In this section of the chapter, we reach a turning point: Yirmiyahu lamented his fate - "Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole land" - and the Holy One, Blessed be He, answers him. His mission is a thankless one: he wishes to bestow good upon the people, but in the end he receives stones and catapult missiles. In response to this comes Hashem's reply, followed by a profound dialogue between the prophet and his Creator regarding his suffering, his prophecy, and his future.
אָמַר יְהֹוָה אִם־לֹא שֵׁרִיתִיךָ לְטוֹב אִם־לוֹא הִפְגַּעְתִּי בְךָ בְּעֵת רָעָה וּבְעֵת צָרָה אֶת־הָאֹיֵב׃ (יא) - Hashem said: Indeed, I will release you for good; indeed, I will cause the enemy to plead with you in the time of evil and in the time of distress. (11)
The phrase "im lo" ("if not") is an expression of an oath, and Rashi brings several examples of this. In other words: I swear that I will preserve your remnant for good. "Sheriticha" - Rashi explains, quoting Menachem, one of the early grammarians, that it is from the root of "she'erit" (remnant): even though I said, "and their remnant I will deliver to the sword," you, the prophet, are not included in this decree; your remnant will be for good. You will be saved.
"Indeed, I will cause the enemy to plead with you in the time of evil and in the time of distress" - what does it mean that I will cause the enemy to plead with you (hifga'ti vecha)? Nevuzaradan came to Yirmiyahu and told him: You are free; I have no claim against you. For Yirmiyahu had rebuked the people properly, telling them to submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon and not rebel. From the king's perspective, this was a helpful stance, since he did not encourage the people to fight to the last drop of blood. Yirmiyahu did this because he knew it was a decree from Hashem, and that according to God's will what was required was exile and acceptance of heavenly judgment, and only then would they truly merit mercy. Therefore, the king had no grievance against him, and said to him: Go on your way. "Hifga'ti vecha" comes from the connotation of pleading insistently - that the enemy would urge and beseech you to be set free and go.
The Malbim asks: Why the double expression, "in the time of evil and in the time of distress"? "In the time of evil" refers to the time of the destruction, when Nevuzaradan made peace with him. "And in the time of distress" refers to after the assassination of Gedalyahu ben Achikam, when those same people of Israel who had previously opposed the prophet came to reconcile with him and seek his counsel. They saw that everything he foretold had come to pass, and they realized his stature and that his sole concern had always been their welfare. In both of these times, Yirmiyahu would see his opponents acknowledge his greatness.
Rashi brings another explanation in the name of Dunash, and the Radak follows this as well: "Sheriticha" is related to "msharei kitrin" - untying knots. It is like the phrase "sheruyim lachem" said by Sephardim, which means permitted (released). Incidentally, the Hebrew word "muttar" itself carries two meanings: there is a story of a man who wanted to board a train with his dog, and the attendant told him: "Assur muttar, muttar assur" - if he is tied up (assur), it is permitted (muttar); but if he is untied (muttar), it is forbidden (assur). Likewise, "sheriticha" denotes untying or releasing, as Nebuchadnezzar's officer said to him: I have loosed you from the chains, I have untied your bonds, and you are free to go.
הֲיָרֹעַ בַּרְזֶל בַּרְזֶל מִצָּפוֹן וּנְחֹשֶׁת׃ (יב) - Can iron break iron from the north and copper? (12)
The phrase "hayaro'a barzel" means: can iron crush and shatter iron? To break iron, you must have something stronger than it. Iron breaks wood, for in a contest between iron and wood, iron prevails; but iron does not break ordinary iron, just as one cannot say that glass breaks glass - which one would break which? However, tempered glass breaks ordinary glass, and hardened steel breaks ordinary iron; a drill bit pierces iron only because it is tempered steel. Thus, the question is: what kind of iron can shatter other iron? And the answer is: "Iron from the north and copper."
Rashi explains that iron coming from the north is harder than other iron. Israel is compared to iron - "talebearers, copper and iron," and it was likewise said to Yirmiyahu, "I have made you... an iron pillar and bronze walls" - but Nebuchadnezzar's iron, which comes from the north, is stronger than theirs, and can therefore subdue them. There is another explanation: Can Pharaoh, who comes to your aid and is as hard as iron, crush Nebuchadnezzar, who is iron from the north and copper? The term "copper" (or bronze) always conveys strength and power: a brazen forehead ("metzach nechushah"), copper shields, copper and iron. Israel went to seek Pharaoh's help, but Pharaoh was like a broken reed of a staff, yet they thought Pharaoh would crush Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet says to them: Can ordinary iron shatter iron that comes from the north combined with copper?
Radak explains that hayaro'a (הירוע) is related to "You shall break them with a rod of iron" (tero'em), meaning to break or shatter (lero'ea). Incidentally, the roots for friendship (rei'a) and breaking (ra'a) share the exact same letters in Lashon HaKodesh for a reason. We are accustomed to writing rei'a with a yud, but in the biblical text it is spelled without a yud. What is the connection between companionship and breaking? "Make these beloved companions utterly rejoice" - we call the bride and groom re'im (beloved companions), and in order for them to become true companions, we are told, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother." To forge a genuine bond of companionship, one must break away from all other competing attachments. A person cannot maintain the same buddy-relationship with the guys and with the neighborhood fellows while also maintaining it with his wife; one of those companionable bonds will inevitably fracture. And likewise in reverse: a woman cannot maintain total, primary companionship with all her friends and simultaneously with her husband, because at some point there will be a clash, and the question will arise whose companionship takes precedence. For true companionship to exist, a person must diminish other attachments - "a man shall leave" - and through that, "and cleave to his wife."
Radak therefore explains: "Iron from the north and copper" - when iron is alloyed with copper, it becomes exceptionally strong iron. The people thought they could withstand Nevuchadnetzar, claiming that they too were iron. The prophet answers them: You are mistaken; he is iron tempered with copper, and he comes from the north, as "out of the north evil shall break forth."
The Malbim explains that the preceding verses served as a parenthetical passage: they came to express Yirmiyahu's anguish - how could he prophesy such harsh things against his own people and against Jerusalem? Within this, the prophet weaves in the story of his own difficult struggle, that the people hated him and he had become a man of strife and contention. Now the verse returns to what was stated earlier: "and their remnant I will deliver to the sword." They placed their trust in Egypt, thinking Pharaoh would help them, but ultimately he did not help; and even after the destruction, when they fled to Egypt against the prophet's command, Nevuchadnetzar's sword overtook them there. Concerning this he asks them: Can ordinary iron, representing Pharaoh, crush Nevuchadnetzar, who is iron coming from the north?
The Malbim adds a wonderful explanation of the words "iron from the north": this refers to a magnet. Why is it called "coming from the north"? Because when a magnetic needle is suspended, it always points north. This iron constantly aligns with the northern pole, and it possesses power and dominion over ordinary iron, drawing it with its force - it is iron that rules over iron and holds sway over it. And alongside it is "copper," representing the assistance from the formidable surrounding nations who were as strong as copper. The Malbim adds: Do not wonder that the spiritually perceptive men of ancient times were aware of its property of pointing north, something hidden from most people back then. Indeed, we find that Chazal state that one of Gechazi's sins was suspending a lodestone (a magnet) over the calves of Yerov'am: Yerov'am made calves, and Gechazi popularized them - he took a powerful magnet, hung it above the calves, and the calves were pulled upward, appearing to the people as if they were floating in midair, which made the people believe that the calves possessed real supernatural power. The multitude did not realize a magnet was involved, for they were unaware of the secret of the magnet. But wise and learned individuals certainly knew its unique properties and its orientation toward the north.
חֵילְךָ וְאוֹצְרוֹתֶיךָ לָבַז אֶתֵּן לֹא בִמְחִיר וּבְכׇל־חַטֹּאותֶיךָ וּבְכׇל־גְּבוּלֶךָ׃ (יג) - "Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without price, and for all your sins, throughout all your borders." (15:13)
"Your wealth" refers to money and possessions, and "your treasures I will give as plunder," with everything left to the looters. "And for all your sins" - on account of all your sins you will receive this punishment. "Throughout all your borders" - because they set up idols throughout their borders, as Rashi explains; and Radak adds that the sins were not confined to a single place, but rather the altars (bamot) were spread throughout all their borders.
What is the meaning of "without price"? Radak explains: there will be so many looters that no price will even be paid for the spoils. When does an item fetch a price? When there is demand and the supply is smaller than the demand; then the price rises. But something found everywhere has no price, just as air is so plentiful that it has no price. In the same way, the plunder will be so abundant that everyone will come and loot without measure, and if anyone tries to sell anything, they will be told: We have plenty of this, we have no need for it. The expression "without price" always denotes deep humiliation, as in "you were sold and there is no buyer" - because of the sheer multitude of Jewish captives, there was no longer anyone willing to buy them.
Through this we have previously explained the matter of "and the needy for a pair of shoes." Why did the brothers sell Yosef, did they really lack shoes? Rather, they thought that giving Yosef away for free would be the ultimate humiliation, since giving someone away without price implies he is worth nothing at all - we do not even want money for him. To spare him that degradation, they at least took money. Why, then, were they held liable for doing so? Because if that was your intention, at least do not benefit personally from the money, since its entire purpose was merely to spare Yosef disgrace. Why did you go and buy shoes with it? The moment self-interest and personal benefit entered the picture, the entire act was tainted, even though originally there had been a constructive intent in demanding money for their brother.
The Malbim explains "without price" in a different way: sometimes an enemy comes and takes in order to loot plunder and seize spoils, but here that is not the primary purpose - they will come on account of your sins, not merely out of an ambition to amass wealth. It is also implied from his phrasing that "without price" means not by way of purchase: sometimes an enemy takes goods and pays for them, where you do not wish to sell, yet he takes and compensates you; but here he comes strictly to plunder and rob, with no intention of paying the price of what he takes.
וְהַעֲבַרְתִּי אֶת־אֹיְבֶיךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא יָדָעְתָּ כִּי־אֵשׁ קָדְחָה בְאַפִּי עֲלֵיכֶם תּוּקָד׃ (יד) - "And I will cause your enemies to pass into a land you know not, for a fire is kindled in My anger, which shall burn upon you." (15:14)
This verse is puzzling in its plain sense: "I will cause your enemies to pass through a land you do not know" - why should it bother me if enemies pass through there? Radak explains that "et oyvecha" (את אויביך) means "el oyvecha" (אל אויביך, to your enemies), just as in the verse "and show himself to the Kohen" (vehura et hakohen), which means "to the Kohen." Thus the intended meaning is: I will cause you to pass over to your enemies in a land you have not known. Furthermore, an unknown land is always worse than a familiar one: in a land I know, I understand the language and the terrain and can manage, but when a person is cast into a land entirely foreign to him - where he knows neither the climate, nor the language, nor the mentality - that is the worst fate of all.
It should be noted that Targum Yonatan implies a different reading, with a dalet rather than a resh - "veha'avadeti" (I will enslave you) - as he translates, "and you shall be subjugated to your enemies." However, Radak writes that this is not the correct textual reading, and that in the precise manuscripts the text reads "veha'avarti" (and I will cause to pass).
The Malbim explains: even after the destruction, when you go down to Egypt, do not imagine that you can be saved there, for Nebuchadnezzar pursued them into Egypt as well. "And I will cause your enemies to pass" - I will bring your enemies after you, and when you flee to a land you did not know, his sword will overtake you there too. And why? "For a fire is kindled in My nostrils; upon you it shall burn" - since the fire has been ignited, it will burn perpetually, both after the destruction and throughout your flight.
אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ יְהֹוָה זׇכְרֵנִי וּפׇקְדֵנִי וְהִנָּקֶם לִי מֵרֹדְפַי אַל־לְאֶרֶךְ אַפְּךָ תִּקָּחֵנִי דַּע שְׂאֵתִי עָלֶיךָ חֶרְפָּה׃ (טו) - You know, Hashem; remember me and visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors; take me not away through Your longsuffering; know that for Your sake I have borne reproach. (15)
The Malbim explains: after hearing from Hashem that his remnant would be for good, the prophet asks that the Holy One, Blessed be He, hasten to punish those who rise against him and seek to kill him, just as he had prayed earlier that retribution be exacted from them. "Take me not away through Your longsuffering" - although You are longsuffering regarding what they have sinned against You, do not show longsuffering regarding what they have sinned against me. Do not let a situation arise where I am taken from this world because of Your forbearance toward them; rather, exact retribution from them so that they are not granted long life during which they might manage to harm me.
"Know that for Your sake I have borne reproach" - Master of the Universe, when they insult me, I bear that disgrace for Your sake, on account of Your prophecies and Your rebukes. On my own, what do they have against me? If they persecute me, it is solely because I represent You. From this emerge two points: first, it establishes a greater claim upon the Holy One, Blessed be He, to save Yirmiyahu, since everything he does is for the honor of Hashem, blessed be He. Second, it magnifies their sin tenfold - one who fights him on a personal level commits a sin, but one who fights him because he is the emissary of the Holy One, Blessed be He, commits a sin that is tenfold more severe.
נִמְצְאוּ דְבָרֶיךָ וָאֹכְלֵם וַיְהִי דְבָרְךָ לִי לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחַת לְבָבִי כִּי־נִקְרָא שִׁמְךָ עָלַי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת׃ (טז) - Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your word was unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, because Your name was called upon me, Hashem, God of Hosts. (16)
The Malbim explains: a prophet attained prophecy through preparation. When he wished to prepare himself for prophecy, he would engage a musician - "and it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Hashem came upon him" - for music brings a person to joy, and prophecy rests only in a state of joy. The prophets would take up tambourine and flute to awaken prophecy. But Yirmiyahu continually prophesied messages of wrath and doom, prophecies that plunge the prophet into sadness and sorrow, and therefore he could not prepare himself for prophecy on his own. How could he bring himself to joy in order to prophesy messages of destruction? One cannot be joyful and declare with gladness that all will die and that women and children will be delivered to the sword.
Therefore, says the Malbim, Yirmiyahu's prophecy came to him only when Hashem needed to send him, and then the word of Hashem - in whose place there is strength and gladness - would bestow joy and rejoicing upon him. It is like a person who drinks wine: we do not say that he was happy and therefore drank, but rather that drinking the wine is what brings the joy. So too here: by the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestowing the prophecy upon him, joy was generated within him, and consequently he was worthy and prepared to receive the word of Hashem.
Yet when the prophecy concluded, and that infinite spiritual spring ceased, he would return to being astonished and grieved over the message itself, over what he had received - for it was filled with visions of ruin and calamity, and the prophet saw them as though they were right before his eyes. The prophecy ended, that flowing stream of joy ended, and what was he left with? With harsh, harrowing visions of slaughter and massacre.
And this is what he meant by "Your words were found" - the speech comes to me like a person who finds a lost object unexpectedly, and not through my own preparation, for I cannot prepare myself with joy to receive such harsh tidings. A find occurs unexpectedly; a person does not go out seeking lost items. "And I ate them" - when I received the prophecy, I was like a person famished for bread who devours it, eating them out of joy. "And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart" - the divine speech itself aroused joy and gladness within me so that I could receive the prophecy, for without that it is impossible. "For Your Name is called upon me" - through an awakening from Above; I did not perform an action, but rather You called Your Name upon me, and I had no prior joy or gladness that brought this about.
לֹא־יָשַׁבְתִּי בְסוֹד־מְשַׂחֲקִים וָאֶעְלֹז מִפְּנֵי יָדְךָ בָּדָד יָשַׁבְתִּי כִּי־זַעַם מִלֵּאתָנִי׃ (יז) - I did not sit in the assembly of merrymakers, nor did I exult; because of Your hand I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation. (17)
The Malbim continues: I did not perform actions that bring about joy. We saw the musician [brought to inspire prophecy], and one can also sit in the assembly of merrymakers, among happy, laughing people, and reach joy through them. The prophet says: I did not sit in the assembly of merrymakers and exult so that through that joy prophecy would come to me. "Because of Your hand I sat alone" - "Your hand" refers to prophecy, as in the phrase "and the hand of Hashem was upon him." Because of Your prophecy I always sat alone, and the reason is: "For You filled me with indignation" - the prophecy would fill me with indignation and wrath over the retribution and the harsh events I foresaw, and consequently, even after the prophecy I could not arrive at joy, but rather remained engulfed in sadness and grief.
The Radak explains: My joy does not stem from revelry and people who make merry and rejoice; rather, Your word is the joy of my heart, as he stated, "And Your word was to me a joy." To use a contemporary analogy: there is a person who needs to go to a wedding with loud music in order to feel joy, and there is a person who says, "Give me a page of Gemara, and you bring me the greatest joy." This is what Yirmiyahu is saying: I do not need external aids to attain joy; rather, my joy comes from the word of Hashem, for true joy is the joy of the intellect. An intelligent person, when you share a wonderful insight or a novel line of reasoning with him, is far more gladdened by it than by dancing and music - matters of intellect and understanding bring him greater joy.
And the other kind of joy, says the Radak, is physical pleasure, and with such joys I had no involvement. Not only did I not rejoice with them, but they were not even company for me; rather, "I sat alone" - I secluded myself in my house and did not seek the company of the assembly of merrymakers at all. And the Targum explains "for You filled me with indignation" - "for a prophecy of curse [retribution] You have filled me with."
The Radak brings another explanation for "because of Your hand": "Your hand" means Your blow, as in "Behold, the hand of Hashem is upon your livestock," which denotes retribution and affliction. Thus, "Because of Your hand I sat alone" means because of the afflictions - for they reviled, humiliated, and beat him, as it says, "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." And why is it called "Your hand"? Because it is by virtue of the prophecy and by virtue of the message I deliver in Your Name that they beat me. According to this, "Your hand" does not mean Your prophecy, but rather the hand that strikes.
לָמָּה הָיָה כְאֵבִי נֶצַח וּמַכָּתִי אֲנוּשָׁה מֵאֲנָה הֵרָפֵא הָיוֹ תִהְיֶה לִי כְּמוֹ אַכְזָב מַיִם לֹא נֶאֱמָנוּ׃ (יח) - Why has my pain been perpetual, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? (18)
"Incurable (anusha)" - Rashi explains that it is related to illness, as in "vaye'anash" (and became ill), regarding the son of Batsheva. "Will You indeed be to me like a deceitful brook (akhzav)" - like a person whose source of trust has ceased; I rely on something, and that which I relied upon ceases to bestow goodness upon me. A deceitful brook also derives from the root of falsehood (kzv), with an added aleph, as is common with many words that have prefixed letters, and so writes the Radak. A deceitful brook is a stream that seemingly promises water but dries up. The prophet says: I trusted in You, and the assurance I relied upon has seemingly ceased, the proof being that You leave me to suffer at their hands and allow them to torment me.
The Radak explains the meaning of these words: since Hashem told him at the beginning of his prophecy, "And I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and bronze walls," Yirmiyahu understood that from then on all afflictions, troubles, and persecutions would cease. And even though he was explicitly told, "And they shall fight against you," Yirmiyahu thought it would be a local, temporary conflict that would come to an end, after which he would remain an iron pillar and bronze walls. But when he saw that the persecutions never ended, but only grew more frequent and intense, he said: Master of the Universe, why has my pain been perpetual? I was certain this pain would end, yet I see it has no conclusion and is endless. "And my wound incurable" - severe and heavy.
The Malbim explains differently: the indignation that fills the prophet's soul is like a wound and an inner pain in his soul. According to this, it does not refer to the suffering caused by the men of Anatot and the persecution of the people, but to the internal processes raging within him during the prophecy and upon hearing the severe calamities - the emotional and spiritual anguish. And this pain was terrible and agonizing, for his love for the nation was immense, and hearing such troubles concerning his people broke him completely. Regarding this he says, "Why has my pain been perpetual?"
The Malbim cites the Abarbanel, explaining that illnesses are divided into four categories. There are longstanding illnesses that involve neither pain nor danger - a chronic condition that a person carries with him; if you ask him, "Do you suffer from it?" he answers, "No." "Do people die from it?" "No." Yet he carries it with him. There are illnesses that cause pain but pose no danger, and are not longstanding or continuous, such as toothaches or earaches - great pain, but nobody dies from it, nor is it a pain one drags around for twenty years; it comes and goes. And there are newly contracted illnesses that cause no pain but pose grave danger, may the Merciful One save us. For example, a severe infection: you ask him, "Does anything hurt?" and he says, "No, maybe a slight fever." And this is the most terrible of all, for pain serves as a warning light; when there is no pain, the danger is far greater, and if one does not treat it immediately, it can, Heaven forbid, become life-threatening within a day or two.
The prophet comes and says: in my case, the medical chart contains every single ailment. There is an illness that involves pain - "Why is my pain"; I experience pain. There is an illness whose pain is not perpetual - "my pain perpetual"; for me, the pain is constant. There is an illness that is painful and constant yet not dangerous - "and my wound incurable." And there is an illness that at least comes and goes - "it refuses to be healed"; this is an illness that has come to stay, with no cure. Thus, every single type of illness has afflicted me.
Moreover, the prophet says: I am not like other prophets whose prophecy is constant whenever they prepare themselves for it; rather, I prophesy only intermittently, and furthermore, prophecy is destined to cease entirely - for after the destruction, Yirmiyahu's prophecy ceased. This is the meaning of "Will You be to me like a failing stream" - prophecy like a dried-up spring, "untrustworthy waters" - even when there is prophecy, sometimes it comes and sometimes it does not, unlike other prophets who prepare themselves for prophecy and receive it. Thus, according to the Malbim, Yirmiyahu is lamenting his terrible state spiritually and emotionally, regarding both his prophetic calling and the anguish tormenting his soul over the condition of Israel.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אִם־תָּשׁוּב וַאֲשִׁיבְךָ לְפָנַי תַּעֲמֹד וְאִם־תּוֹצִיא יָקָר מִזּוֹלֵל כְּפִי תִהְיֶה יָשֻׁבוּ הֵמָּה אֵלֶיךָ וְאַתָּה לֹא־תָשׁוּב אֲלֵיהֶם׃ (יט) - Therefore, so said Hashem: If you return, then I will bring you back, you shall stand before Me; and if you extract the precious from the base, you shall be as My mouth; they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them. (19)
Rashi explains: Since I suffer all these troubles, therefore so said Hashem to me. "If you return" - if you, Israel, repent; "then I will bring you back" - and I, the prophet, will bring you back before the Holy One, blessed be He, and Hashem says to me: "You shall stand before Me" - you will stand before Me continually. "And if you extract the precious from the base" - that you draw out a precious, worthy person from a base individual. "Zolel" (base) here is not in the sense of a glutton ("zolel v'sove"), but from the root meaning cheap or debased, as in "I was made vile (zolelah)" and "All who honored her despised her (hiziluha)." The opposite of precious is cheap, and the opposite of distinguished is base. That is, you bring people close to His service, and out of a lowly person you forge something precious. And then, "you shall be as My mouth" - you decree a decree and it is fulfilled, and when the Holy One, blessed be He, issues a decree, you annul it. Whatever issues from your mouth will be like that which issues from the mouth of Hashem.
"They shall return to you, but you shall not return to them" - Rashi and Radak explain that this is a warning to the prophet. There is always a danger when a person approaches the wicked in order to draw them near: who will influence whom? Will you draw them to you, or will they pull you down to them?
A story is told of one of the great Torah leaders who had a student serving as a rabbi in a certain community. The student was offered a rabbinic position elsewhere - a much larger town with a significantly higher salary, but the people there were very far from Torah and the fear of Heaven. Fearing to go, he consulted his master, who told him, "It is better not to go; that is a place that could degrade you and drag you down." Some time later, having already left his first position and being left with no source of livelihood, he approached his rebbe again, saying he had no choice and nothing to eat. The rabbi said, "Take the position, but you must remain exceptionally strong and steadfast so as not to be drawn after them." They maintained a correspondence; the student would write about the dire situation, the spiritual desolation, the pervasive laxity in modesty and morals, and his struggle to effect change, recounting his grievances. After a while, the letters stopped. A few years later, the rabbi met him and asked, "Well, how are things?" He replied, "Baruch Hashem, things have settled down; everything is much better." The rabbi said to him, "I fear that this 'Baruch Hashem' is not because they changed and became like you; rather, I am deeply troubled and worried that you have become like them - that what happens there no longer strikes you as terrible, and you have learned to accommodate, to overlook, and to accept it. And that is profoundly alarming."
And that rabbi expounded the verse in this light: "We looked for peace, but no good came" - you hope for peace, a peace born of the people having become good, which is why the rabbi enjoys peace with them, but the verse tells you, "and no good came." "For a time of healing, and behold, terror!" - you imagine that healing occurred and the people were cured, but in truth something terrifying transpired: the rabbi himself became like them. Now he constantly caters to them and issues halachic rulings tailored to their liking; for anything they wish, they have a rabbi with whom they know everything passes muster - "Go ask him." "Permitted to you, forgiven to you," everything is allowed - a user-friendly rabbi, a convenient rabbi whose Torah is elastic, and everything is wonderful.
And here, the verse speaks of a prophet, yet even so the Holy One, blessed be He, warns him: "They shall return to you, but you shall not return to them." In the words of Radak: "Take care in this matter, that you do not return to their evil ways through your dealings with them, lest they sway you with their many arguments." The wicked could sway the prophet and cause him to be dragged after them; therefore Hashem says to him: exert your efforts with them, but let them return to you, and be careful that you do not return to them - you must draw them to you, not let them pull you to them.
Radak brings another explanation for "and if you extract the precious from the base, you shall be as My mouth," based on the Targum: "You shall fulfill the will of My word." According to this, there is no promise here that "you shall decree a thing and it shall be established for you" or that you will have the power to annul the decrees of the Almighty; rather, it means: you fulfill My mouth and My will; just as My mouth spoke and commanded you, so you perform My will.
Radak also interprets "If you return, then I will bring you back" differently from Rashi. Rashi explained that the prophet brings the people back, whereas Radak explains that this is a grievance directed against the prophet himself. The prophet had uttered harsh words toward the Holy One, blessed be He: "Why is my pain perpetual," "and my wound incurable," "Will You be to me like a failing stream, untrustworthy waters" - as if to say, Master of the Universe, You have disappointed. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: "If you return" - you, Yirmiyahu, must repent of these words you spoke; you spoke improperly against Me by saying that I would be like a failing stream, and you sinned against Me. And if you repent and regret this, "then I will bring you back" - I will accept your repentance and forgive you, and "you shall stand before Me" as at first. This is not a charge to the prophet concerning the people, but a divine claim addressed directly to the prophet.
And what is the meaning of "you shall stand before Me"? Radak explains that "standing" is an expression of prayer, and we also find it used for thanksgiving and for prophecy: "Though Moshe and Shmuel should stand before Me," "and Avraham was still standing before Hashem." The term "standing" is consistently applied to a prophet, signifying standing in prayer or receiving prophecy. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: If you repent, you will be able to continue standing and receiving prophecy from Me, but you must repent for the words you spoke toward Heaven.
The Malbim - who explained that the prophet's complaint was over why his prophecy differed from that of the other prophets, in that it was not constant but like an unreliable stream, and that he could not bring himself to prophecy through joy - interprets the answer accordingly. He follows Rashi's approach that "if you return" means if you bring the people back in repentance, but "and I will restore you" does not refer to the people. According to Rashi there is a difficulty here: the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the prophet "if you return," meaning you bring the people back in repentance, and then "and I will restore you" - and I will restore you all; first, this is redundant, and second, you shift from Hashem speaking to the prophet to the prophet speaking to the people. Therefore, the Malbim explains: "If you return" functions like "if you bring back" - if you bring the people back in repentance, "and I will restore you" to continuous prophecy. You desire constant prophecy? Bring them back in repentance and you will have constant prophecy, and this is "you shall stand before Me" - standing continuously to serve Him.
And even if you do not reach such a state, at the very least "if you extract the precious from the vile" - that the worthy souls be separated from the souls of the wicked, that you succeed in creating a distinction within the people between the upright and the wicked - then "you shall be as My mouth." And as Rashi explains: you will decree a thing and it will be fulfilled for you, and whatever you speak will come to pass as if it issued directly from Hashem's mouth.
This is also the answer, the Malbim notes, to his complaint that his prayer was not being heard. We saw earlier the condition of drought with which the chapter opened, and he asked: Master of the Universe, I prayed, so why is my prayer not answered? Now he receives an answer: If you succeed in bringing the people back in repentance, you will decree a thing and it will be fulfilled for you - you will ask for rain to fall, and rain will fall. This answers both of his questions: why my prayer is not accepted, and why my prophecy comes and goes.
And in response to his complaint that the wicked were constantly persecuting him, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells him: You need not fear them. Lest you worry that they will overpower you and cause you to agree with their deeds, and ultimately you will not prophesy against them because they will coerce you - know that "they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them." According to the Malbim, this is not a warning but a promise: not only will they fail to corrupt you, but I assure you faithfully that they will return to you, and they will not be able to draw you back to them.
וּנְתַתִּיךָ לָעָם הַזֶּה לְחוֹמַת נְחֹשֶׁת בְּצוּרָה וְנִלְחֲמוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא־יוּכְלוּ לָךְ כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי לְהוֹשִׁיעֲךָ וּלְהַצִּילֶךָ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ (כ) - "And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; and they will fight against you, but they will not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you, says Hashem." (20)
And lest you fear that they might kill you? This verse addresses that concern. Your issue was that you thought I promised you the battle would be brief and come to an end. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Know that this is not how it will be. I did not promise that the matter was about to end; rather, "and they will fight against you" - I am informing you that they will continue to fight. And this is entirely reasonable, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not intervene in free will; if they choose to fight, they will fight. What, then, is promised? The Holy One, blessed be He, will protect His prophet. But to intervene in free will and ensure that no one ever attempts to harm him - this I did not promise, nor did I say it was limited in time; it was you who misunderstood the promise, and that is the source of your distress. Rather, "and they will fight against you, but they will not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you" - through constant divine providence I will deliver you from them.
וְהִצַּלְתִּיךָ מִיַּד רָעִים וּפְדִתִיךָ מִכַּף עָרִצִים׃ (כא) - "And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." (21)
And even when they gather against you to do you harm - "And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked," I will rescue you from their hand. And even if you are already in their hands, as we will see later when they placed him in the stocks to kill him - "and I will redeem you," and we will see later that Eved-Melech the Cushite rescued Yirmiyahu. In other words, even if they overcome you, harm you, and you are already in their clutches, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will deliver you from their hand, which is an even more difficult feat.
And the Malbim analyzes the precise nuances of the Holy Tongue here: "And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless" - this appears to be a redundancy: "I will deliver you" and "I will redeem you," "from the hand of the wicked" and "from the grasp of the ruthless." What is the difference? A *yad* (hand) refers to something resting on the hand, whereas a *kaf* (palm/grasp) implies a gripping hold within the palm. From this: someone merely in the hand can be delivered, but someone seized tightly in the palm cannot simply be snatched away; rather, he requires redemption (*pidyon*) - which is a more complex and difficult endeavor. Therefore, regarding the *kaf*, the verse says "and I will redeem you," because the ruthless are mighty and powerful, and there mere rescue is insufficient; one needs actual redemption, as though redeeming him with money. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even if you are held in the grasp of the powerful enemy, I will redeem you and deliver you from the hands of those terrible foes.
In this part of the chapter, the Holy One, blessed be He, responds to Yirmiyahu's lament. First, with an oath: "If I have not released you for good" - your remnant will be for good, and you will be saved from the decree; Nevuzaradan will set you free at the time of the destruction, and even your opponents among Israel will come to seek your counsel in a time of distress, following the assassination of Gedalyahu. Afterwards, it becomes clear that the people have nothing to rely upon: neither Pharaoh nor their own strength will withstand "iron from the north and copper" - Nevuchadnetzar, whose iron is unyielding and draws everything after it like a magnet; their wealth and treasures will be given as plunder without price, because of the multitude of looters and the multitude of sins, and the enemy will pass them over even into a land you did not know. In contrast, the prophet lays out his anguish: his prophecy comes to him unexpectedly, like a find, for he cannot prepare himself with joy for prophecies of doom; he sits alone, and all kinds of ailments have afflicted him - pain, endless suffering, an incurable wound, and a refusal to be healed. And to all of this comes the response: bring the people back in teshuvah, extract the precious from the vile, and then your prophecy will endure, your prayer will be accepted, and you will decree a matter and it shall be fulfilled for you. In the meantime - let them return to you, but do not return to them, and I am with you as a fortified wall of copper, to rescue you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the tyrants.