הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת ה' לֵאמֹר׃

This is the message that was to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

עֲמֹד בְּשַׁעַר בֵּית ה' וְקָרָאתָ שָּׁם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר־ ה' כָּל יְהוּדָה הַבָּאִים בַּשְּׁעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לַה'

Stand at the gate of the House of the Lord, the Temple, and proclaim this matter there and say: Hear the word of the Lord, all the people of Judah, who come through these gates to prostrate themselves before the Lord.

כֹּה־ אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵיטִיבוּ דַרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם ואֲשַׁכְּנָה אֶתְכֶם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה

So said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Improve your ways and your actions, and if you do so, I will allow you to dwell securely in this place.

אַל־תִּבְטְחוּ לָכֶם אֶל־דִּבְרֵי הַשֶּׁקֶר לֵאמֹר הֵיכַל ה' הֵיכַל ה' הֵיכַל ה' הֵמָּה

Do not place your trust in the words of falsehood, this misleading slogan that you are frequently saying about these buildings that constitute the Temple: Sanctuary of the Lord, Sanctuary of the Lord, Sanctuary of the Lord are they. This notion, that the Sanctuary of the Lord functions as a panacea for all problems, is an error. The mere existence of the Temple and the people’s pilgrimage to that holy place do not guarantee their safety or future.

כִּי אִם־הֵיטֵיב תֵּיטִיבוּ אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶם וְאֶת־מַעַלְלֵיכֶם אִם־עָשׂוֹ תַעֲשׂוּ מִשְׁפָּט בֵּין אִישׁ וּבֵין רֵעֵהוּ

For if you will improve your ways and your actions, if you will perform justice between a man and his neighbor,

גֵּר יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה לֹא תַעֲשֹׁקוּ וְדָם נָקִי אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְאַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לֹא תֵלְכוּ – לְרַע לָכֶם

do not exploit a stranger, an orphan, and a widow, do not shed innocent blood in this place, and do not walk after other gods, all actions that would be only to your own detriment,

וְשִׁכַּנְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם לְמִן־עוֹלָם וְעַד־עוֹלָם

if you follow this code of conduct, I will allow you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever.

הִנֵּה אַתֶּם בֹּטְחִים לָכֶם עַל־דִּבְרֵי הַשָּׁקֶר לְבִלְתִּי הוֹעִיל

Behold, you place your trust in the words of falsehood, to no avail. You mistakenly think that the Temple is a kind of magical charm that guarantees your continued survival, while it also atones for any manner of corruption. Similarly, Ezekiel refers to the Temple as “the pride of your strength.” In truth, however, the Temple functions meaningfully only when the people act in accordance with the will of God.

הֲגָנֹב רָצֹחַ וְנָאֹף וְהִשָּׁבֵעַ לַשֶּׁקֶר וְקַטֵּר לַבָּעַל וְהָלֹךְ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדַעְתֶּם

Can you steal, murder, and commit adultery, take oaths falsely, and burn incense or offerings to the Baal and follow other gods that you did not know? Do you think that you can commit all these sins

וּבָאתֶם וַעֲמַדְתֶּם לְפָנַי בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלָיו וַאֲמַרְתֶּם נִצַּלְנוּ לְמַעַן עֲשׂוֹת אֵת כָּל־הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה!

and subsequently come and stand before Me in this House upon which My name is called, and say: We are delivered from all evil in the merit of the Temple, so that you may continue to perform all these abominations?

הַמְעָרַת פָּרִצִים הָיָה הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלָיו בְּעֵינֵיכֶם! גַּם אָנֹכִי הִנֵּה רָאִיתִי נְאֻם־ה'

Has this House upon which My name is called become a den of scoundrels or dangerous animals in your eyes? Behold, I have seen it too, that which you do outside the Temple, and I know your true attitude toward the Temple – the utterance of the Lord.

כִּי לְכוּ־נָא אֶל־מְקוֹמִי אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁילוֹ אֲשֶׁר שִׁכַּנְתִּי שְׁמִי שָׁם בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה וּרְאוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂיתִי לוֹ מִפְּנֵי רָעַת עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The prophet cites a historical precedent which demonstrates that the Sanctuary of God is no guarantee of safety: For go now to My erstwhile place, which is in Shilo, where I rested My name there at first, and see that which I did to it because of the evildoing of My people Israel. Although God’s Tabernacle stood in Shilo for hundreds of years, it was destroyed due to the sins of Israel.

וְעַתָּה יַעַן עֲשׂוֹתְכֶם אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה נְאֻם־ה' וָאֲדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם הַשְׁכֵּם וְדַבֵּר וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם וָאֶקְרָא אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא עֲנִיתֶם –

Now, due to your performance of all these actions – the utterance of the Lord – and the fact that I spoke to you time and again through the prophets but you did not heed them, and that I called you but you did not answer,

וְעָשִׂיתִי לַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלָיו אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם בֹּטְחִים בּוֹ וְלַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־נָתַתִּי לָכֶם וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לְשִׁלוֹ

I will do to the House upon which My name is called, the Temple, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shilo.

וְהִשְׁלַכְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעַל פָּנָי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלַכְתִּי אֶת־כָּל־אֲחֵיכֶם אֵת כָּל־זֶרַע אֶפְרָיִם

Furthermore, I will cast you from My presence into exile, as I cast all your brethren, all the descendants of Ephraim, the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel.

וְאַתָּה אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד־הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאַל־תִּשָּׂא בַעֲדָם רִנָּה וּתְפִלָּה וְאַל־תִּפְגַּע בִּי כִּי־אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ אֹתָךְ

God now addresses Jeremiah himself: And you, do not pray on behalf of this people, and do not lift up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, as a communal prayer leader, and do not plead with Me on their behalf, for I am not listening to you.

הַאֵינְךָ רֹאֶה מָה הֵמָּה עֹשִׂים בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם!

Don’t you see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

הַבָּנִים מְלַקְּטִים עֵצִים וְהָאָבוֹת מְבַעֲרִים אֶת־הָאֵשׁ וְהַנָּשִׁים לָשׁוֹת בָּצֵק לַעֲשׂוֹת כַּוָּנִים למְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם והַסֵּךְ נְסָכִים לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים – לְמַעַן הַכְעִסֵנִי

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make special cakes, which may have been in the shape of a star, for the queen of the heavens, a reference to a pagan goddess who was thought to rule over the heavens, and to pour libations to other gods. These family celebrations are celebrated openly and publicly, in order to anger Me.

הַאֹתִי הֵם מַכְעִסִים נְאֻם־ה' הֲלוֹא אֹתָם לְמַעַן בֹּשֶׁת פְּנֵיהֶם

Is it Me that they anger? – the utterance of the Lord. Their actions have no effect on Me. Is it not them who will be angered by the consequences of their deeds, for they are acting in a manner that will lead to their own shame?

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הִנֵּה אַפִּי וַחֲמָתִי נִתֶּכֶת אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה עַל־הָאָדָם וְעַל־הַבְּהֵמָה וְעַל־עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה וְעַל־פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָעֲרָה וְלֹא תִכְבֶּה

Therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, My wrath and My fury will be poured on this place, this city and the entire land, on the man, on the animal, on the tree of the field, and on the fruit of the land; and it will burn and will not be extinguished. Everything will be destroyed.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם סְפוּ עַל־זִבְחֵיכֶם וְאִכְלוּ בָשָׂר

The following rebuke may also have been delivered by the prophet at the gate of the Temple or inside the Temple compound itself: So said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your peace offerings, and eat meat. Burnt offerings are burned in their entirety upon the altar, whereas most of the meat of peace offerings is consumed by the one who brought it. Accordingly, God is saying: You delude yourselves into thinking that I accept your burnt offerings. You might as well consume your burnt offerings with your peace offerings in your popular celebrations. It would be a shame to waste the meat.

כִּי לֹא־דִבַּרְתִּי אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא צִוִּיתִים בְּיוֹם הוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עַל־דִּבְרֵי עוֹלָה וָזָבַח

Sacrificial offerings should not be the main focus of one’s worship of God. For I did not speak to your fathers and I did not command them on the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt with regard to the matters of burnt offerings or peace offerings. The fundamental focus of the Torah is not on the sacrifice of offerings. Although clearly the Torah refers extensively to offerings, nevertheless the prophet is correct in saying that God did not command the people with regard to offerings when they left Egypt. The reason for the absence of this type of command at that time is that the sacrifice of offerings is not an objective in and of itself; rather, it is a means of achieving atonement from sin. As such, it has no place in an ideal world. It should be noted that the term “day” here means a period of time, not a specific date.

כִּי אִם־אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה צִוִּיתִי אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר שִׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם וַהֲלַכְתֶּם בְּכָל־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָכֶם

Rather, this matter I commanded them, saying: Heed My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people, and you will walk in the entire path that I will command you so that it will be good for you. God’s basic directive to the people of Israel was to follow His ways and to act as God’s chosen nation. Indeed, the Ten Precepts do not contain a single commandment pertaining to sacrificial offerings. Conversely, in verse 9 the prophet rebuked the people for transgressing several of the Ten Precepts.

וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא־הִטּוּ אֶת־אָזְנָם וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּמֹעֵצוֹת בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם הָרָע וַיִּהְיוּ לְאָחוֹר וְלֹא לְפָנִים

But they did not heed, and they did not incline their ear; they followed their counsel, in the desire of their evil heart, and they faced backward and not forward. They constantly moved in the wrong direction,

לְמִן־הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָאֶשְׁלַח אֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־כָּל־עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים יוֹם הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ

from the day that your fathers came out from the land of Egypt until this day, and I sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily, time and again.

וְלוֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי וְלֹא הִטּוּ אֶת־אָזְנָם וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת־עָרְפָּם הֵרֵעוּ מֵאֲבוֹתָם

But they did not heed Me and did not even incline their ear. Rather, they stiffened their neck, and they did worse than their fathers.

וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְקָרָאתָ אֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא יַעֲנוּכָה

God again addresses the prophet: You will tell them all these harsh matters, but they will not heed you; you will stand at the Temple gate and call to them, but they will not answer you. Unless the prophet, who was perceived by the masses as eccentric, were to physically block the entrance to the Temple gate, the people would simply pass by him on their way to the Temple.

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם זֶה הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לוֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהָיו וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר אָבְדָה הָאֱמוּנָה וְנִכְרְתָה מִפִּיהֶם

You will say to them: This is the nation that did not heed the voice of the Lord their God and did not accept chastisement. This will not be a new message to them, and they will recognize its truth. However, faithfulness is lost from their hearts and it is removed from their mouths. They simply ignore the topic and avoid speaking about it.

גָּזִּי נִזְרֵךְ וְהַשְׁלִיכִי וּשְׂאִי עַל־שְׁפָיִם קִינָה כִּי מָאַס ה' וַיִּטֹּשׁ אֶת־דּוֹר עֶבְרָתוֹ

Zion, shear your hair and cast it away, as a sign of mourning and disgrace, and raise a lament on the bare hills. For the Lord has spurned you and forsaken the generation that is the cause of His anger.

כִּי־עָשׂוּ בְנֵי־יְהוּדָה הָרַע בְּעֵינַי נְאֻם־ה' שָׂמוּ שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם בַּבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלָיו לְטַמְּאוֹ

For the children of Judah have performed evil in My eyes – the utterance of the Lord. They have placed their repugnant items in the House upon which My name is called to defile it. Alongside the sacred items in the Temple, the people placed idols and altars to foreign deities. This occurred in the days of Menashe and also during the reign of Yehoyakim, immediately prior to the destruction of the Temple.

וּבָנוּ בָּמוֹת הַתֹּפֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם לִשְׂרֹף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל־לִבִּי

They built the shrines of Tofet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinom, a valley near Jerusalem where various pagan rituals were practiced and which was the central location for ritual burning ceremonies (see 32:35). This was done in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire in the worship of Molekh, either symbolically, by passing them between fires, or literally, which rite I did not command and it did not enter My mind but is prohibited. Over time, the word tofet, which means inferno, became a general term for the netherworld and hell.

לָכֵן הִנֵּה־יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־ה' וְלֹא־יֵאָמֵר עוֹד הַתֹּפֶת וְגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם כִּי אִם־גֵּיא הַהֲרֵגָה וְקָבְרוּ בְתֹפֶת מֵאֵין מָקוֹם

Therefore, behold, days are coming – the utterance of the Lord – and it will no longer be said that this place is called Tofet and the Valley of the Son of Hinom, but rather, it will be known as the valley of slaughter, and they will bury in Tofet for lack of room. Although corpses were considered ritually impure in other religions as well, and cemeteries were typically far removed from sites of worship, due to the preponderance of corpses, the site of the makeshift altars will be utilized as a burial ground.

וְהָיְתָה נִבְלַת הָעָם הַזֶּה לְמַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד

Since the valley will be full of corpses, the carcass of this people will be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the animals of the earth, and there will be none to frighten them away.

וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי מֵעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּמֵחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה כִּי לְחָרְבָּה תִּהְיֶה הָאָרֶץ

I will eliminate from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the sound of gladness and the sound of joy, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride. There will be no more sounds of happiness and life here, for the land will become ruins.