Yirmiyahu chapter 40. The word that came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem, after Nevuzaradan the chief of the executioners had released him from Ramah, when he took him bound in chains among all the exiles of Yerushalayim and Yehudah who were being exiled to Bavel. Now he describes for us the prophecy that came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem after Nevuzaradan the chief of the executioners took him out of prison, while he was still bound in chains, meaning tied in chains. He took him among all the exiles of Yerushalayim and Yehudah who were being exiled to Bavel.
That is, at first, this is what is written, what happened, the Midrash Eichah says, in Eichah Rabbah, what was the matter? The answer is, the return to Gedaliah. What is the meaning of this? The Midrash says, Hashem asked him, do you go down with them and I remain here, or do you remain here and I go down with them? This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, asked Yirmiyahu. Do you go down with them and I remain with these here, or do you remain with these here and I go down with the exiles to Bavel? He said to Him, if I go down with them, what benefit am I to them? Rather, let their Creator go down with them, for He will benefit them greatly. That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, is the one who will accompany the people to Bavel.
What we need to understand here, what does "and he was bound in chains among all the exiles of Yerushalayim and Yehudah being exiled to Bavel" mean? How is it possible that he was bound in chains when we said that Nevuzaradan was warned by Nevuchadnetzar not to harm Yirmiyahu, not to do anything to him, only to do with him whatever he asks? How is it that suddenly here they bring him down bound in chains and exiled to Bavel? Rather, Chazal say, he was going into exile of his own accord together with them. He would see a small group bound in collars, meaning tied in collars, and he would put his own neck between them. He would say to them, would that I were in your place.
Chazal say that this was really the whole point of his conduct, as if to come and tell them, well, would it not have been worthwhile to listen to the word of Hashem that was given to you back then? Would it not have been better to fulfill Hashem's command back then, and you would not be suffering now? See how much you are suffering now because you did not listen back then. How much it pains me for you. Many times when a person says be careful, this will happen, this will happen, this will happen, and it comes to pass, then sometimes he rejoices. "Aha, you see? I told you! Why did you not listen to me? That's it, you deserve it, now you will get what's coming." And this is not fitting for a person, certainly not one on the level of a prophet, and all the more so for a moral person. For the whole warning is so that they will repent. After they receive punishment, we should not rejoice in the punishment, but on the contrary, we should be all the more grieved, why were you punished, for you could have avoided this.
What is written in Avot deRabbi Natan is a different matter, that the moment a wicked person dies he no longer commits wickedness and no longer harms Israel. There is an additional point, that the moment a wicked person dies, his reality of continued accumulation of sins ceases. That is, he will not continue to suffer in the World to Come for many more years, because he died with his years cut short. Do you understand? And in this we rejoice. For if his years were not cut short, every additional day he lives is a day in which he adds another splinter to the bonfire of his Gehinnom. The moment he lives less, he harms himself less, and as I said, also harms the community less. And besides this, in his very death there is a sanctification of Hashem's name. That is, the moment the wicked person dies, through this the Creator's name is magnified in the world, for behold, this wicked person is no longer here, there is less desecration of Hashem's name in the world.
But certainly Yirmiyahu did not rejoice in their distress, but on the contrary, he even accompanied them and felt their pain and wept with them and bound himself together with them. And this is truly a real leader. A real leader is one who connects himself to his people and goes into exile with them and feels their pain and weeps with them. Not one who says "wait, I have a visa, I am set, I am going back."
And the chief of the executioners took Yirmiyahu, and said to him, Hashem your God spoke this evil against this place. The chief of the executioners, Nevuzaradan the chief of the executioners, took Yirmiyahu, and he essentially says to him, why are you so distressed over them? After all, Hashem said that all this would happen to them. In simple words, what does the logic of the gentile say? You should be rejoicing now. Here, what you warned them about has come to pass. I told you, you did not listen, you see? You deserve it. The logic of a gentile, that should be the reaction. Therefore he asks him, Hashem your God spoke this evil, on the contrary, here, you should now rejoice and tell them "you see? Hashem said, and Hashem carried it out." And Hashem brought it and did as He spoke, for you sinned against Hashem and did not obey His voice, and this thing has befallen you. That is, this is Hashem's decree, and on the contrary, it shows that what they did was a sin in Hashem's eyes, and these things angered their Creator, and therefore this punishment is coming to them. So why are you distressed?
And now, behold, I have freed you today from the chains that were on your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Bavel, come, and I will set my eye upon you. And if it is bad in your eyes to come with me to Bavel, refrain. See, the whole land is before you, to wherever is good and right in your eyes to go, there go. He says to him, behold, I have freed you from the chains that were on your hands. You went and placed chains on your hands, and this does not seem right to me, it does not find favor in my eyes, I have orders from the boss. And woe to me if my boss sees that you have chains on your hands. Nevuchadnetzar warned me to be careful with your honor, to be careful with your situation, to do your will, and I do not want him to see you bound in chains. Now he says to him, I am giving you the option. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Bavel, come. He says to him, I am willing to take you with me to Bavel, but without chains, because you do not deserve chains. And if it is bad in your eyes, refrain. You do not want to come with me to Bavel, so now you can go to whatever place you wish. But to continue with me to Bavel in chains, that I am not willing to do.
And while he had not yet turned back, and return to Gedaliah son of Achikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Bavel appointed over the cities of Yehudah, and dwell with him among the people, or go wherever is right in your eyes to go, go. And the chief of the executioners gave him provisions and a gift, and sent him off. And while he had not yet turned back. In any case, Yirmiyahu was not interested in turning back. Until the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, and return to Gedaliah son of Achikam son of Shaphan. Hashem told him to return, and I, says Hashem, I will go down with them to Bavel, and only then was he willing to return, since he heard that those who remained here, the poor who stayed here, they too needed him just like the rest of the exiles, and therefore he went and agreed to return back. And the chief of the executioners gave him provisions and a gift and sent him off. He gave him food and sent him back to his land.
The Malbim says that what is written "and while he had not yet turned back" means that Nevuzaradan the chief of the executioners is essentially saying to him, if you think that the exiles will return back to Eretz Yisrael and that you will return with them, and you actually think that you are only going to accompany them but any moment now you will all return right away, he tells you, no sir, you are mistaken. And he will not yet turn back. What this people is now going into is for a long period. They are now going into complete exile to Bavel. They are not being given a regional tour here and then returned back to Gedaliah son of Achikam. And since he is not going to return, therefore return to Gedaliah son of Achikam, you yourself return without them. He tells him, and there too you have a choice. If you wish, dwell with him among the people. And if you wish to go from there to another place, you can settle in another place in the land as well. Now, unfortunately, there is much room in the land. It is entirely empty. You can settle wherever you wish. And he established a permanent allowance for him, so that he would have a steady livelihood.
And Yirmiyahu came to Gedaliah son of Achikam at Mitzpah, and dwelt with him among the people who remained in the land. And all the officers of the armies who were in the field heard, they and their men, that the king of Bavel had appointed Gedaliah son of Achikam over the land, and that he had appointed with him men and women and children and from the poorest of the land, from those who were not exiled to Bavel. All the officers of the armies who were in the field, they and their men, that is, those who had not gone into exile together with the rest of the people, they were in the fields, as we said, they fled and hid. They heard that the king of Bavel had appointed Gedaliah son of Achikam over the land, and that there were still some of the people with him, men, women, children, and the poorest of the land, those who were not exiled to Bavel. That is, they understand that he does not want to carry out another exile, but rather that those who remained here would continue to sustain the land here. Ah, if so, then why do we need to flee?
And they came to Gedaliah at Mitzpah, Yishmael son of Netanyahu, and Yochanan and Yonatan sons of Kareach, and Serayah son of Tanchumet, and the sons of Efai the Netofati, and Yezanyahu son of the Maachati, they and their men. And Gedaliah son of Achikam son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, do not fear to serve the Kasdim. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Bavel, and it will be well with you. Do not fear, do not be afraid of the host of the Kasdim whom you will have to serve. He tells them, know that under the yoke of the king of Bavel it will be better for you here, being submissive to the Kasdim, than to do what your predecessors did, who tried to rebel against the Kasdim and were exiled. So is it not better for you to come and obey the voice of Hashem, to serve the Kasdim, and it will be well with you?
And as for me, behold, I am dwelling at Mitzpah to stand before the Kasdim who come to us. And you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken. He tells them, what do you think? That perhaps the Kasdim who come on the king's mission will come and plunder from you what you produce, what you harvest, what you gather? He tells them, you have nothing to worry about. Behold, I am dwelling at Mitzpah, that is, I have established my seat here in order to stand before the Kasdim who come to us. To stand before them, that is, that I will save you. You need not fear or hide away the wine and the oil and the summer fruit, the summer fruit meaning pressed figs, dried figs that are cut up. He told them, you have nothing to fear, just gather wine and summer fruit and put them in your vessels, you can do this openly. Do not fear, to dwell in any place you wish, and dwell in your cities that you have taken, any city you wish you may dwell in without being restricted.
And also all the Yehudim who were in Moav and among the children of Ammon and in Edom and in all the lands, heard that the king of Bavel had left a remnant to Yehudah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah son of Achikam son of Shaphan. The Yehudim who were there in all the surrounding lands, those who fled out of fear of the Kasdim, they too hear, there is now a new leader in Yehudah, Gedaliah son of Achikam is now there, and one can now come and take shelter in his shadow. And therefore, all the Yehudim returned from all the places to which they had been driven, and came to the land of Yehudah to Gedaliah at Mitzpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance. They had permission to dwell at Mitzpah, and they come and gather to Gedaliah son of Achikam, and truly engage in agricultural work without fear.
And Yochanan son of Kareach and all the officers of the armies who were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mitzpah. And they said to him, do you know for certain that Baalis king of the children of Ammon has sent Yishmael son of Netanyah to strike you down and kill you? But Gedaliah son of Achikam did not believe them. Yochanan son of Kareach and all the officers of the armies, those who were in the field and had hidden themselves, concealed themselves, when Nevuchadnetzar and his band arrived, they now return, and when they return to Gedaliah son of Achikam, they tell him, we want you to know, there is another one who is returning with us, and this man has malicious intentions toward you. This man is called Yishmael son of Netanyah, and he was sent by Baalis king of the children of Ammon to strike you down and kill you. Gedaliah son of Achikam hears this, and did not believe them.
And Yochanan son of Kareach said to Gedaliah secretly at Mitzpah, saying, let me go, please, and strike down Yishmael son of Netanyah, and no one will know. Why should he strike you down and kill you, and all of Yehudah who have gathered to you be scattered, and the remnant of Yehudah perish? Allow me to carry out a targeted elimination, and even before he reaches you, I will strike him down and kill him. Why should he kill you, and through this the remnant of the ember that remained here in Yehudah be lost? For you are our hope. The moment Nevuchadnetzar sees that they also killed Gedaliah son of Achikam, we are finished, he will play no more games, he will come and exile them all down to the last one. So is it not worthwhile to give me the possibility to go and solve this problem by anticipating and killing the one who is coming to kill you? And thus the remnant of Israel will remain here and their ember will not be extinguished. And Gedaliah son of Achikam said to Yochanan son of Kareach, do not do this thing, for you are speaking falsehood about Yishmael. Gedaliah hears this, and tells him, do not do this thing. What you say about Yishmael, that these are his plans, is a lie, I do not believe you.
Chazal say that we will see further on that the killing of those people and this exile is called by the name of Gedaliah son of Achikam. Why? Because here he acted, as it were, with a false piety. People come and warn you about a murder, that you will be killed, and you, the person, say "woe, this is lashon hara." What lashon hara? He is warning you about something terrible that is about to happen to you. And here this thing ultimately caused destruction for that entire generation that still remained here, and in the end it brought about the complete exile.