We begin today with the study of Sefer Yirmiyahu. The first three verses are not a prophecy, but an introduction: they describe the character of the book and the persona of the author, serving as preparation for everything we will read later. We will follow the order of the verses, citing the explanations of Rashi, Radak, and Malbim.
דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ מִן־הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן׃ - The words of Yirmiyahu the son of Chilkiyahu, of the kohanim who were in Anatot in the land of Binyamin.
Radak asks who this Chilkiyahu was, and answers: we have already met Chilkiyahu; he is Chilkiyahu the Kohen who served in the Beit HaMikdash and found the Sefer Torah in the days of Yoshiyahu. The scroll was open to the verse, "Hashem will lead you and your king," and he came and reported this to the king, whereupon the king tore his garments, as we learned in Sefer Melachim. His son was Yirmiyahu the prophet.
"Of the kohanim" - the Targum translates this as "from the amarkalim," meaning from the most prominent kohanim in Yerushalayim. Anatot was one of the priestly cities, as recorded in Sefer Yehoshua that the kohanim had cities designated for their dwelling, and Anatot was one of them.
Rashi cites the words of Chazal: "Let the descendant of the flawed one whose deeds are upright come and rebuke the descendant of the upright whose deeds are flawed" - let the son of a woman of flawed background whose deeds are repaired come and rebuke the sons of righteous matriarchs whose deeds are corrupt. The "flawed one" refers to Rachav, and Yirmiyahu was among her descendants; nevertheless, this had no negative influence on him, and on the contrary, he was a complete tzaddik. By contrast, the people of Israel are the descendants of righteous women, yet their deeds are corrupt. If he, who came from a flawed ancestry, became a tzaddik, all the more so are you, who come from an upright ancestry, expected to be tzaddikim! Therefore, the rebuke comes specifically through him, for his very life is the rod and the book of mussar from which they must learn.
Radak cites a Midrash: Why does the book open with "The words of Yirmiyahu" rather than "The vision of Yirmiyahu"? Because this book contains not only the prophecies he prophesied concerning Israel and the nations, but also his own personal words and what befell him during his prophetic mission to Israel. It is not merely a collection of prophecies, but also an account of the personal events he endured, which is why it opens with "The words of."
Radak brings another Midrash: Three prophets wrote in their own voice, meaning they wrote their books in the first person: "The words of Kohelet," "The words of Amos," and "The words of Yirmiyahu." Why? Because their prophecies consisted of harsh words of reproof that provoked and agitated the hearts of the people; therefore, their prophecy was attributed to themselves. In plain terms, it is as though Hashem is saying: Do not think this tone comes directly from Me; I did not command it to be stated as a personal provocation. This is similar to what we find in Creation: "and the darkness He called night" - the Name of Heaven is not explicitly mentioned with darkness, but merely "He called," whereas regarding the light it says, "And God called the light day." Certainly darkness was also created by Hashem, but the Holy One, blessed be He, does not attach His Name directly to harsh or negative things. So too here: the harsh words of contention are phrased as though spoken in the name of the prophet himself, even though the prophecy in its entirety is unquestionably from Hashem.
And so we find with them: "I, Kohelet, was king in Yerushalayim," and similarly Amos speaks about himself, and Yirmiyahu likewise recounts in the first person: Hashem said to me, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you," and I replied to Him that I was unworthy, and later in the book he recounts the persecutions he suffered at their hands. Substantial portions of the book are related in the first person, which is why it opens with "The words of Yirmiyahu the son of Chilkiyahu."
The Malbim teaches that the first three verses serve as a systematic introduction. When a person approaches a book, there are several criteria he wishes to check. In the prophetic writings, there is certainly no question of whether it is worthwhile to open it or not, yet even so, an introduction must be provided about what lies before us.
First: What is the nature of this book? There are books of rebuke, books of poetry, books of wisdom such as Mishlei and Kohelet, books expressed allegorically and poetically like Shir HaShirim, and narrative books. For this reason, the opening word is "Divrei" (The words of) - which encompasses everything: visions, prophecies, narratives, and rebukes.
Second: It is crucial to know who the author is. A book may be interesting and well written, yet once you open it and discover who wrote it, you immediately send it to Genizah. If the author is not an upright person, we do not read his books.
Once a man came to the Brisker Rav and said to him: "I heard that the Rav told his students not to attend my lectures." He replied: "Yes, that is correct." The man asked: "Why? Everything I say comes strictly from Chazal, written sources; I do not present any personal outlooks at all." The Brisker Rav, who recognized that the man's outlook was warped, said to him: "Let me ask you a question in Halachah." The man was pleased. The Rav asked: "What is the halachic status of food cooked in a treif pot, if the meat itself is strictly kosher, certified by the Badatz of the Eidah HaChareidit? What is the law regarding the food?" The man replied: "What do you mean? It is forbidden to eat!" The Rav said: "I do not understand, isn't it kosher meat?" He replied: "Yes, but what kind of pot was it cooked in?" The Brisker Rav said to him: "Do you hear what you are saying? Your Torah is very kosher, but what kind of pot was it cooked in?" - pointing to the man's head. When things are cooked in a warped pot, even the most kosher food comes out warped.
Therefore, the verse tells us: "Yirmiyahu ben Chilkiahu" - a prophet of noble lineage, whose father was a Kohen Gadol and a prophet, and wealthy as well, since the Kohen Gadol was enriched by his brethren, as the verse says, "The Kohen who is greater than his brothers" - make him great from what belongs to his brothers. The verse is telling us of the stature and prominence of the author of the book.
Third: His location. "Who was in Anatot in the land of Binyamin." Anatot was a city of Kohanim inhabited by people distinguished in fear of Hashem, and he was from the territory of Binyamin, not from Yerushalayim. Why this emphasis? Because "no prophet is accepted in his own city." When a local person comes to rebuke, people do not accept it from him: "Look who became a tzaddik - he is one of us!" When rebuke needs to be delivered, it is better that it come from someone else, from another place, who will speak piercingly and uncompromisingly. Such is human nature, and people find it easier to accept criticism from an outsider.
A story is told of a local rav who passed away. In that same town lived an elderly talmid chacham, genuinely upright and worthy, but the community did not appoint him - a prophet is not honored in his own city. Instead, they went and brought a young man who did not know much, but who appealed to them. That talmid chacham said to them: "Now a longstanding question of mine is resolved. I never understood the sin of the Golden Calf. The people said, 'For this man Moshe, we do not know what became of him.' Suppose you were right that the leader was gone. But who should replace Moshe? Aharon is right here - take Aharon! From this I learned that people would rather bring in even a calf from the outside, rather than take Aharon whom they already know."
Yirmiyahu, not being from Yerushalayim, was able to rebuke them impartially. He would cover up for no one, making no personal calculations: "Perhaps this man might employ me, that one rents me my house, and a third recently sent me a generous mishloach manot, so it would be awkward to speak harshly to him." He would come and speak the unvarnished truth without fear or favor.
אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלָיו בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה בִּשְׁלֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְמׇלְכוֹ׃ - To whom the word of Hashem came in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, king of Yehudah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
The fourth point, the Malbim explains, is that it is crucial to know the source from which words are spoken. When someone presents a message, one wants to know their credentials, what they rely upon, and what the foundations of their words are. It could be that they stem from his own intellect, it could be that he conducted research and arrived at conclusions, or it could be that he received them from scholars and books. Regarding this, the verse says, "To whom the word of Hashem came" - know that he drew his words from a spring of living waters, from the word of Hashem Himself.
וַיְהִי בִּימֵי יְהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עַד־תֹּם עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עַד־גְּלוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי׃ - It was also in the days of Yehoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, until the end of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, until the exile of Yerushalayim in the fifth month.
The fifth point is the time period of the prophecy. And not merely any period, but three distinct eras in which the spiritual status of both the people and the king shifted. The beginning of his prophecy was in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, when both the king and his generation were righteous; it began in the thirteenth year of his reign, when the king reached the maturity of mind to serve Hashem. Afterward, his prophecy continued in the days of Yehoyakim, when the generation was righteous but the king was wicked. Finally, it extended until the end of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu, when the situation reversed: the people were wicked while Tzidkiyahu himself was righteous. Throughout all these eras - when both the people and the king were righteous, when the people were righteous and the king was wicked, and when the people were wicked and the king was righteous - he prophesied, and all of his prophecies were fulfilled.
וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ בְּטֶרֶם אֶצׇּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ וּבְטֶרֶם תֵּצֵא מֵרֶחֶם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ נָבִיא לַגּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ׃ - And the word of Hashem came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you emerged from the womb I sanctified you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Here Yirmiyahu begins recounting the words of his prophetic mission. Rashi explains "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you": from the time of Adam HaRishon, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam each generation and its prophets, meaning that already then, He showed him Yirmiyahu as a prophet.
Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz remarked on this: The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam HaRishon each generation and its expositors, each generation and its sages, each generation and its prophets. Seemingly, it is understandable that Adam HaRishon would be interested in seeing the prophets, the sages, and the expositors, but what interest did he have in seeing the generation itself? He explained: Adam HaRishon was shown Naftali, and he wondered - is Naftali also counted among the sages? Is Naftali also among the expositors? Then they showed him the generation, and he said: Ah, relative to this generation, even Naftali is fitting! Therefore, it was necessary to show him each generation alongside its expositors, so that he would see the generation and understand the standard by which its teachers are measured, and not think that the great leaders were insignificant, but rather realize that relative to their generation, they were truly great.
"I appointed you a prophet to the nations" - Rashi explains: to Israel, who conducted themselves like the nations, for most of his prophecies were directed at Israel. Targum Yonatan translates: "A prophet who gives the nations the cup of curse to drink have I appointed you", meaning a prophet who serves a cup of poison to the nations, as he would prophesy harsh and severe retribution against them. Another explanation: "Before you emerged from the womb I sanctified you" - it was regarding you that I told Moshe, "A prophet I will raise up for them like you," for this one rebuked them and that one rebuked them, this one prophesied for forty years and that one prophesied for forty years.
Radak cites in the name of his father: When Hashem created the four elements, He knew him in potential through the laws of nature, and subsequently brought him into actuality. That is, the potential blueprint of Yirmiyahu was already embedded within the physical elements, and later, "before you emerged from the womb I sanctified you" - He brought that potential into actuality and dispatched him on his prophetic mission.
Radak asks: After all, the Holy One, blessed be He, knew all the prophets, all the righteous, and even the wicked before they ever existed, for if not, Heaven forbid, He would not be "calling the generations from the beginning." If so, what is novel here specifically? He answers that the intention is that his father and mother were meticulous in sanctity and purity from the time of conception, and it was this act of holiness that brought forth this extraordinary child.
Radak then cites the words of the Rambam, which are fundamental: this is the nature of every prophet - it is impossible without a natural predisposition in the very core of his formation to be attuned to prophecy, together with study and training. That is, from Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, formed him with an inherent capacity for prophecy, but he also needs training, for if he does not train, the natural predisposition alone will not suffice. That is why the "sons of the prophets" followed a prophet to listen and receive guidance in the ways of prophecy until they attained it: immense holiness, immense purity, intense personal labor - yet without that basic, innate predisposition, one cannot receive prophecy, no matter how much he trains.
Based on this, Radak asks: If so, why was this said specifically to Yirmiyahu, when it ought to apply to every prophet? He answers: Here there was a need for a special declaration, because the Holy One, blessed be He, knew that Yirmiyahu would refuse, and words of persuasion were needed: Even before I formed you in the womb, I designated you for this mission, so how can you attempt to refuse? I fashioned you from the outset for this very purpose.
Radak asks further: If that is the explanation, why was this not said to Moshe, who likewise resisted the word of Hashem? He gives two answers. First: to Moshe, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave signs to fortify his heart - the sign of the burning bush, the serpent, and the leprous hand - signs with which he could act before Pharaoh, which was far more powerful than any verbal statement. Second: Moshe Rabbeinu had no need for such an assertion, for he was immensely wise and understood on his own that in the very core of a person's formation lies the innate predisposition for prophecy for anyone destined to prophesy. Yirmiyahu, however, may not have known this, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, had to tell him explicitly in order to persuade him to undertake his mission.
Radak articulates another essential principle: whatever wisdom or innate trait predominates in a person, there is already an initial predisposition toward it in the core of his formation, which is then strengthened through practice and cultivation. This is a tremendous principle, both for good and for bad. A person who is naturally inclined toward kindness - if he activates this trait, exercises it, and repeats it, it will become deeply rooted in him. A person inclined toward intellectual pursuits and wisdom - the root exists within him, and if he studies, he can develop it far more. And the reverse is also true: a profoundly arrogant person, wicked and cruel, has that tendency at his root; because he continually acted with cruelty and exercised it repeatedly, he effectively trained himself in it until it became second nature. But know that had he exerted himself and fought against it, he could have subdued that inner inclination.
The Malbim adds that every prophet requires two conditions in order to prophesy. First, a natural predisposition: his temperament must be fit for prophecy, with perfection of the imaginative faculty, the intellect, and the other faculties of the soul. For if there is any flaw in him, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rest His prophecy upon a defective vessel. Second, an acquired, chosen preparation: what he achieves through his own free will - sanctification, divine service, attachment to Hashem, and fear of Heaven. Indeed, the Rambam writes concerning the prophet that his evil inclination does not overpower him in anything in the world, which reflects immense levels of spiritual attainment. Even when one possesses the natural predisposition, he still needs the chosen preparation - taking deliberate actions by his own choice to become worthy of the resting of the Shechinah.
Here the Malbim presents a profound insight: there is a fundamental difference among prophets, for there are two distinct categories of prophets - prophets for their own sake, and prophets for the sake of the community. This is something many are unaware of, yet anyone who reflects on the matter must arrive at it. After all, how many prophets were there in Israel? Twice the number of those who left Egypt - 1.2 million. Yet when we open the books of the Prophets, how many do we find? Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses. Where are all the rest? The simple answer is: a prophecy that was needed for future generations was written down, while one that was not needed for future generations was not recorded.
On a deeper level: many people assume that the purpose of receiving prophecy is that Hashem wishes to convey His message to the nation and therefore transmits it through a prophet. That is a complete misconception. A prophet receives prophecy as a means to advance him in his divine service. When a person elevates and sanctifies himself, he becomes worthy and prepared for the word of Hashem to be with him, guiding him along the upright path. This is akin to the Maggid, the angel who appeared to Rabbi Yosef Karo and taught him Torah; a substantial portion of the work Maggid Meisharim, which he composed from the angel's words to him, consists of rebukes, ethical teachings, and words of encouragement. This is the essence of prophecy: it comes to build the prophet's inner spiritual world and elevate him. He has attained levels where he unites with the Holy One, blessed be He - as in the verse, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" - for the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to bond with those who serve Him, elevating the person to sublime perception. And incidentally, as the prophet connects to Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: I also have a mission for you; go and tell the people such and such. But the primary purpose of prophecy is not the mission; it is the prophet's private service of Hashem, his personal sanctification, and his ascent through the levels of closeness to Hashem, blessed be He.
The Malbim explains: Everything we said about natural predisposition and chosen preparation applies when a prophet is to merit prophecy for his own sake. But when the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to send an emissary to rebuke the people and warn the nations, and no one is qualified for it - should He, as it were, refrain from speaking His word? To this the Malbim responds: When Hashem needs to send an emissary to the people and no one is naturally fit on his own, Hashem chooses a person pleasing in His sight and prepares him for prophecy, altering his nature and assisting his free choice so that His desired purpose may be accomplished through him. Simply put: If no one has done this on his own, I will take someone and do it for him - I will alter his nature and assist him to choose the good, and through this he will be prepared to deliver My words to the people.
With this, the Malbim resolves a question frequently raised against the Rambam, who wrote that prophecy rests only upon those prepared for it: What, then, of Gideon? What of Manoach? And what of others about whom Chazal state that they were unlearned and ordinary people, yet prophecy rested upon them? The answer is magnificent: All of the Rambam's words refer to a prophet who attains prophecy for his own sake. But in cases where there was a necessity to dispatch an emissary to the nation, the Holy One, blessed be He, built him up spiritually so that he would be fit to be sent - not on account of the recipient's personal merit, but because of the need of the Giver.
Accordingly, the verse is explained: Corresponding to the natural predisposition, which occurs during formation in the womb, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells him, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" - I Myself provided this preparation for you beforehand. And corresponding to the chosen preparation, which begins the moment he emerges from the womb - for in his mother's womb he has no free will, while from that moment onward everything depends on his choices - He says to him, "and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you." This means: for your prophecy, you require neither natural predisposition nor chosen preparation like other prophets, for I have accomplished both for you and initiated them within you in a unique way. And what is the reason? "A prophet to the nations I appointed you" - since I have a mission for you that is not a personal matter but a communal charge, and I have no one else fit and worthy of it, your prophecy is for My purpose: to proclaim My words to the nations.
In explaining the words, the Malbim clarifies the distinction between "womb" (beten) and "birth canal" (rechem): Beten always denotes the pre-natal stage, where Hashem fashioned within him his latent potential, which is the natural preparation. Rechem refers to the place through which the child emerges at the time of birth. Therefore, regarding the beten, He said "I formed you" (etzorcha), for the expression yetzirah refers to the weaving and fashioning of the fetus's form, which takes shape after the first forty days of gestation; this is the specific verb for formation, as distinct from creating (beriah) or making (asiyah). And He said, "I knew you," meaning that you are attached to divine knowledge, as in "Let us know, let us strive to know Hashem" (Hoshea 6:3), implying that Divine Providence will accompany you because I desire that you convey My prophecy to the nation. Regarding the rechem, which is the moment of birth and the beginning of the preparation through free choice, He said, "I sanctified you" - that you are holy and separated from all material matters.
וָאֹמַר אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הִנֵּה לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי דַּבֵּר כִּי־נַעַר אָנֹכִי׃ - And I said: "Alas, my Lord Hashem! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth."
The Malbim explains: Yirmiyahu argues that he lacks both forms of preparation. I lack the natural preparation - "for I am a youth," lacking as yet both intellectual perfection and perfection of character traits. And I lack the acquired preparation of free choice - "I do not know how to speak," for I do not know how to speak, nor do I know how to reprove or articulate these matters.
The Radak explains that he had two arguments. The first: "I do not know how to speak" - I do not know how to speak eloquently, in poetic, elevated, and fitting language. The second: "for I am a youth" - I lack the boldness to speak before prominent leaders; I feel bashful. Would I dare approach a great person and rebuke him? Furthermore, speaking effectively requires experience, and anyone who addresses the public will tell you how much of that ability is gained through practical experience. Experience is the best teacher in any field, and certainly in the art of speaking, whereas a youth does not yet know how to arrange his words eloquently and with rhetorical polish, which requires much habituation. There was also a concern regarding the people: the people will not show deference to a youth, and in time they will rise up against me and kill me - as we will indeed see later in the book that they attempted to do to him.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי אַל־תֹּאמַר נַעַר אָנֹכִי כִּי עַל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁלָחֲךָ תֵּלֵךְ וְאֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוְּךָ תְּדַבֵּר׃ - But Hashem said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' for to whomever I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak."
"Whomever I send you" and "whatever I command you" appear repetitive. Rashi explains: "I send you" - to the nations; "I command you" - to Israel. But the Malbim explains that here the Holy One, blessed is He, comes to address all three concerns: two on Yirmiyahu's part and one on the part of the people.
The first concern was: I lack the courage to speak before dignitaries. To this He replies, "For to whomever I send you, you shall go": When does a person fear going? When he must speak words of his own making. But an emissary of the king - does he lack the boldness to go and speak? He does not come in his own name, but in the name of the king. You come on My mission, as the emissary of the supreme King, and you have nothing to fear or feel ashamed of.
The second concern, regarding the people, was that they will not accept reproof from me. This, too, falls away for the same reason: they would not accept it from you if you came in your own name - a mere youth and a boy, what could you have to tell us? But when you come in the name of the King, what difference does it make whom He sent? The message is the word of the King, and the King is exalted and supreme.
And the third concern was that I lack the eloquent, poetic language needed to speak before the people. To this He replies, "And whatever I command you, you shall speak": you are not speaking words of your own, but words that I command you. I place My words in your mouth, and you are simply reciting what has been spoken to you. Therefore, you need not worry that your language might not be fitting or rich enough for words of prophecy.
אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי לְהַצִּלֶךָ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to rescue you," says Hashem.
Here there is a kind of promise for all generations: do not fear and do not worry; if you walk with the Holy One, blessed be He - the Holy One, blessed be He, will be your help. Yirmiyahu was still afraid lest they kill him, and the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: It truly does not depend on you; I will deliver you. However, the promise is to save him from being killed, not that he would be spared from harm. Indeed, throughout the entire book we see that Yirmiyahu was saved from the sword and saved from death, but they inflicted harm upon him many times.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהֹוָה אֶת־יָדוֹ וַיַּגַּע עַל־פִּי וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיךָ׃ - "Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the Lord said unto me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'"
The Radak explains that "the Lord put forth His hand" refers to an angel that appeared to him and spoke in the Name of Hashem. This is an explanation that recurs many times throughout Scripture: when the Name of Hashem is written, it does not mean that the Infinite Essence directly contacts man, but rather through an angel. Therefore, at times things are expressed in the Name of Hashem and at times in the name of the angel. An example is the Binding of Yitzchak, where the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks with Avraham, and afterward the angel says to him: "Do not lay your hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God" - and who says "I know"? Surely nothing is new to the angel! Rather, the way the Holy One, blessed be He, establishes contact is through the angel in whom "My Name is within him," and therefore the angel can say "I know."
The Radak further asks: If the Holy One, blessed be He, came to speak with him, it should have said "and He touched my ear," since He is conveying a message to him. Why "and He touched my mouth"? Rather, Yirmiyahu had claimed that his mouth was unrefined; his mouth was still that of a youth who did not know how to speak in proper, eloquent phrasing. Therefore, a touch was made upon his mouth that changed something within it, refining his mouth so that he could speak with clear articulation and authoritative delivery. "And He touched my mouth" - He performed an action through which his mouth would be capable of carrying out the mission.
The Malbim explains that every extension of a hand mentioned in the context of prophecy refers to the imparting of power from the Holy One, blessed be He, to act and function in accordance with the divine command. "The hand of the Lord" always signifies an active force to accomplish something and to affect reality and nature. When it comes with a strong hand, like the "strong hand" and the "great hand" in the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea, it means a forceful act operating with great power. And when it comes in the context of prophecy, it means that the Holy One, blessed be He, grants the prophet immense strength and courage to deliver the words to the people, aiding him with help from on High, or moving him and taking him from his place with a strong hand as written in Yechezkel, or taking him to see wondrous visions, as is also brought in Yechezkel. And He says to him, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth": in response to your fear that you do not know how to speak - the words themselves I have placed in your mouth, and thereby I have also granted you the power of speech in perfection.
רְאֵה הִפְקַדְתִּיךָ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה עַל־הַגּוֹיִם וְעַל־הַמַּמְלָכוֹת לִנְתוֹשׁ וְלִנְתוֹץ וּלְהַאֲבִיד וְלַהֲרוֹס לִבְנוֹת וְלִנְטוֹעַ׃ - "See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant."
Anyone familiar with the Malbim knows that a verse of this kind is fertile ground for his commentary. "Over the nations and over the kingdoms" - what are "nations" and what are "kingdoms"? And there are six expressions here: to pluck up, to break down, to destroy, to overthrow, to build, to plant, and each one requires explanation as to why it is not a duplication of the one before it. As we already know from the Malbim's method, there is no such concept as synonymous repetition in different words; rather, each expression comes to convey precisely the specific point intended.
The Malbim says: Whether we speak of the destruction of the nations and kingdoms, destroying them and overthrowing them, or whether we speak of their building and planting - with the Holy One, blessed be He, there is no destruction for its own sake. Destruction is always for the sake of building, and plucking up and breaking down are for the sake of planting, for with the Holy One, blessed be He, absence always precedes existence.
We have already discussed this several times: before every good beginning there is absence. Before the day, there is darkness. Before redemption, there is a state in which redemption is concealed. Before the Exodus from Egypt, there were two hundred and ten years of servitude, and just a moment before the departure, "Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words" - the peak of darkness and gloom: "There is no straw given unto your servants, and they say to us: Make brick." The doe of the dawn (Ayelet HaShachar) is always at the very peak and intensity of the night, just a moment before the morning light breaks. So too when emerging into life: a seed that you place in the ground rots in the first stage, and sprouts in the second stage. A seed in a woman's womb first disintegrates and then gives birth. All along the way, we see that before emerging into great light, there is a stage of darkness and absence, for absence precedes existence, and death precedes life.
And from here to the explanation of the terms. The Malbim explains: The verb "natash" is not used here as we know it in spoken Hebrew (abandoning), but rather in Lashon HaKodesh it is a term specific to plantings. One who "uproots" (notesh) a planting tears it out. In contrast, "natatz" (break down) and "haras" (overthrow) are terms specific to construction: when it comes to a building and one destroys it, one breaks down (notetz) and overthrows (hores); and when it comes to a planting and one uproots it, one plucks up (notesh).
Proof of this can be seen from the verses: "That which I have built I break down, and that which I have planted I pluck up" - parallel to building is tearing down, and parallel to planting is uprooting. And likewise: "And I will build them and not tear down, and I will plant them and not uproot." We see clearly that planting corresponds to the uprooting of the planted, which is netishah, and building corresponds to tearing down.
We opened with chapter 1 of Sefer Yirmiyahu. The first three verses form a structured introduction: the nature of the book ("The words of" - everything is encompassed within it); who its author is (Yirmiyahu the son of Chilkiahu, of distinguished lineage and the son of a Kohen Gadol); his location (Anatot in the land of Binyamin, so that he could rebuke without favoritism and without being beholden to anyone); its source ("To whom the word of Hashem came" - from the source of living waters); and when he prophesied (during three distinct periods in the standing of the king and the people, and in all of them his prophecies came to pass). We then learned the secret of his destiny: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" - that Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself preceded his mission with both natural preparation and preparation of free will, because this prophecy was not for his own sake but for the sake of bestowing upon others: "A prophet to the nations I appointed you." Yirmiyahu protested, "I am a youth" and "I do not know how to speak," and Hakadosh Baruch Hu answered all his concerns: you are the King's emissary, My words are in your mouth, and do not fear, for I am with you to deliver you. And finally, his appointment "over the nations and over the kingdoms" - to uproot and to pull down, to build and to plant, teaching us that with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, destruction exists solely as a prelude to building, for nonexistence always precedes existence.