The people of his time grossly misunderstood his motives. He was perceived as a prophet of doom who took pleasure in predicting pain and destruction. Of course the opposite was true. Yirmiyahu wanted desperately for the Jews to heed his cry and change their sinful ways. When his predictions did come to pass, he refused to indulge in feelings of personal vindication. Rather, he voluntarily escorted his exiled brethren as far as the Euphrates and mourned their loss. Yirmiyahu is the author of Eichah, which is read on the night of Tisha B’Av.
There is a great historical irony in the story of Yirmiyahu. His enemies met their terrible fate and have vanished from the scope of history. Yirmiyahu, as persecuted and denounced as he was during his lifetime, lives on in the hearts and prayers of the Jewish people.
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It’s difficult for readers with the benefit of hindsight to understand the people’s stubborn refusal to listen to the prophets. We, who crave clarity and certainty in our daily lives, would rush at the opportunity to hear the word of God directly from the prophet. So why didn’t they? The following is a partial list of explanations that have been offered in response to this question:
“How could He do this?”– During that period the world was divided into two theological camps. The overwhelming majority of the world was comprised of pagans. The Jews alone were monotheistic. Everyone knew the Jews were different.How then, the Jews argued, could God destroy His own house and terminate His sole source of representation in this world?
“God needs us!” – This point is similar to the previous one. In the relationship between God and His People there exists an interesting paradox. On the one hand, God is omnipotent, completely in control. He issues positive and negative commandments we are expected to follow. Reward is given to those who adhere to his laws; punishment is meted out to those who do not. Yet we know that “In the gathering of people is the king’s glory; but in the lack of people is the downfall of the prince” (Proverbs 14:28). A king cannot function without a nation prepared to accept his rule. How then could God exile and seemingly dismiss the Jewish people? Where would that leave Him as King?
“I’ll worry about it then” – As scary and real as the words of the prophets may have seemed, they never specified a particular year or era of actualization. More than 90 years had passed since the first prophetic words regarding the destruction were uttered, and the Temple remained standing. The fact that punishment would arrive at some point was not sufficient to generate significant change.
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The Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world; people came from all over to behold it. Its builder, King Solomon, went to great lengths to imbue God’s Dwelling Place with exceedingly high levels of beauty and grandeur.
The exterior of the edifice was made of the brightest white limestone blocks. Inside, it was filled with overlays of gold covering majestic walls of stone and imported cedar wood, and trimmings made from other rare and precious materials. The crown jewels of the Temple were, of course, the holy vessels used by the priests as part of the service.
Paradoxically, the most important room in the Temple, known as the Kodesh HaKodashim, contained almost nothing at all. The only item it held was the Aron HaKodesh, with the two tablets of the Ten Commandments inside. Only once a year, on Yom Kippur, would the high priest enter this room and pray to God on Israel’s behalf. These tablets disappeared when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple. During the Second Temple era, the Holy of Holies was entirely bare.
