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Haftorah
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by Rabbi Dovid Siegel
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Parshas Pinchas
Yirmiyahu 1:1
This week begins a series of
haftorah readings which reflect the inner feelings of the Jewish people
during their final months of the year.The series consists of moving
visions of the prophets depicting the pending Jewish exile and
destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and concludes with an ongoing exchange
between Hashem and the Jewish people expressing a strong desire for
reunification. Our haftorah speaks about the introduction of Yirmiyahu
into prophecy and shows him somewhat reluctant to serve as the leading
prophet of Israel. Yirmiyahu's concern centered around his youngage
coupled with his lack of experience in speaking to an entire nation.He
recognized the painful nature of his catastrophic predictions and feared
that his prophetic words would actually endanger his own life. Hashem
responded that He would personally direct Yirmiyahu and protect him from
all opposing forces. Yirmiyahu consented and received his first prophe
cy which he described in the following words. "And Hashem sent His hand
which touched my mouth and He said to me, 'Behold I've placed my words
in your mouth." This unique description of prophecy as "words placed in
the mouth", rather than words spoken to the prophet, suggest a strong
dimension of force. It seems that Yirmiyahu actually felt compelled to
speak his words of prophecy at all costs.
In truth, we find special significance given to the prophetic status
of Yirmiyahu. Our Chazal (in Yalkut Shimoni 256) take note of the
specific expression used by the Torah when
introducing prophecy. In Parshas Shoftim (Devorim 18, 18) Hashem said to
Moshe, "I shall establish a prophet amongst them likened to yourself. I
shall place My words in his mouth and he will convey to the Jewish
people everything I command. "Chazal reflect upon the words, "prophet
likened to yourself (Moshe)" used here which suggest a parallel between
Moshe and other prophets. Chazal raise the question that the Torah
unequivocally states that no one ever achieved parallel status of
prophecy to that of Moshe Rabbeinu. What the nis meant by these words "a
prophet likened to yourself"? Chazal answer that these words allude to
the unique role of the prophet Yirmiyahu. They explain that there was a
clear parallel between the role of Yirmiyahu as the prophet of rebuke
and the role of Moshe Rabbeinu. The
y even draw lines between the life of Moshe Rabbeinu and that of
Yirmiyahu. They note tha teach served a full term of forty years and was
personally responsible for the ethical conduct of the entire nation. In
addition, each of them faced serious opposition from their people for
the hard stand they took in defending the name of Hashem. The Mahri Kra
in support of this point (see comment to Yirmiyahu 1:9) adds that even
the terminology used to describe their prophecy is of exact nature. The Torah
refers to the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu and states, "I shall place My
words in his mouth."Interestingly, this exact expression "I have placed
My words in your mouth" is used when describing the prophecy of
Yirmiyahu.
As we have now seen, the introduction of prophecy makes direct
reference to the ultimate prophet of doom, Yirmiyahu. One could question
the high priority that Yirmiyahu's prophecy occupies in the Torah.
Why did Moshe Rabbeinu make reference to the prophet Yirmiyahu at the
inception of prophecy and single him out from the other forty seven
leading prophets? What was so significant about Yirmiyahu's dimension of
rebuke that made it the prime focus of Moshe Rabbeinu's earliest
discussion about prophecy?
In search for clarification of this point it is beneficial to study
Moshe Rabbeinu's reflections on the establishment of prophecy. In
Parshas Shoftim Moshe says, "Hashem will establish a prophet in response
to all that you requested of him at Sinai on the day you received the Torah.
You said, 'I can not continue hearing the direct voice of Hashem and
will no longer risk perishing when seeing this great fire.'" "Hashem
responded, 'I will establish a prophet likened to you and will place My
words in his mouth.'"(D'vorim 18:16) The Ramban (ad loc.) explains that
the Jewish people requested that Hashem transmit His messages to them
through words of prophecy. They found it too difficult to listen
directly to Hashem because of the intensity of His words and opted to
hear them through the prophets. With this request they agreed to hear
the clear words of the prophets regardless of the severity of their
nature. Hashem, in effect, consented to the Jewish people's request for
proph
ecy, reserving the right to address them in the strongest of terms. The
Jewish people readily accepted this alternative in place of hearing
Hashem's direct and piercing words.
We now have a clear perspective regarding Moshe Rabbeinu's hidden
prediction to the Jews. In truth, during Moshe's era the Jewish people
were fully willing to listen to his piercing words of prophecy. This was
of course in place of an all too familiar and highly intensified
experience of listening to the words of Hashem Himself. Yet in later
generations when the Jews would stray from the path of Hashem this task
would become extremely difficult. Now that the dreaded alternative of
hearing directly from Hashem was far out of sight the Jewish people
could be prone to silencing their prophets restricting them from
conveying penetrating messages. Moshe, therefore, warned them at the
outset that their agreement was eternally binding and that in later
years Hashem would send them a prophet whose words of rebuke would be as
piercing as those of Moshe Rabbeinu himself.
We can now appreciate the opening words of Yirmiyahu in which he
portrayed himself as compelled to speak the word of Hashem. It was the
unpleasant role of Yirmiyahu to predict, in the most vivid form, the
Jewish exile and the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash. These tidings
were so penetrating and dreadful that the Jewish people would react to
them as if they had heard direct words from Hashem. Yirmiyahu sensed the
intensity of his prophetic mission and felt as if Hashem Himself was
speaking directly to the Jewish people. He therefore expressed that
Hashem placed words in the prophets mouth and delivered them directly to
the Jewish people. In this regard Yirmiyahu was truly likened to Moshe
Rabbeinu through whom Hashem delivered the clearest of messages to His
people. |
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Haftorah, Copyright © 2012 by Rabbi Dovid Siegel and Torah.org. The author is Rosh Kollel of Kollel Toras Chaim of Kiryat Sefer, Israel. Kollel Toras Chesed
3732 West Dempster
Skokie, Illinois 600
76
Phone: 847-674-7959Fax: 847-674-4023
kollel@arlin.net
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Please Say Yes to Abba Yahweh and His Laws special in
this time when Abba Yahweh is 'testing' us:
Hab 1:12 Art thou not mikedem
(‘everlasting’
also said of Moshiach, indicating Moshiach’s eternal divine nature: Dan 7:14 And there was given Him (Moshiach) dominion,
and honor, and sovereignty, that all people, Goyim, tongues, should
pey-lammed-chet. [1] (worship as deity) (see Dan 3:12, serve, reverence as
deity Him (Moshiach). His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away, and His (Messianic) Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.] see Michah
5:1[2];)
Yahweh
Elohai (my Elohim) Kedoshi (my Holy One)? We shall not die. Yahweh, Thou hast
appointed them (these Chaldean) for mishpat (ordinance); O Tzur, Thou hast
ordained them (these Chaldean) for reproof.
(Please
read the whole book of HaNavi Habakuk?)
Please take it serious what Abba Yahweh is telling us in:
Deu 18:15 Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohim) will raise up unto thee a Navi
(prophet) from among thee, of thy achim (bretheren), kamoni (like me.....
Exo 32:30 The next
day Moshe said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I
will go up to Yahweh; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."); unto
him ye must listen;
Deu 18:16 According to all that thou
desired of Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohimin) Chorev (to be burnt dried up,
ruined, wasted) in the Yom HaKahal (day of the congregation), saying, Let me
not hear again the voice of Yahweh Elohav (your Elohim), neither let me see
this eish hagedolah (‘great fire’) any more, that I die not.
Deu 18:17 And Yahweh said unto me, They
have well-spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Navi
(prophet) from among their achim (brethren), like unto thee, and will put My
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Joh
10:18
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have samchut
(authority) to lay it down, and I have samchut to receive it again. This
mitzvah I received from HaAv (the Father).
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever will not listen unto My words which he shall speak Bishmi (in My
Name), I will require it of him.
Joh 8:28 Therefore, Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach said to them, When you perform the hagbah (lifting up) of
the Ben HaAdam, you will have da'as (knowledge) that Ani Hu [YESHAYAH
41:4; SHEMOT 3:14-16], and from myself I do nothing, but as HaAv (the Father)
of me taught me, these things I speak.
[1]
Dictionary of the Talmud. M. Jastrow p. 1178 פלח
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