hashem your God before it grows dark, and before your feet stumble upon the twilight mountains, and while you look for light, He turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it dense darkness."
"Give glory to Hashem your God" - do not violate the oath that Nevuchadnetzar makes you take. "Before it grows dark" - before Hashem darkens the lights of divine providence. At present, the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were shines upon us and watches over us; therefore give Him glory, fulfill His commandment, and accept Nevuchadnetzar upon yourselves before the light of providence darkens. "And before your feet stumble upon the twilight mountains" - *neshef* means darkness, meaning before you go to the place of the mountains of darkness. And to what does this allude? To what they would later do, going to seek aid from Pharaoh, hoping that salvation would sprout from him. And that hope the Holy One, blessed be He, will turn into the shadow of death - which is the hope of a crushed reed of a staff, piercing the hand of whoever leans upon it. "And while you look for light" - you expect there to be light, yet on the contrary, "He turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it dense darkness," and *arafel* is likewise an expression for darkness, a place where a person cannot see what lies before him.
And what is the doubling of "veshamah" (and place) and "yashit" (and set)? "Shit" is an expression of placing (simah), but lehashit is more than lasim: lasim can be done temporarily, whereas lehashit denotes permanence, to place permanently. And since fog by its nature is not permanent, the verse comes to say that here it will be a permanent darkness. Therefore, the prophet says, my advice to you is: give glory to the Lord your God before it grows dark, even before the darkness arrives, and accept upon yourselves the rule of Nevuchadnezzar, for Heaven has crowned him king.
וְאִם לֹא תִשְׁמָעוּהָ בְּמִסְתָּרִים תִּבְכֶּה נַפְשִׁי מִפְּנֵי גֵוָה וְדָמֹעַ תִּדְמַע וְתֵרַד עֵינִי דִּמְעָה כִּי נִשְׁבָּה עֵדֶר יְהֹוָה׃ - "And if you will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places because of pride; and my eye shall weep bitterly and shed tears, because the flock of the Lord is taken captive."
Radak explains: "And if you will not hear it" - if you will not listen to the words of this prophecy that I deliver to you from the mouth of God, "my soul shall weep in secret places," for seeing your end causes me immense worry and heartache.
And what is "because of pride" (mipnei gevah)? Several explanations are offered for this. Rashi explains: because of your greatness that will be nullified - for this my heart aches, and gevah is related to pride and greatness; when I see the evil destined to befall you, my soul weeps in secret places over the pride of Israel being abolished. Another explanation in Rashi: because of the pride of the Kingdom of Heaven that will be attributed to the idols of the Chaldeans. For when the Chaldeans are victorious, to whom do they give honor, glory, and greatness? To their idols - "our idol was victorious, our idol overcame the God of Israel" - and as it were, this brings degradation to the honor of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Radak adds an explanation: "Because of pride" - because of your arrogance; not in a positive sense as Rashi explained (that your greatness will be taken away), but rather that my soul weeps because you are arrogant and unwilling to humble yourselves. You should have lowered your pride and placed your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and then you would have had peace; instead, you rise up to rebel against him and oppose his rule - over this, my soul weeps.
And the Malbim explains "because of gevah" - because of hidden and concealed matters, which are the exile of the Shechinah and the desecration of the honor of Hashem, which are hidden matters. "Gevah" is in the sense of the expression yesh devarim bego, meaning there is something inside. "My soul shall weep in secret places" - over what is within: the exile of the Shechinah and the desecration of Hashem's honor, which are not physically perceptible. The humbling of Israel's pride is evident, but that the Shechinah is in exile (Shechinta be-galuta) is not visibly apparent, and over this hidden degradation my soul weeps.
"And my eye shall weep bitterly and shed tears" - the soul is the internal weeping, and the eye is the external weeping; there is an internal weeping and an overt weeping, where tears emerge from the eye and flow down because "the flock of the Lord is taken captive," for the Jewish people, who are the flock of His pasture, have been captured. Radak similarly explains: my soul will weep in secret, and my eye will shed tears openly, just as the Malbim writes. And Radak adds in explaining "and my eye shall run down with tears": my eye will shed so many tears that it will itself descend in tears. We usually interpret it as meaning a tear will run down from my eye, but he says it is not so; rather, the eye itself descends, as if the eye dissolves and flows down in its tear - that from the abundance of tears and crying over their situation and the exile of the Shechinah, the eye itself descends.
Chapter 13 opens with a symbolic act: Yirmiyahu purchases a linen belt at great cost and in public, places it continually upon his loins without putting it in water, and finally hides it in a cleft of the rock by the Euphrates River, only to find it ruined. The deeper meaning: Israel was acquired by Hashem at the cost of signs, wonders, and the altering of the order of Creation; they were bound to Him like a belt around the loins in Divine providence (hashgachah pratit) and eternal attachment, and were destined to serve as a garment through which His governance is revealed "for renown, for praise, and for glory." Yet they refused to be washed clean of their sins, unwilling even to undergo the soaking in water of listening to rebuke. Consequently, they became soiled, hid their faces in shame by turning to Egypt, and were ruined at the Euphrates River. From this stems the admonition: "Hear and give ear, do not be proud" - accept upon yourselves the decree of the king of Babylon, whom Heaven has crowned, and "give glory to the Lord your God before it grows dark," before the light of hope turns to the shadow of death and permanent gloom. And if not - the prophet weeps in secret and openly, over the greatness of Israel that was humbled, over the honor of Heaven that was desecrated, over the exile of the Shechinah, and over the flock of Hashem that has been taken captive.