Chapter 4 of Yirmiyahu opens with a great call to repentance. After the severe rebukes of the preceding chapters, the Holy One, Blessed is He, tells the People of Israel: there is still an opportunity to rectify, there is still a way to return. But the teshuvah must be genuine - pure, absolute, without wavering. From this point onward, the prophet moves on to describe the evil looming from the north, the enemy that will arrive suddenly, and the great catastrophe.
"Return to Me" - The Promise That Repentance Will Reach Its Destination
אִם־תָּשׁוּב יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב וְאִם־תָּסִיר שִׁקּוּצֶיךָ מִפָּנַי וְלֹא תָנוּד׃ - "If you will return, O Israel, says Hashem, return to Me; and if you remove your abominations from before My presence, you shall not wander."
Rashi explains: If you repent - "return to Me," you will return to your honor, to your former greatness. "And if you remove your abominations from before My presence, then you will not wander" - you will not have to wander and go into exile.
The Radak explains: If you confess the matters mentioned above and return to Me, I will accept your repentance and you will not be exiled. And what does "return to Me" mean? The second word "tashuv" denotes tranquility, as in the verse, "In tranquility and rest shall you be saved." That is to say: currently you are tossed about and the sword of exile hangs over your head, but if you repent - you will come to Me in peace and serenity, and through this you will remove your abominations and will not need to wander and go into exile.
Why does it say "remove your abominations from before My presence"? The Malbim explains that this refers to the Holy Land, a land upon which the eyes of Hashem your God are always fixed, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. The accountability for sin in the Land of Israel is far more severe than in other lands. The Ramban similarly writes that Sodom was destroyed even though greater sins may have been committed in other cities across the world, because defiling the King's palace is not comparable to defiling the King's backyard. The Land of Israel is the King's palace, and therefore defiling it brings forth great wrath. Furthermore, as described in Yechezkel, they brought an idol into the Sanctuary, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, gave Yechezkel a tour and showed him all the dreadful things - the carved depictions on the wall and all the forms of idolatry they brought into the Temple and its inner sanctum. This is the meaning of "remove your abominations from before My presence" - from the place where the presence of Hashem your God rests, and through this, "you shall not wander."
The Malbim explains that this verse is the response of the Ruach HaKodesh to the claims we saw earlier. The People of Israel argued: we want to return, but the "tumult of the mountains," the echo of the hills misleads us; voices call out to us and we do not know where they come from - where Hashem is and where idolatry is, where to go and where to return. To this Hashem tells them: if you will only return - then naturally, "to Me shall you return." If you merely set your intention to return, I will guide you straight, and I will ensure that your return brings you directly to Me. That is, when a person begins to repent, he receives Heavenly assistance; he receives illumination showing him the true path.
According to this, we can understand a remarkable phenomenon we often witness: people who come close to Torah and return in teshuvah frequently gravitate toward the most devout circles. Naturally, one might expect someone coming from a completely secular background to become "religious-lite" - a little television, a little internet, a smartphone, along with attending prayers occasionally, a kind of folkloric Judaism. Why, then, do we see that ba'alei teshuvah so often turn to Meah Shearim, to Breslov, to the Charedi world? Presumably, they should have chosen more relaxed paths in serving Hashem. But according to the Malbim, this is profound: the Holy One, Blessed is He, says, if you only awaken within yourself a desire to return - I promise you that "to Me shall you return." I will straighten your path so that you return all the way to Me; you will not stop halfway or get stuck in the broken cisterns of those who try to blend serving Hashem with their vain pursuits, remaining with neither - possessing neither this world nor the World to Come. If you are truly sincere in your desire to return, I will ensure that you arrive at the exact address.
"And You Shall Not Wander" - Repentance Without Wavering
There is one condition: "if you remove your abominations from before My presence" - to detach completely from all abominations. Regarding "and you shall not wander," the Malbim offers an explanation beyond that of the Radak. We are familiar with someone who repents yet wavers back and forth: sometimes here and sometimes there, rising and falling. The Holy One, Blessed is He, says: No. You must make a genuine resolution - "and you shall not wander." Return in teshuvah, but not as someone who sways back and forth, continually reverting to his former ways only to repent all over again.
"And You Shall Swear, 'As Hashem Lives'" - Strengthening Repentance with an Oath
וְנִשְׁבַּעְתָּ חַי־יְהֹוָה בֶּאֱמֶת בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבִצְדָקָה וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בוֹ גּוֹיִם וּבוֹ יִתְהַלָּלוּ׃ - And you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and nations will bless themselves by Him, and in Him they will glory.
According to the Malbim's approach, the verse is clearly understood. We saw earlier that they claimed, "And shame has consumed the toil of our fathers" - meaning, we are weak, despairing, we no longer have any chance, idolatry brought us to "let us lie down in our shame," we are helpless. The prophet comes and advises: strengthen your repentance with an oath.
And here lies wonderful counsel. After all, it is said: "Open for Me an opening like the eye of a needle, and I will open for you an entrance like the entrance of a hall through which wagons and carriages enter." In order for repentance to be properly received, an opening is required on the person's part, but this opening is characterized as the "point of a needle" - and a needle has two traits: it is very thin, but also very strong. It can be an extremely narrow hole, as long as it is firm like a needle and not flimsy like straw. This is what the prophet says: do not waver, do not sway back and forth; repent in truth, remove your abominations from before Me, and distance yourself completely from all repulsive practices. And if you feel that you still have fears - "I have sworn and confirmed, to keep Your righteous judgments." Swear by Hashem that from now on you will cling to truth, justice, and righteousness - three things upon which the world stands. Through this oath, you will cling to Hashem in truth and will not waver; you will not experience a state of instability, constantly rising and falling.
What is "truth"? The Malbim explains: belief in intellectual matters, in philosophical foundations - knowledge of Hashem, the oneness of Hashem, belief in reward and punishment; that a person should attain truth in all these matters. By contrast, "justice and righteousness" pertain to action. "Righteousness" (tzedakah) here does not refer to giving charity, but stems from justice (tzedek) - acting justly between ourselves and Hashem, between man and God. And "justice" (mishpat), according to the Malbim's system, always refers to relations between man and his fellow: being fair with people, not committing interpersonal sins, and if a dispute arises, resolving the matter through judicial law to determine who has rightful claim.
Thus, Hashem is telling them: strengthen yourselves in truth, in unquestioning faith in Hashem, as well as in actions between man and his fellow and between man and God. If you do these three things - which correspond to Torah, divine service, and acts of lovingkindness - you will no longer say, "Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us." You will not feel shame in yourself, nor will you experience disgrace from others. For as we said, idolatry is shame, it is "Baal," and anyone who sees you worshiping idols is ashamed of you for believing in such futility. Whereas when you serve Hashem - "and nations will bless themselves by Him, and in Him they will glory."
"And nations will bless themselves by Him" - through this you will receive immense abundance, and not only will you have no shame, but you will also enjoy blessing. The difference between blessing and glory: blessing is still private, without public acclaim; whereas glory or praise is public, as in "let him who glories glory in this." Thus, you will have abundance and blessing personally, and beyond that, the disgrace from others will be overturned - on the contrary, you will be praised in their eyes; everyone will see that you walk in the way of Hashem and will observe what abundance and blessing rest upon you. This is what occurred in the era of Solomon: when the people of Israel walked in the way of Hashem, there was enormous economic prosperity, Solomon's wisdom became renowned throughout the world, leaders came to learn how to administer a kingdom, the Queen of Sheba and others arrived to bring tribute, and he held sovereign rule. So says the Holy One, Blessed be He: if you return to Me, you will be both blessed and glorified in the eyes of the nations, and everyone will see that your path is the path of truth.
Rashi explains "And you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth" differently: they used to swear falsely, as it says in the next chapter, "And though they say, 'As the Lord lives,' surely they swear falsely." The prophet rebukes them for this: when you swear, swear in truth, not as you currently swear falsely. And "nations will bless themselves by him" - just as was said to Abraham, "and be a blessing," meaning everyone would say: be like Abraham, like Isaac, like Ephraim and Menasheh, "by you shall Israel bless." So too here, they will say: be as wise as Israel, be as righteous as Israel. "And in him they will glory" - everyone will recount your praise, and will glorify and exalt you. Furthermore, Rashi explains: whoever merits to cling to Israel will find in this a source of glory, renown, and honor - he will say, "I am connected to the people of Israel," and through this he will attain glory.
Radak adds an explanation: it is possible that "and you will swear" is like "and by His Name you shall swear," which the Sages said is a mitzvah. But about whom was it said, "and by His Name you shall swear"? About one of whom the preceding verse states: "You shall fear the Lord your God, Him you shall serve, and to Him you shall cling" - if you possess all these virtues and you cling to Hashem, then when you swear by Hashem, it brings honor and glory. But if you are not like this, you are merely taking Hashem's Name in vain, for Hashem is not awe-inspiring in your eyes and you have no fear of Him. This is comparable to someone who says, "I swear to you on my parents" - you understand that his parents are important to him, and that is why he swears by them. Not that this is proper, for a person is forbidden to swear at all, and all the more so not by his parents, which is disrespectful. Similarly, "I swear on my children," as is common in the marketplace - you understand that this is something dear to him. But if he tells you, "I swear to you on my mother-in-law"... you already understand how bad that sounds. So too here: when you are not worthy and you say, "I swear by Hashem" - it is a disgrace, for you do not revere Him, and from what impurity are you mentioning His Name? But a true servant of Hashem - for him, it is like someone who swears by the one he truly loves, and about him it is said, "and by His Name you shall swear." Therefore, the prophets would always swear in the Name of Hashem, "as the Lord lives," as we saw with Eliyahu, and through this they demonstrated the sanctity of Hashem's Name. But not every person is genuinely worthy of swearing in the Name of Hashem.
According to Radak, then: when you return - "If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, return to Me" - through this "you will not waver," you will not go into exile, and then you will reach the level of "and you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness," for then your oath will be in truth, because you will be righteous and exalted, and someone like that is worthy and fitting to swear in His blessed Name. And then, "nations will bless themselves by Him, and in Him they will glory" - even the nations will bless themselves and glory in Him, rather than in idols. Furthermore, Radak presents an innovative explanation: "nations will bless themselves by him" - by the people of Israel; that the nations will say, "Fortunate are you, that such a people exists, that there is such a wonderful nation."
"Break Up Your Fallow Ground" - Plowing Before Sowing
כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה לְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם נִירוּ לָכֶם נִיר וְאַל־תִּזְרְעוּ אֶל־קֹצִים׃ - For so says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.
Rashi explains: "Break up your fallow ground" - learn from the cultivators of the earth, who plow it during the summer days. Nir is an expression of plowing, a freshly plowed furrow. And why do they plow in the summer when they do not sow at that time? In order to destroy the weed roots, so that thorns will not sprout when sowing in the winter. If you did not plow the fallow ground in the summer, you will end up sowing among thorns, and the thorns will ruin everything. To ensure that you do not sow among thorns in the rainy season, plow your fallow ground during the hot summer days.
And what does this parable come to teach? That you must mend your ways even before the calamity strikes. For if not, when calamity comes and you pray - you have sown among thorns. When a person stands and prays while clinging to all his evil deeds, how can his prayer be accepted? But if you break up the fallow ground, meaning you remove your abominations and pull out the thorns, then when you sow - and sowing represents prayer - the prayer comes from an upright person and is worthy of being accepted. By contrast, when you pray with all your sins and evil deeds, what power does such a prayer have to ascend on high? Such prayer is detested.
And so the Rambam writes regarding a ba'al teshuvah: yesterday this person was hated, abominable, and detested, praying and having his prayer slapped back in his face - that was when he was wicked; but today he is beloved, cherished, and delightful below and on high, praying and having his prayer accepted. We see that when a righteous person prays, his prayer is accepted. This is why Chazal said: whoever has a sick person in his home should go to a chacham (Torah scholar). Rav Mutzafi once remarked: nowadays everyone looks for some "baba." But nowhere is it written "let him go to a baba," nor is it written "let him go to a tzaddik" - for how do I know who is a tzaddik? How many "tzaddikim" were thought to be righteous, until suddenly a basket of vermin or bribes was uncovered! Therefore it was said: let him go to a chacham. If he is great in Torah, go to him, because this I know: he has studied Torah, he has been immersed in Torah his entire life. Otherwise, how do you know what he really is?
It is like that person who told about his rebbe, describing the tremendous things he does in secret, what a "hidden tzaddik" he is. Another rabbi said to him: if he is so hidden, how do you know all these things? Apparently, he belongs to that category of hidden tzaddikim who make sure people know they are hidden! It is not enough for him to be a tzaddik - there are many tzaddikim - he wants you to know that he is both a tzaddik and hidden. Therefore: it does not say "let him go to a tzaddik"; it says "let him go to a chacham."
And this is the meaning of "break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns": a person who is truly of elevated stature - his prayer is accepted. But if you sow upon thorns, going and praying on top of sins, the benefit of that prayer is meager. For this reason, the order of the Shemoneh Esreh prayer is structured this way: first, "Atah chonen le'adam da'at" - grant us understanding (da'at); afterward, "Hashiveinu Avinu le'Toratecha" - bring us back to Your Torah. Why must teshuvah come at the very beginning? Because if you want to pray without teshuvah, what will be accepted? You are considered a wicked person, and your prayer does not get past the ceiling. If you want prayer to be accepted, ask first for teshuvah, ask for forgiveness and pardon, and only then approach prayer to ask for everything else you desire. And in order to repent one needs da'at, for a person lacking discernment does not repent. Therefore, first: Master of the Universe, grant us da'at; and once there is da'at - "Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah," "Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned"; and from that point onward - redemption, healing, livelihood, "gather the dispersed of His people Israel," all the requests. When there is da'at, one repents; when one repents, there is forgiveness; and from that point onward, the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts the prayer and bestows an abundance of goodness.
The Root of Confusion: Thorns Left Uprooted
The Malbim explains that the prophet comes to address the claims we saw above, and both claims stem from two negative traits. The first claim: they wander about and waver between two opinions, because they hear a voice calling from among the mountains and do not know its source. Consequently, they are drawn at times to the service of Hashem and at other times to idolatry, unsure which path to choose, for idolatry was seductive and led them to believe it held real power.
The prophet says to them: Do you know what this stems from? It is because you did not uproot from the heart the thorns and thistles, the corrupt traits that were there from the outset. Instead of uprooting them, you bring good things - prayer and praise - and cast them upon a field of thorns. Is it any wonder that it does not take root? Is it any wonder that you hear multiple voices and cannot decide? If you turn away from evil, you will see how clear the path of truth becomes to you, how obvious it is which voice to follow, and you will no longer waver between two opinions. Therefore, the very first step is: "Break up your fallow ground" - one who plows deeply removes the thorns, and then they cannot choke the crop.
"God made man upright" - yet "they sought out many calculations" (Kohelet 7:29), which in the prophet's terms here means many deities, leaving him unable to decide. This happened because man distorted his natural uprightness. And how is uprightness distorted? Rav Dessler explains: this is timtum halev (the clogging and dulling of the heart), brought about by the transgressions a person commits. One sin after another, until you see a person whose thinking is completely warped - instead of caring for the Jewish people, you suddenly see him caring for the Arabs. Is such a thing conceivable? Where did he become so distorted? "And you will be defiled through them (venitmetem bam)" - Chazal teach: do not read venitmetem, but venitamtam, a dulling and blockage of the heart. A person eats creeping creatures and forbidden vermin, and you expect him to have an upright heart and common sense? There is no such thing. His heart is blocked and dulled, obstructed, and he cannot grasp the proper path.
Therefore, the way to choose the right path - and this is what one must tell every ba'al teshuvah - is first and foremost: stop sinning. The mitzvot are numerous, intricate, and complex; there are halachot, opinions, and approaches - put that aside for the moment. First of all, stop sinning. "Break up your fallow ground" - plow, remove the thorns. Once the thorns are gone, you suddenly see how the upright path lies clear and paved before you, free of doubts and hesitation. But when you sow among thorns, retaining all your corrupt ways, thinking that if you visit the Rebbe's tziyun just once you will return a transformed man - how are you going there? Laden with all your sins, with no intention of abandoning anything. That is why you see people traveling there year after year, and afterward doing "just as last year" - arriving with the same thorns, putting on a kippah, and what remains of it? Nothing at all. That is what happens when one sows among thorns. Uproot the thorns, stop the sins, and then you will see what divine influence you receive. But wanting to continue sinning while imagining that mitzvot or spiritual inspiration will bring you to deveikut (attachment) to Hashem - these are delusions; such a thing will never happen.
"Circumcise Yourselves to Hashem" - Removing the Foreskin of the Heart
הִמֹּלוּ לַיהֹוָה וְהָסִרוּ עׇרְלוֹת לְבַבְכֶם אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם פֶּן־תֵּצֵא כָאֵשׁ חֲמָתִי וּבָעֲרָה וְאֵין מְכַבֶּה מִפְּנֵי רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם׃ - Circumcise yourselves to Hashem, and remove the foreskins of your heart, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.
"Circumcise yourselves to Hashem" - this refers to the circumcision of the heart, removing the barrier over the heart. This parallels what was said earlier, "Break up your fallow ground": just as one plows before sowing, so must you circumcise the foreskin and remove the corruption; only then can you truly take upon yourselves good resolutions and elevate yourselves. This refers to the blockage of the heart. The address is directed to the "men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem," who are the ones remaining here - just as stated above, "For so said Hashem to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem" - because Samaria had already been exiled by this time, and the prophet had no one left to address other than the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
"Lest My wrath go forth like fire" - the Holy One, Blessed is He, says: Your deeds have already stirred up and ignited a great fire, and all that remains is for it to burst forth. And woe unto you if you do not repent, for this prepared fire, which stems from the depth of your misdeeds and the evil, terrible actions you have committed, will now go forth against you.
The Malbim continues along the line he began: Countering the first claim, that they hear multiple conflicting voices and do not know how to decide, the prophet comes and says: Uproot the thorns and you will know how to decide; you will immediately see the truth. And countering the second claim, that they have no strength, that they are despairing, broken, and "let us lie down in our shame," he says to them: Do you know where this stems from? From foolishness, from the cloud and fog covering the light of the soul, until a person despairs of looking toward the light, because all he sees before his eyes is mist and cloud, and visibility is obscured. This is the foreskin of the heart, the blockage of the heart. If you remove the foreskin that enwraps and covers the heart, the heart will awaken toward the word of Hashem, and you will feel enthusiasm to do His blessed will.
A story is told of a Rebbe who was traveling in a wagon in freezing cold, and the non-Jewish wagon driver stopped at an inn, drank a shot of vodka, and warmed up, while the Rebbe and his Chassid were freezing. The Chassid said to the Rebbe: Look, this non-Jew drinks a shot of vodka and gets warm, yet we are freezing here! The Rebbe replied: This non-Jew is like a stove - you throw a log into it and it catches fire. But we, our heart is like a pot - you can throw logs into a pot until tomorrow and it will never catch fire; a pot needs a fire from the outside to heat it. And when a person's heart is warm, how wonderful it is! That is a source of purity: you serve Hashem with enthusiasm, passion, and longing. But if the heart is frozen, even idolatry can enter it. So what must one do? Remove the foreskin of the heart, thaw the heart, and eliminate the frozenness. Then you will have neither despair nor darkness, cloud, or fog; rather, you will feel the Master of the World, you will feel Godliness.
The Sudden Enemy and the Flight to the Fortified Cities
הַגִּידוּ בִיהוּדָה וּבִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הַשְׁמִיעוּ וְאִמְרוּ תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בָּאָרֶץ קִרְאוּ מַלְאוּ וְאִמְרוּ הֵאָסְפוּ וְנָבוֹאָה אֶל־עָרֵי הַמִּבְצָר׃ - Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the shofar in the land; call out, gather in full force, and say: Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities.
The Malbim explains: Here the prophet describes to them how the enemy will descend upon Zion so suddenly that they will not even have time to prepare for battle. Notice: "Declare in Judah" - and as soon as it is told in Judah, immediately "and proclaim in Jerusalem"; the rumor will spread at once to the royal city. Normally, the order is reversed: first reports of an enemy or trouble reach the capital first, the king being the first to be updated - a courier returning from the battlefield runs to the royal city and informs the king, while the surrounding population still knows nothing. Here, however, because of the suddenness for which they will be unprepared, it will first be "Declare in Judah," and only secondly "and proclaim in Jerusalem."
And what will the proclamation be? "Blow the shofar in the land" - this was their way of mobilizing troops, like an emergency call-up, sounding the shofar to hasten everyone to the battlefield. But even as they call out to one another, announcing the impending war and the enemy who has already arrived - "call out, gather in full force, and say: Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities." In the midst of this, they will say: Let us go into the fortified cities. That is to say, the enemy is too powerful to fight, and the only way to be saved is to hide and fortify themselves. The catastrophe will be so severe - first in its speed, and second in the enemy's overwhelming strength - that they will not even set out to fight; rather, even as they muster for battle, a second cry will ring out: Run to the fortified cities, there is no chance of fighting this enemy!
The Radak asks: What is the point of "Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities," given that in the end everyone will be conquered, both those in the fortresses and those in Jerusalem? One explanation follows the approach of the Malbim: This is what they will think and say, but in truth it will not help, for when Nevuchadnezzar arrived it availed nothing; they simply imagined that the fortified cities might still save them. Another explanation is: "Assemble" - enter the fortified cities so that you may have a temporary reprieve, a measure of safety for the moment, so that until the enemy strikes you, you will have gained a few more days of life, and in that brief time, at least, you will be spared for now.
שְׂאוּ־נֵס צִיּוֹנָה הָעִיזוּ אַל־תַּעֲמֹדוּ כִּי רָעָה אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא מִצָּפוֹן וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל׃ - Raise a banner toward Zion; take refuge, do not delay, for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.
The Malbim explains that here the prophet tells them: Do not go to the ordinary fortified cities, for they are too weak against the mighty enemy about to come upon you. Therefore, "Raise a banner toward Zion" - raise the flagpole, and pointing where? Toward Zion. The only place that can protect you is Zion, a place considered a stronghold and an elevated refuge - the stronghold of Zion, a place of defense where you might receive temporary protection from the enemy. "For I bring evil from the north, and great destruction" - from the north the evil will break forth, and from the north the Holy One, Blessed is He, brought the king of Babylon to lay waste to Eretz Yisrael. And "take refuge, do not delay" - the term for taking refuge implies that a person gathers and takes shelter in a stronghold, a place of strength and fortification that offers refuge and escape.
In summary: Chapter 4 opens with the great call to repentance: "If you return, O Israel - return to Me." It is enough for a person to awaken within himself a sincere desire to return, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, promises to straighten his path until he reaches the exact destination. The condition is an absolute break from abominations, "and you shall not waver" - without hesitation and without leaving a door cracked open. The prophet's counsel for reinforcement is: "And you will swear, 'As Hashem lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness" - pure faith combined with deeds between man and God and between man and his fellow man, and then blessing and praise before the nations will follow. "Plow for yourselves a fallow field" and "circumcise yourselves to Hashem" are the two foundational pillars: to plow and uproot the thorns - to cease sinning, so that the sowing and prayer can take root; and to remove the foreskin of the heart and its numbness, so that it may awaken to the word of Hashem. And whoever refuses to listen will ultimately hear the sounding of the shofar of war, the flight to the fortified cities, and the evil and great destruction coming from the north.