Introduction: The Chapter of the Covenant
Chapter 11 of Yirmiyahu is the chapter of the covenant. The Holy One, blessed be He, sends Yirmiyahu to remind the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem of the contract signed between them and their Creator - the covenant of the Torah and the mitzvot. The chapter opens with a gentle call, progresses to a severe warning, and reaches an inescapable decree, culminating in a prohibition placed by the Holy One, blessed be He, upon His prophet against praying on behalf of the generation. Let us follow the order of the pesukim and examine the explanations of the Malbim and the Radak.
The Prophet's Mission - and Why in the Plural
(א) הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת ה' לֵאמֹר׃ (ב) שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וְדִבַּרְתֶּם אֶל־אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - "(1) The word that came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem, saying: (2) Hear the words of this covenant, and you shall speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
This is the mission that Hashem charged Yirmiyahu to convey to the people of Judah. But note carefully: the command is stated in the plural - "Hear" (shim'u) and "and you shall speak" (vedibartem) - yet the command was addressed to Yirmiyahu! Radak explains that it is very possible other prophets were present as well. After all, Tzephanyah prophesied during the days of Yoshiyahu, and perhaps there were others too, and the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded all of them together to deliver the words of the covenant.
Radak further notes the precision in the phrasing "ve'al yoshvei Yerushalayim" ("and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem") - the meaning is "to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." This is a common idiom in Scripture: "And Elkanah went to Ramah, al beito" - meaning to his house; "and she prayed al Hashem" - meaning to Hashem. Here too: "and you shall speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
What Are the "Words of the Covenant"?
Radak explains: the words of the covenant are recorded in Torat Moshe: "That you should enter into the covenant of Hashem your God, and into His oath" - the blessings and the curses. If you obey, it will go well with you: "Your threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time"; but if you do not obey, God forbid, the sword of the enemy awaits. And at the conclusion of that entire passage it is said: "These are the words of the covenant which Hashem commanded Moses to make with the Children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb."
And at Horeb it is likewise written: "And he took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people, and they said: All that Hashem has spoken we will do," and it says there: "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people" - this was the entry into the covenant of Hashem at Mount Sinai. Thereafter: "All that Hashem has spoken we will do and obey," followed by: "And he said: Behold the blood of the covenant which Hashem has made with you concerning all these words." Thus, says Radak, the covenant is an agreement - a contract between us and Hashem. This is always the concept of "cutting a covenant."
And why did he remind them specifically of the covenant? Because a covenant is binding even between one person and another. When people make an agreement and establish terms, they forge a covenant, or in modern terms: they sign a contract. The prophet says to them: Remember the contract you signed with the Master of the Universe. If an agreement with your fellow is binding, all the more so when the contract is with the Master of the Universe - it is certainly fitting that you uphold it. And here is the contract to which you agreed: the words of the covenant written in the Torah.
"Hear" and Then "And You Shall Speak"
The Malbim explains that the words of the covenant encompass all the teachings of the Torah over which a covenant was forged, as in the verse, "that you should enter into the covenant of Hashem your God, and into His oath." The Malbim notes the deliberate shift in wording: first "hear" (shim'u) and then "and you shall speak" (vedibartem). Hearing implies willingness, love, and voluntary acceptance - first appeal to them gently: hear the words of the covenant. And if that does not avail - "and you shall speak to the men of Judah." Speech (dibbur) always connotes firmness and authority: "one leader (dabar) for a generation, and not two leaders for a generation," where dabar implies a ruler who strikes at the crown of their heads. Dibbur is the language of absolute command. When someone says, "I spoke (dibarti) to him," it implies a directive; when one says, "I said (amarti) to him," it is a request.
Thus: initially, he approached them gently; when that did not help, he spoke to them words as harsh as sinews. And what are these harsh words? Confronting them with the magnitude of the approaching calamity, instilling fear in them: if you do not mend your ways, there will be destruction followed by weeping for generations. The prophet must present matters without gloss or embellishment, for otherwise the calamity will strike and they will be unprepared, saying: why were we not warned?
"Cursed is the man" - Cursed by his own doing
(ג) וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמַע אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת׃ - And you shall say to them: Thus says Hashem, God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant.
Here begins the second part, "and speak them" - speaking through warnings and curses. The Malbim notes precisely: it does not say "May Hashem curse him" nor "Hashem will curse the man," but simply "cursed" - he is cursed by his very nature and deed. The Torah is blessing, and whoever engages in Torah and fulfills its mitzvos has blessing rest upon him automatically; whoever distances himself from the Torah and mitzvos distances himself from blessing, and automatically a curse rests upon him. There is no need to bring something new upon him: the curse is inherently embedded in the very abandonment of the Torah and mitzvos. The moment you abandon the words of the covenant, Hashem also withdraws.
From the Iron Crucible
(ד) אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הוֹצִיאִי־אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם מִכּוּר הַבַּרְזֶל לֵאמֹר שִׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־אֲצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם וִהְיִיתֶם לִי לְעָם וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃ - Which I commanded your fathers on the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt, from the iron crucible, saying: Obey My voice and perform them according to all that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God.
"On the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt" - this refers to the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, where fifty days after the Exodus He made a covenant with them. And what is the "iron crucible"? A crucible (kur) is a place where silver and gold are refined. Even though the crucible itself is sometimes made of clay, and sometimes situated deep in the earth to retain heat, it is called an "iron crucible" because it is as unyielding and strong as iron.
Whoever wishes to elaborate can consult Mishnas HaGilgulim, in the essay "The Secret of the Egyptian Exile and the Sin of Adam HaRishon," which discusses at length the rectification of Egypt and the concept of the iron crucible. In brief: the role of a crucible is to bring about purification, and therefore Egypt was a place of refinement. Following the Exodus, only those most worthy of redemption emerged - the purified souls who had undergone the entire refining process. Therefore, when Moshe Rabbeinu wished to save one of the children embedded within the building bricks - Michah - the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Leave him alone": whoever remained there was meant to remain there. Moshe insisted and took him out, and later they suffered because of him, as through him they arrived at idol worship. It turns out that those who perished in Egypt were decreed to do so as part of the smelting and refining process. Indeed, eighty percent died during the plague of darkness, and only twenty percent departed. Refinement after refinement, until only those worthy of receiving the Torah went forth. Truly, "the iron crucible" is the fitting expression.
Four Reasons for the Obligation to Keep the Covenant
The Malbim enumerates here four reasons that obligate the keeping of the covenant, which is the observance of the mitzvos that Hashem established with us at Chorev.
The first reason: "Which I commanded your fathers" - you are obligated to uphold what your ancestors accepted. The mitzvos that the forefathers accepted upon themselves must be kept by their children, for the ancestors accepted them upon themselves and upon their descendants after them.
The second reason: "On the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt" - when I brought you out of the house of bondage, "You are My servants" - on condition that you be servants to Me and not servants to servants. Thus, the entire Exodus from Egypt was on the condition that you accept My mastership over you.
The third reason: "saying, Obey My voice... and you shall be My people, and I will be your God" - everything was conditional. Only by obeying His voice are you His people. And when you violate His covenant - you are not His people, and He is not your God.
(ה) לְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת־הַשְּׁבוּעָה אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָאַעַן וָאֹמַר אָמֵן ה'׃ - "In order to establish the oath that I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as this day." And I answered and said, "Amen, Hashem."
And here is the fourth reason: the giving of the Land. The entire granting of a land flowing with milk and honey is solely on condition that you fulfill Hashem's commandments and observe the words of the covenant. And if not - you are not worthy of the Land, and you deserve exile. This is the meaning of "In order to establish the oath that I swore to your forefathers" - on the condition that you keep the covenant.
"And I answered and said, 'Amen, Hashem'"
To what is Yirmiyahu saying "Amen"? Amen comes from the root of emet (truth) - may these words be confirmed, the matter is true. Radak explains: let it be true that whoever does not heed the words of the covenant shall be cursed. That is to say, the "Amen" refers to what was said previously, "Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant" - and to this Yirmiyahu responds: Amen, indeed, cursed shall be anyone who does not listen.
However, the Malbim explains differently: "Amen" means that Yirmiyahu takes upon himself to uphold the words of the covenant. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I have a covenant with Klal Yisrael, and they have strayed from the path. Yirmiyahu replies: Master of the Universe, even if they have strayed - I take the covenant upon myself, I accept the agreement between us. And if so, the oath to be our God has not been voided, for as long as there is even one descendant of our ancient forefathers who accepts the covenant upon himself - the covenant retains its continuity and the contract is not broken. Therefore, Master of the Universe, You remain bound to be with us, to protect us, and to preserve us - for I am still here, and I say Amen and truth to the words of the covenant.
An Explicit Warning So They Cannot Claim "We Were Not Warned"
(ו) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי קְרָא אֶת־כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לֵאמֹר שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם׃ - And Hashem said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Yehudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim, saying, "Hear the words of this covenant, and perform them."
Go and proclaim all these words - everything I have told you regarding the covenant, and the full punishment awaiting anyone who does not observe its words. Warn them with the term "cursed," which is harsh language, so that they will not be able to say, "No one told us, no one warned us." Here before you is an explicit, open warning.
(ז) כִּי הָעֵד הַעִדֹתִי בַּאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַעֲלוֹתִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְעַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הַשְׁכֵּם וְהָעֵד לֵאמֹר שִׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹלִי׃ - "For I repeatedly forewarned your forefathers on the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt and until this day, forewarning early and often, saying: Obey My voice."
I warned your forefathers whom I brought up from Egypt as well, and until this day, "forewarning early and often" - I send prophets to warn them morning after morning, day after day. Here is advance notification and constant warning - yet it does not help.
"Yet they did not listen and did not incline their ear"
(ח) וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא־הִטּוּ אֶת־אָזְנָם וַיֵּלְכוּ אִישׁ בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבָּם הָרָע וָאָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית־הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתִי לַעֲשׂוֹת וְלֹא עָשׂוּ׃ - Yet they did not listen and did not incline their ear, but walked each one in the stubbornness of their evil heart; therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not do.
The Malbim explains: "Yet they did not listen" - they did not accept the words. "And did not incline their ear" - there is a situation where a person listens but fails to practice, and there is a situation where he is not even willing to lend an ear. And this is worse: he is not even interested in hearing. And they were not willing even to incline their ear.
Here the Malbim points out the difference between the rebellion of the earlier generations and the rebellion of this generation, and consequently the difference in their punishments. The previous generation rebelled through passive neglect ("sit and do nothing") - they failed to fulfill Hashem's commandments, but passively, through omission. This is the meaning of the verse here: "which I commanded them to do, but they did not do" - mere inaction.
"A conspiracy is found" - Active Rebellion
(ט) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלָי נִמְצָא־קֶשֶׁר בְּאִישׁ יְהוּדָה וּבְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And Hashem said to me: A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
In contrast to the earlier generation, Jeremiah's generation did not merely sin passively; they acted deliberately ("arise and act"), and their iniquity was far more severe. "A conspiracy is found" - here is something much graver than passive inaction; there is an active conspiracy, which is vastly worse.
The Radak notes that this prophecy appears to have been spoken during the reign of Jehoiakim, and "a conspiracy is found" means that they rebelled against Hashem after Josiah had already initiated a process of repentance. Josiah was a righteous king, worthy even to be the Messiah, but his generation was unworthy. And afterward - "A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
(י) שָׁבוּ עַל־עֲוֺנֹת אֲבוֹתָם הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר מֵאֲנוּ לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרַי וְהֵמָּה הָלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעָבְדָם הֵפֵרוּ בֵית־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית יְהוּדָה אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת־אֲבוֹתָם׃ - They have returned to the iniquities of their early forefathers, who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.
They returned to the iniquities of their fathers - and added to them. The earlier generations sinned only passively, whereas these "went after other gods to serve them" - through active deeds. Not only did they fail to observe Hashem's festivals and withhold tithes during their spiritual decline, but they even established festivals for idolatry and gave offerings and tithes to pagan priests. Thus, "they have broken My covenant" - they did not merely fail to fulfill it, but annulled the covenant entirely. "They chose new gods" - going so far as to adopt another deity.
To use an analogy: a married man who violates marital sanctity and acts improperly, yet remains attached to his home, cannot be compared to one who has abandoned his family entirely, married another woman, and lives with her elsewhere. Such is the distinction between the earlier and later generations: the earlier ones failed to fulfill their obligations but were still "at home"; the later ones had already chosen idolatry as their god, devoting their offerings, tithes, and everything to foreign worship. Thus, there is a conspiracy here - as it were, they conspired against Hashem, which is far graver than merely failing to fulfill one's duties.
"Disaster from which they cannot escape" - When the Remedy Does Not Precede the Blow
(יא) לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֲלֵיהֶם רָעָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יוּכְלוּ לָצֵאת מִמֶּנָּה וְזָעֲקוּ אֵלַי וְלֹא אֶשְׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם׃ - Therefore, thus says Hashem: Behold, I am bringing upon them disaster from which they will not be able to escape; and they will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.
The Malbim opens here with a fundamental principle: Hashem always prepares the cure before the blow. But we must understand - what is the significance of this? On the surface, this seems incidental. What difference does it make whether the remedy precedes the blow or follows it, so long as it ultimately arrives at the exact moment it is needed? If a person is struck, in one case someone brings him the medicine within a second and a half, while in another case someone prepared the medicine in advance and brought it within a second and a half. In practice - it is the exact same thing. And regarding the Holy One, Blessed be He, there is surely no difference between bringing the cure before the blow or after it. Why, then, is there an emphasis on bringing the cure before the blow?
Rather, consider this remarkable insight. Two people, Heaven forbid, take a knife to the stomach. One of them actually pays money for it, while the other seeks compensation afterward. What is the difference between them? The first is a person who needed complex surgery; he flew in a specialist surgeon from abroad and paid him a fortune to perform the operation - and in the end, he too took a knife to the abdomen. The second was stabbed by an attacker. And where is the difference evident? In the remedies. The stabbing victim received swift medical attention, but the treatment came after the attack - it is damage that one scrambles to repair after the fact. In the operating room, however, even before the incision is made, all the anesthetics, sutures, and healing agents are already arranged on the table.
This is the true definition of preparing the cure before the blow: not so that healing will happen faster - it will happen with the same speed - but to demonstrate that the entire purpose is completely different. When all the remedies are prepared on the side in advance, it becomes evident that the objective is not to strike, but to heal. It is not an affliction for the sake of affliction, but to bring them to repentance. Rav Dessler also wrote about this at length (and whoever wishes can hear more in the recorded lecture on Michtav M'Eliyahu).
However, the Malbim explains that all this applies only to one who sins out of physical desire. When a person's desire overpowers him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings an affliction upon him and precedes it with a cure in order to heal him. But one who conspires against Hashem and chooses new gods for himself - this does not stem from desire. This is a sin of the intellect, a premeditated transgression, not a momentary lapse where the evil inclination overcame him. He deliberately decided to go and worship idols, deciding to follow other gods.
In such a state, if He brings suffering upon them, it will produce the exact opposite effect. For the person will say: "Do you know why this suffering came? Because yesterday I was stingy with the idol and didn't bring it a sufficient offering. Today I will bring it something substantial, and you will see how it will shower me only with blessings from now on." Someone who has already chosen new gods is convinced that his suffering stems from his idol, who is angry that it was not served properly. Indeed, this is what happened to the King of the Khazars: whenever he was told in a dream, "Your intention is desirable, but your deeds are not," he would awake and cling even more tightly to his idolatry and his idols.
Therefore, Hashem says: "Behold, I am bringing upon them a disaster from which they will not be able to escape; and they will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them." For if I rescue them from distress, they will say: "It is because we prayed so fervently to the idol, and see, in the end it delivered us." Thus, there is no longer the purpose of striking in order to heal or preparing the remedy in advance - here there is nothing more to expect from them, and therefore it is a disaster from which they cannot escape.
A God for Every City, a God for Every Neighborhood
(יב) וְהָלְכוּ עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וְזָעֲקוּ אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר הֵם מְקַטְּרִים לָהֶם וְהוֹשֵׁעַ לֹא־יוֹשִׁיעוּ לָהֶם בְּעֵת רָעָתָם׃ - "Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble."
Every single city in Judah will go and cry out to its own god, to its own idol. And in Jerusalem - every single neighborhood had a god of its own, and each one will go and cry out to its idol. And then they will see that those to whom they burn incense - "will not save them at all in the time of their trouble."
(יג) כִּי מִסְפַּר עָרֶיךָ הָיוּ אֱלֹהֶיךָ יְהוּדָה וּמִסְפַּר חֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם שַׂמְתֶּם מִזְבְּחוֹת לַבֹּשֶׁת מִזְבְּחוֹת לְקַטֵּר לַבָּעַל׃ - "For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to the Baal."
As the number of cities, so was the number of idols. With this, the Malbim explains why all the cities of Judah will go - for each city had a different god; and why the inhabitants of Jerusalem will each go to their own god - for in Jerusalem, every neighborhood had a different god.
And what is the difference between "the shameful thing" (boshet) and "the Baal"? The Malbim explains: Boshet was in the form of a female and Baal in the form of a male; Boshet was an image fashioned immodestly, and such was the nature of its worship. And since they served such revolting forms of idolatry - go and cry out to your idol, and see that it does not answer. They cry out to them and receive no answer. The Metzudat David explains why it is called "boshet" (shame): because they anticipated salvation from it and received nothing, turning it into a source of shame for them. They scream and receive no response, and the one they relied upon failed to deliver - which is a profound disgrace to those people.
"And As for You, Do Not Pray for This People"
(יד) וְאַתָּה אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד־הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאַל־תִּשָּׂא בַעֲדָם רִנָּה וּתְפִלָּה כִּי אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ בְּעֵת קָרְאָם אֵלַי בְּעַד רָעָתָם׃ - "And as for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen at the time they call to Me on account of their trouble."
Here the Holy One, Blessed be He, turns to Yirmiyahu and tells him: Do not pray for them. For even if they themselves were to call out and pray to Me, I would not listen to them, because their prayer is without remorse and without teshuvah; they pray only to remove the calamity, not out of regret for their evil deeds. All the more so when they themselves do not pray at all: the calamity is upon them and they do not pray, yet you want to pray on their behalf? How can I listen to your prayer on behalf of a people that does not see any need to pray for itself?
The Malbim highlights the sharp nuance here: the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not accept their prayers anyway, and there is no need to ask them not to pray - even if they pray, it does not penetrate, it does not pass through, it does not enter before Him. But Yirmiyahu's prayer does enter before Him, and if he prays, it could have an effect. Therefore, Hashem explicitly asks him: "And as for you, do not pray for this people" - do not pray on behalf of this generation.
And "do not lift up a cry or a prayer on their behalf" - the Malbim explains that this refers to someone who leads prayer and supplication together with the congregation, reciting aloud while the congregation responds after him. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Since I do not listen when they call out to Me, I do not want you to act as an intercessor between us. I do not want you, the prophet, to speak and pray for them; for if I am unwilling to hear their prayer, I also do not want it to reach Me through you.
In summary:
The chapter opens with a reminder of the covenant - the agreement Hashem forged with Israel at Chorev and in the plains of Moav - and with a two-fold call: first, "Hear," with words of blessing, and if that does not avail, "and speak to them" in the stern language of "Cursed," for one brings the curse upon himself, since one who abandons the Torah abandons the blessing. The Malbim enumerates four reasons for the obligation to uphold the covenant: the acceptance of the Patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt from the iron furnace, the condition of "and you shall be My people," and the granting of the Land. Yirmiyahu responds, "Amen" - accepting the covenant upon himself and thereby keeping the agreement in force. Yet this generation is worse than its predecessors: the earlier generations sinned through passivity, while these sin actively - "a conspiracy is found," a god for every city and an altar for every street. And because their sin stems not from lust but from a deliberate choice of new gods, the cure is no longer offered before the blow; rather, there comes "a calamity from which they will not be able to escape," and even the prophet's prayer on their behalf is forbidden.