Sefer Yirmiyahu, chapter 20. "And Pashchur son of Immer the kohen, who was the chief officer in the House of Hashem, heard Yirmiyahu prophesying these things. And Pashchur struck Yirmiyahu the prophet and placed him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Binyamin, which was in the House of Hashem." Pashchur son of Immer the kohen: you can see that Yirmiyahu always had trouble with the kohanim of Anatot. That is to say, the kohanim were the problematic ones. "Who was the chief officer in the House of Hashem": chief officer means the senior officer who held authority over everyone. The Targum Yonatan renders this as the appointed deputy of the kohanim, that is, he was appointed as deputy of the kohanim. We are speaking of a kohen who was considered to be of very high rank. He hears Yirmiyahu prophesying these things in the House of Hashem, and Pashchur strikes Yirmiyahu the prophet. Yirmiyahu is struck by Pashchur, and he places him in the stocks (mahapechet).
What is a mahapechet? Rashi says it is a place of imprisonment. A kipa, as the Targum Yonatan says, since kipa in the language of Chazal refers to a place where they would put prisoners. So according to this he placed him in the kipa. That is one explanation. The Radak brings a further explanation in the name of his father, who explains that it is like a place, and anyone who has seen medieval illustrations knows that when they wanted to punish a person, there was a kind of large frame, and in this frame there was a spot in the shape of a half circle plus two smaller half circles on the sides, and above it was the same: a half circle plus two smaller half circles. And this, the upper part, would lift up, and they would put the person's head in the half circle and his two hands in the two half circles of this frame, and afterward they would lower a large board from above that also had a groove of a half circle plus two smaller half circles, and they would close it. Then a situation was created where his head was in the middle and his two hands on the sides, and he could not move his head, and usually good people would pass by in the street and mock him and slap him and laugh at him. This was the accepted punishment in the Middle Ages. There were places that also had such a frame for the legs. In the same manner his legs would also be caught in such a way, and through this he became an object of mockery and derision for all those around him, and this is also a very, very humiliating form of imprisonment.
Some wish to explain that a mahapechet was where they would place the person as if on a wheel and stretch him out, placing him on his back. They would place him on his back and tie him onto a kind of large wheel and spin him. They would spin him in such a way that he suffered terribly from the dizziness and all he went through, and this was not a giant wheel, but the experience was not really pleasant. So some say that this is why it is called a mahapechet (a turning device). The Inquisition perfected this further, and below they would place boiling water, and when they spun him, I need not describe to you what would actually happen to him, Heaven spare us. In any case, this was a type of punishment that was called a mahapechet. And this mahapechet was in the upper gate of Binyamin, which was in the House of Hashem. The upper gate of Binyamin: this gate was in Binyamin's portion, since the Beit HaMikdash was partly in the portion of Yehuda and partly in the portion of Binyamin. Therefore it tells you this is the mahapechet in the upper gate of Binyamin, which was in the House of Hashem.
"And it was on the next day that Pashchur brought Yirmiyahu out of the stocks. And Yirmiyahu said to him: Hashem has not called your name Pashchur but Magor Missaviv." On the next day Pashchur releases Yirmiyahu from the stocks. And following this Yirmiyahu gives him a mi shebeirach, in quotation marks. He says to him: Hashem has not called your name Pashchur but Magor Missaviv. There are several explanations of this. We will begin with Rashi's explanations. "Hashem has not called your name Pashchur": your name was not called Pashchur for no reason, Yirmiyahu is expounding on his name. He says to him: your name was not called Pashchur without purpose, rather it is like pashach shachor, like a tree that is torn off (nifshach). The meaning is: you will be torn off. Just as one wishes to say about a tree that I tear a branch from it, so I can break a branch, I can pashach, and yifshacheini. What does lifshoach mean? It means to remove the branch from where it is joined, where it connects to the trunk, and to tear it off from there. And then it comes out with a kind of eye-shaped scar, that is called lifshoach. So he wanted to state the punishment that would come upon him for his deed, for what he did to him, placing him in the stocks with these torments. He says to him: it is not for nothing that you are called Pashchur, since this thing comes to hint that you will suffer pashach shachor, like a tree that is torn off. The matter of shachor (black) here is not entirely clear to me, Rashi does not elaborate. Rashi says pashach shachor. A tree that is torn off is pashach, but what is the shachor? Rashi does not explain the matter of shachor. It is very possible that the shachor is like "chashach mishchor toaram" (their appearance was darker than black) in Eicha chapter 4, pasuk 8, where the meaning is to speak of something evil and terrible, and it is said that it blackened, their faces were blackened. So too he says here that he will be torn off and also blackened, your appearance. So it is pashach shachor. It is the combination of these two expressions.
Rashi offers a further explanation, that Pashchur denotes a great man and a freeman. Let us explain: pash in Aramaic means much. Like nafish, like large, nefishi, and further "pash gaban levaruri" (there remains much for us to clarify), pash is from the expression of greatness, of abundance. And chor speaks of an important person, like "chorei ha'aretz" (the nobles of the land), meaning free and important people. So he says: Hashem has not called your name Pashchur. From the meaning of Pashchur, a great and free man, Rashi explains here from the sense of a freeman, but rather pashach shachor. That is: do not think that your name indicates great importance and stature, but on the contrary, your name indicates breakage, that Hashem will tear you off and blacken your appearance.
Rashi offers a further explanation, that Pashchur is pash sachor. And this comes to express that there will be many surrounding him, round and round about him. Pash means many, and sachor means around, that there will be many around him who will come to kill him. And then according to this the expression Magor Missaviv also fits. What is magor? Magor is an expression that bears two meanings. One meaning is that magor is from the sense of gathering, like "oger bakayitz" (gathering in the summer), like "el megori el charev" (delivered over to the sword), it is from the sense of gathering. So this fits very well, as we said pash sachor, meaning that those surrounding you will increase in order to gather, in order to be gathered against you, in order to kill you. So magor here is from the sense of gathering. But Rashi explains that magor is from the sense of fear in his first explanation, that magor is a term of fear. And the Malbim, as we will soon see, creates a correspondence between gathering and fear. Let us look at the Malbim's explanation.
The Malbim says: Hashem has not called your name Pashchur. The Malbim says Pashchur expresses expansion and freedom. But Magor Missaviv: the Malbim says magor is the opposite. It is contraction out of fear and siege. Why, when there is fear, does a person contract or expand? He contracts. So this is an aspect of magor. Magor means that a person contracts, why? Because of the fear. And magor is also gathering, as we said "oger bakayitz," so it is the gathering of a siege. So he says to him: your name from the sense of Pashchur expresses expansion and freedom, which expresses joy and expresses success. Know, he says, the opposite will be with you, Magor Missaviv, for magor is contraction and gathering, which is the opposite of the Pashchur. The Malbim explains in greater detail, this is found in chapter 6, pasuk 25, where he explains that the matter of magor comes both for fear and as an expression of gathering. The expression that fits with respect to fear, he says, does not express only the fear, but is an expression as we explained, that a person draws inward, that is magor. That a person draws inward out of fear, going room within room, going inward out of dread. This is like Chazal say "lo taguru mipnei ish" (do not fear any man), Chazal say do not withhold your words out of fear of any man, do not hold back your words out of fear of any man. And likewise gur that comes to mean gathering, as when enemies gather around him and surround him, that is called Magor Missaviv. Therefore he says here: you express a certain expansion and freedom, but it will not be so for you, rather Magor Missaviv, rather contraction that expresses fear.
"For thus said Hashem: Behold, I make you a terror to yourself and to all who love you, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies while your eyes look on, and all of Yehuda I shall give into the hand of the king of Bavel, and he shall exile them to Bavel and strike them with the sword." Behold, I make you a magor. Magor is gathering, as we explained from the sense of "lo taguru mipnei ish," meaning do not withhold your words, from the sense of "agra bakayitz lachma" (gathers her bread in summer), it is a term of gathering. Behold, I make you a magor to yourself and to all who love you: meaning all the armies will gather against you, as the Metzudat David explains. The Malbim explains "I make you a magor" to mean that when they hear what happened to you, they will all be terrified, they will fear. And then they shall fall by the sword, this will be at the time of the war. And all of Yehuda I shall give at the time when they conquer them, that the king of Bavel will exile them or strike them with the sword. Meaning some he will exile and some he will strike with the sword.
"And I shall give all the wealth of this city and all its produce and all its precious things, and all the treasures of the kings of Yehuda I shall give into the hand of their enemies, and they shall plunder them and take them and bring them to Bavel." And I shall give all the wealth (chosen) of this city: chosen, the Malbim explains, refers to the strong things in the city, such as the fortresses and the like. And also all its produce (yegia). Yegia refers to the silver, the gold, the crops, everything they toiled for. And all its precious things (yekara). Yekara refers to the precious items, like gems and pearls. And all the treasures of the kings of Yehuda: meaning the treasures that the kings stored up throughout all the days of their reign, all of these I shall give. Now he explains: these I shall give into the hand of their enemies, corresponding to the chosen, as we explained that these are the strong things in the city, the fortresses, of these he says I shall give into the hand of their enemies. The enemies will conquer the strong fortresses. Corresponding to yegia and yekara, meaning their silver and gold, gems and pearls, of these he says "and they shall plunder them." And they shall plunder them: the soldiers, each one will plunder, each one will take for himself. Corresponding to the treasures, of these he says "and they shall take them." Since the treasures of the kings are not taken by the common soldiers, but are taken to the king's treasury, therefore the treasures "and they shall take them" to the treasury of the king of Bavel. The Malbim explains that what is written here chosen, which we explained to be the strong things in the city, the fortresses, indeed the expression chosen always comes to express something strong and enduring, like "chason hu ka'alonim" (strong as the oaks). And it also comes as a borrowed term for wealth, since wealth places a person on his feet, it gives a person strength, like "hon ashir kiryat uzo" (the wealth of the rich is his fortified city). What do you learn? When there is wealth a person has strength. A person has money, so he has strength. So too he has chosen. So that in fact everything a person relies upon, which is his strength, will fall into the hands of the enemies.
"And you, Pashchur, and all who dwell in your house shall go into captivity, and you shall come to Bavel and there you shall die and there you shall be buried, you and all who love you, to whom you prophesied falsehood." And you, Pashchur, and all who dwell in your house shall go into captivity. Now the Radak asks: we said earlier about those who love him that they will fall by the sword of their enemies. Here he says they will be taken captive and buried in Bavel. Therefore he explains that the meaning is that there will be some who flee, some who escape the sword, and they will go into captivity and die there. There they will die, so what does "and there you shall be buried" add? The Radak explains that the meaning is that you will be buried in an impure land. This is essentially an addition to the curse. And so too the Malbim says, that you should not think that after your death your remains will be brought up to the Land. No, rather also "and there you shall be buried," in that same impure land, there will be your burial place. And he explains further and says that there is here in fact a manner of curse, as if to say your burial will be there in that place. For seemingly after a person dies, what does it matter so much to him where he is buried? So he says: no, know that a curse is added here, that even your burial, not only will you be exiled there, but even your burial will be in an impure land. And he adds and says: that which is written "you and all who love you, to whom you prophesied falsehood," the meaning is not literally all, since we know that there were some who remained here or some who died. So the meaning is not literally all, rather it is like it is written "and all the land came to Egypt," the meaning is not all but many. So too what is written here, "you and all who love you, to whom you prophesied falsehood," the meaning is: and many of those who love you, to whom you prophesied falsehood.
"You enticed me, Hashem, and I was enticed. You overpowered me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day, everyone mocks me." The Radak explains that since we saw that Pashchur placed him in the stocks, now Yirmiyahu cries out in outrage from his pain, from his sorrow. And Yirmiyahu says: Master of the Universe, You enticed me like a person who entices his fellow, and I on my own part was not interested in this mission, but "and I was enticed," meaning You enticed me and I was persuaded. That is, from the start I did not want to be a prophet. The Malbim explains that Yirmiyahu feared that he would become an object of laughter and mockery, for he had argued "I am but a youth." I am but a youth, who will accept my words? Everyone will mock me. How did I go anyway? You enticed me. You told me: do not say I am a youth, for wherever I send you, you shall go. You created a way to entice me, and I was enticed, I was persuaded and went. A second point the Malbim says: I feared that even if I would not become an object of laughter, it could be worse, that they would take me seriously. And if they take me seriously, then their anger would burn against me and they would kill me. When you take someone as a joke, you do not relate to him. He is talking nonsense, he is a youth, you are not going to take revenge on him, what do you want from him? He is speaking nonsense. But the moment they take me seriously, then it will already sting them, it will hurt them. And if it hurts them, they will want to nullify my words. In what way will they nullify my words? By trying to kill me, their anger burning against me. And then he says: You overpowered me and prevailed. The meaning is: You strengthened me, You told me do not fear them, You gave me strength. And prevailed: he says behold You see and prevail, that is, You succeeded in persuading me to go anyway by strengthening me against the fear lest their anger burn against me. You told me: I will protect you. And so through this You succeeded in strengthening me and sending me. And now he says: everyone mocks me all the day. The meaning is: that which I feared has come upon me. First, what I feared, that I would become a laughingstock, behold you see, I have become a laughingstock all the day. A further point he says: it is not among part of the nation, but everyone mocks me. Everyone means the entire nation mocks me. The Malbim explains: what is the difference between laughter (sechok) and mockery (la'ag)? "I have become a laughingstock, everyone mocks me." What is the difference between them? The Malbim says that mockery is more than laughter. Sometimes a person laughs at his fellow but does not disgrace him. Like, for example, if a person slips on a banana, there are people whom this amuses. Well, I will not argue about their personal taste, but in any case, there are people whom this amuses, but they are not mocking him. They are laughing. But a person who despises someone mocks him, makes an object of derision of him. So there is here an addition. I have become a laughingstock, first, and more than that, everyone mocks me all the day. Meaning mockery, which is also a manner of disgrace. So what I see is: what I feared, that they would laugh and mock me, behold it has been fulfilled in me. And also what I feared and dreaded, that they would do me harm, for whenever I speak I cry out, I proclaim violence and plunder, for the word of Hashem has become for me a reproach and a derision all the day.
For whenever I speak I cry out. I am not regarded by them as a madman and a fool whose words they disregard, but rather every time I speak some word of prophecy, whether I cry out against the evil things they do, violence in money and the like, whether plunder, I proclaim violence and plunder, I see that they rob one another, then the word of Hashem has become for me a reproach. They think that I speak all this of my own will, and so they revile me, as if to say you are seeking evil for us, I speak harsh prophecies. And these harsh prophecies, they say you fabricate them out of your evil heart. And through this I am a reproach and a derision all the day. What is the difference between reproach (cherpa) and derision (keles)? The Malbim says: keles is the utterance made to laugh at a person and the disparaging name they give him. Like "vayitkalsu bo" (and they derided him). What did they say? Go up, baldy, go up, baldy. They attach a nickname to him and mock him. So that in fact there is here more than mere revilings, there is also laughter and a disparaging name. The Radak says: note that even though Yirmiyahu here says harsh things, You enticed me Hashem and I was enticed, You overpowered me and prevailed, the word of Hashem has become for me a reproach, even though he said harsh things here, this is not counted as a sin for Yirmiyahu. It is not counted as a disgrace that he spoke, as it were, improperly against Hashem, may He be blessed. The Radak says: he spoke words of sorrow about himself. He was grieved, his situation was hard, and out of his sorrow he said these things, and we will see further on that he even says harsher things. And therefore note that there is not here the response we saw earlier, where he said "You have surely become to me like a deceptive brook," and then the Radak explained that this thing acted against Yirmiyahu, there was a harsh expression here, and it was a sin against Hashem when he said this thing, and therefore Hashem said to him "if you return, I shall bring you back." The meaning is that Hashem demanded of him to do teshuva for that harsh expression. But here we do not see that Hashem demands this of him, since here out of his cry and his sorrow he turns to Hashem.
"And I said: I will not mention Him, nor speak any more in His name. But it was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it in and could not." And I said that I will no longer mention His name, I will not speak in His name, I will not prophesy prophecies in the name of Hashem. For behold I see that this thing only adds to my disgrace. But it was in my heart like a burning fire. He says the words are within me like a burning fire that I must bring out. Like fire in my bones that I must bring out with all my strength. I was weary of holding it in: I cannot contain and bear this thing within me, this prophecy, and I must bring the words out. So that in fact I do not even have the privilege to resist, for if I want to resist then the words as it were burst out of me by force. The Radak says: note that it is written here "eish bo'eret atzur." Bo'eret is feminine, atzur is masculine. So is the fire feminine or masculine? The Radak says do not wonder at this, for eish (fire) is found as both masculine and feminine. For "eish yatza mecheshbon" (fire came out from Cheshbon), and in the pasuk you see "yatza" in the feminine form. And in another pasuk, masculine, you see that it is both masculine and feminine, "tochlehu eish lo nupach" (fire not blown shall consume him). Tochlehu, not yochlehu but tochlehu, that is feminine. "Eish lo nupach," it does not say lo nupacha, feminine, but lo nupach, masculine. You see in the same pasuk masculine and feminine together. And there are several things that are both masculine and feminine, like for example ruach (wind), "the wind came out" or "the wind went out," and several other things, be'er (well), and several other things that are both masculine and feminine. And in fact the Ibn Ezra already stated a general rule and said: anything that has no living spirit, treat it as masculine and as feminine. Meaning, something that has no living spirit, if you are not speaking of a person or of an animal, you can express regarding it either in masculine or feminine form. In practice we do not follow this rule, for we are indeed careful about masculine and feminine in most things. No one would say "the table (feminine) is big." Even though you would say it has no living spirit. Nevertheless we are indeed careful. But what this means is that even if you see that the pesukim do not follow this, do not be strict about it since this is the way of the pesukim. The Malbim explains that since I saw the terrible situation that came upon me as a result of Hashem's prophecies, therefore I resolved in my heart that I will no longer prophesy. And I will not mention Him. What is "I will no longer prophesy and I will not mention Him"? "Mention Him" means that up to today I have prophecies and things that Hashem told me in the past, so I remember what was said in the past. This, what was said to me in the past, I will forget. And what is the subsequent "nor speak any more in His name"? That is about the future. Hashem will want to send me on a mission, I will resist, I will not speak any more in His name, I will not go on the mission. Corresponding to what he said "I will not mention Him," he says: I cannot. All the things that were given to me until today are in my heart like a burning fire. And corresponding to what he said "nor speak any more in His name" about the future, he says: I was weary of holding it in and could not. The meaning is: I cannot contain these things, I could not, and "I could not" means weariness, that is, I was weary, I tired, I do not have the strength even for a short time to keep the prophecy within me. Yes, "hold in" (kalkel) the Radak explains is from the sense of bearing. I, as it were, from the sense of bearing a burden, I cannot bear this burden upon me, I cannot, from the sense of bearing. I was weary of holding it in, I cannot carry this burden, and the moment I receive a prophecy, immediately I feel the urge and the need to come and deliver it.