[Jeremiah chapter 1:1–2:3]
“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, etc.” [1:1]. Jeremiah was descended from Rahab the prostitute.1B. Megillah, 14b. The Holy One said that Jeremiah, who was descended from a prostitute, should come to punish Israel, who were descended from a very proper mother.2Rashi, Jeremiah, 1:1. That is, the son of a prostitute who has done good deeds should come and punish Israel who have done bad deeds and who have a good father and mother. Jeremiah came from a city of priests called Anatot.
“The word of the Lord came to him, etc.” [1:2]. The Holy One spoke to Jeremiah in the days of Josiah the son of Amon the king of Judah. This was also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah.
“The word of the Lord came to me saying” [1:4]. God said to me: “before I created you in the womb, I knew you, etc.” [1:4]. The Holy One said: before I created you in the womb, I knew you. Before you came out of your mother’s womb, I have prepared you to be a prophet. I will give you among the nations.
“I said: Ah Lord God, etc.” [1:6]. Jeremiah said: I shout, God You Lord, I do not know how to speak or how to punish a people, since I am a youth. We find the same thing with the prophet Samuel, who was a youth and was a prophet.3Radak, Jeremiah, 1:6.
“And the Lord said to me, do not say, etc.” [1:7]. He said to me, you should not say that you are a youth, since I will send you to prophesy to Israel and also to the nations.4Rashi, Jeremiah, 1:7.
“Do not fear them, for I am with you, etc.” [1:8]. Jeremiah, you should not fear the nations, for I will protect you, so says God.
“And the Lord put out His hand and touched, etc.” [1:9]. God put His hand on my mouth and God said to me, I have put My words in your mouth.
“See, today I appoint you over the nations” [1:10]. I have made you an overseer over the nations and over Israel, for good and for evil. Everything that you will say will certainly happen to them. When you will say, they will be defeated, destroyed and dispersed, and to build and to plant. That is to say, what you will say, good and evil. It is shown in this verse that Jeremiah in his day prophesied much evil, but he proclaimed very few good things all of his days. That is why there are many terms of defeat, destruction and dispersion. However, when he proclaims good tidings, he only uses two terms, to build and to plant.5Radak, Jeremiah, 1:10.
“The word of the Lord came to me: What do you see Jeremiah? I said: I see a branch of an almond tree” [1:11]. The word of God came to me and said: what do you see Jeremiah? I said: I see a branch of an almond tree. The branch was without blossoms or leaves and it was difficult to recognize the wood, but he recognized the branch through prophecy. That is why the Holy One said: you have seen well and correctly. If the branch had leaves and blossoms, it would not have been a novelty that he recognized it.6Radak, Jeremiah, 1:11.
“You have seen right, for I am watchful, over My word to bring it to pass” [1:12]. God said: you have seen correctly. I will hasten to soon fulfill My words to punish the nations. Just like a branch of almond wood blossoms before all the other trees, so will the trials and tribulations come upon Israel.7Radak, Jeremiah, 1:12. The Midrash writes that when the almond begins to blossom, it blossoms for twenty-one days and the fruit is ripe. So will the Temple be burned in twenty-one days, from the seventeenth of Tammuz until the ninth of Ab.8J. Ta’anit, 4.8; Yalkut Shimoni, II Kings, Remez 249.
“And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, etc.” [1:13]. God said to me a second time: what do you see? I said: a hot, steaming pot, and the face of the pot was to the north. That is, the rim of the pot on the side where one pours out from the pot, this is called its face. That is to say, from the north indicates that the evil and the steam from the pot comes from the north. This is the land of Babylon. They have committed transgressions and the pot is steaming because of their transgressions.9Radak, Jeremiah, 1:13.
“The Lord said to me: from the north shall disaster break loose upon all the inhabitants of the land” [1:14]. The Holy One said: the troubles from the north will be opened on all the inhabitants of the earth.
“For I am summoning all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord” [1:15]. I will implant a thought in all the families of the evil people, and to the kings that they should come to Jerusalem. Just as I might call them to come, so will I give into their hearts that each king should place his throne near the gates of Jerusalem, and near the walls and there will be kings over the cities of Judah.
“And I will argue My case against them, for all of their wickedness, etc.” [1:16]. I will argue my case with them about the evil that they committed by leaving Me. They have offered incense to foreign gods and have left Me.
“So you, gird up your loins, etc.” [1:17]. You Jeremiah, strongly gird up your loins, stand up and speak to them everything that I have commanded you. You should have no fear before them. That is to say, do not be afraid and you will believe that I can protect you. However, if you will be afraid, then I will make you fearful.
“I will make you this day a city, etc.” [1:18]. I will make you a strong city and an iron pillar and a bronze wall, for the whole land and the kings of Judah, to their princes, and the whole people. You should not be afraid of any person.
“They will attack you, but they will not overcome you, etc.” [1:19]. The nations will fight with you, but they will not be able to do anything to you, since I am with you, to protect you. Thus says the Lord. That is to say, they will wage war with you. They will say that your prophecy is not true.10Rashi, Jeremiah, 1:19.
“The word of the Lord came to me saying, etc.” [2:1]. The word of God came to me. You should go and should proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem. That is to say, just like you would speak with the city of Jerusalem, to punish the people of the city of Jerusalem.
“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride” [2:2]. Say to Israel, just as I would bring troubles upon them because of their evil deeds, but I will in no way destroy them completely. I will also pay those nations who have troubled Israel and will bring troubles upon them. I remember the good deeds that Israel did for me in its youth, during the giving of the Torah. They are compared to a bride and the Holy One to a groom. This is the meaning of “your love as a bride,” the love of a bride at the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.11Radak, Jeremiah, 2:2.
“How you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown” [2:2]. I remember the good deeds that Israel did. They followed me in the wilderness, where no grain, fruit, or grass grows and they relied on me.
“Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest” [2:3]. Israel is compared to holiness. Just like terumah, which is holy and an Israelite should not eat it, but only the priests. If an Israelite eats the terumah, he is strongly punished. In the same way, God will punish whoever persecutes Israel. They are the first fruits, that grow first and no person should eat of them before they bring the Omer offering.12Rashi, Jeremiah, 2:3.
“All who ate of it were held guilty; disaster befell them, says the Lord” [2:3]. All those who will eat from it will be punished with evil. This will come upon all those who do evil to Israel, so says God.
The Rabbati writes about the verse in the haftorah “before I created you in the womb, I knew you” [1:5]. What a child in its mother’s womb will become, is recognized, as the verse says, “the children struggled in her womb” [Genesis, 25:22]. When Rebecca went past a house of study where Torah was being studied, Jacob wanted to get out of his mother’s body. When Rebecca went past a pagan temple where foreign gods were worshiped, Esau wanted to get out.13Genesis Rabbah, 63.6; Yalkut Shimoni, Jeremiah, Remez 261.
A story happened to a woman who was carrying a child in her womb. The woman smelled some food and she wanted to eat, but it was Yom Kippur. They came to Rabbi Haninah and asked if the woman was to be fed? Rabbi Haninah responded. If someone would tell her that today is Yom Kippur, and but the desire did not go away and she had to eat or she would miscarry the child, then she must eat on Yom Kippur. The child that was born to that woman was an evildoer. Another story occurred to a woman who also wanted to eat on Yom Kippur. Rabbi [Judah the Prince] said: one should tell her that today is Yom Kippur. As soon as she was told that today was Yom Kippur she no longer had any desire to eat. The child who was born to this woman was Rabbi Johanan. Concerning her, the verse was said, “before you were born,” I recognized you before you were born.14Yalkut Shimoni, Jeremiah, Remez 261.