Introduction: A Prophecy That Is a Living Parable
Chapter 35 of Jeremiah is unique. The Holy One, blessed be He, does not merely deliver a prophecy of rebuke to Jeremiah, but commands him to stage a kind of "live demonstration" in the Beit HaMikdash: to bring an entire family, set wine before them, and invite them to drink. Only at the end of the chapter does the purpose of this entire act become clear. Until then, the reader is left wondering, and that is precisely the prophet's intention: to illustrate an inescapable rebuke to the people of Israel.
The Command: Bring the House of Rechab and Give Them Wine to Drink
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת ה' בִּימֵי יְהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר׃ הָלוֹךְ אֶל־בֵּית הָרֵכָבִים וְדִבַּרְתָּ אוֹתָם וַהֲבִאוֹתָם בֵּית ה' אֶל־אַחַת הַלְּשָׁכוֹת וְהִשְׁקִיתָ אוֹתָם יָיִן׃ - The word that came to Jeremiah from Hashem in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: "Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak with them, and bring them to the House of Hashem, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink."
"The House of Rechab" does not mean a chariot stable, but rather a family: the family of Rechab. The command is to bring them to the House of Hashem, into one of the chambers in the Beit HaMikdash, and offer them wine there.
וָאֶקַּח אֶת־יַאֲזַנְיָה בֶן־יִרְמְיָהוּ בֶּן־חֲבַצִּנְיָה וְאֶת־אֶחָיו וְאֶת־כָּל־בָּנָיו וְאֵת כָּל־בֵּית הָרֵכָבִים׃ - So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and the entire house of the Rechabites.
וָאָבִא אֹתָם בֵּית ה' אֶל־לִשְׁכַּת בְּנֵי חָנָן בֶּן־יִגְדַּלְיָהוּ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר־אֵצֶל לִשְׁכַּת הַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר מִמַּעַל לְלִשְׁכַּת מַעֲשֵׂיָהוּ בֶן־שַׁלֻּם שֹׁמֵר הַסַּף׃ - And I brought them into the House of Hashem, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was near the chamber of the officers, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold.
וָאֶתֵּן לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי בֵית־הָרֵכָבִים גְּבִעִים מְלֵאִים יַיִן וְכֹסוֹת וָאֹמַר אֲלֵיהֶם שְׁתוּ־יָיִן׃ - And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them: "Drink wine."
Jeremiah fulfills the command precisely: he gathers the entire family, brings them into one of the chambers in the Beit HaMikdash, places before them bowls filled with wine and cups, and says to them explicitly: Drink wine. At this stage, the deed seems entirely bewildering. What purpose is served by the prophet serving wine to an entire family in the House of Hashem?
The Rechabites' Response: Their Forefather's Testament
וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא נִשְׁתֶּה־יָּיִן כִּי יוֹנָדָב בֶּן־רֵכָב אָבִינוּ צִוָּה עָלֵינוּ לֵאמֹר לֹא תִשְׁתּוּ־יַיִן אַתֶּם וּבְנֵיכֶם עַד־עוֹלָם׃ - But they said: "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying: 'You shall drink no wine, neither you nor your children forever.'"
Their response is sharp and clear: our father gave us an explicit instruction, and we do not violate it. The reason for the prohibition against wine is understandable: wine leads a person to all sorts of negative behavior, and so their forefather distanced them from it. In modern terms this refers to alcoholic beverages in general, while in their day it was embodied primarily by wine.
וּבַיִת לֹא־תִבְנוּ וְזֶרַע לֹא־תִזְרָעוּ וְכֶרֶם לֹא־תִטָּעוּ וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כִּי בָּאֳהָלִים תֵּשְׁבוּ כָּל־יְמֵיכֶם לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ יָמִים רַבִּים עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם גָּרִים שָׁם׃ - "Neither shall you build a house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor shall you have any; but you shall dwell in tents all your days, so that you may live many days upon the face of the earth where you dwell."
Jonadab did not command them regarding wine alone, but regarding their entire way of life: not to build a house, not to sow a field, and not to plant a vineyard, but rather to dwell in tents all their days. He also added the words "nor shall you have any," which come to teach: let a person not say, "Very well, I will not build a house or plant a vineyard, but I will purchase an already-built house or an already-sown field." Not that either. You shall have no real estate whatever.
What is the advantage of a tent? A tent is portable; it can easily be moved from place to place. And this is precisely the reason their father gave them: "so that you may live many days." As the Metzudat David explains: a house, a field, and a vineyard serve to tie a person down to the place where they are. One who owns a house here does not easily leave the location, and one who has a field or a vineyard is tied to the land and cannot move. At times, he may perish along with the people of that place: catastrophe strikes, and he cannot flee. But one who dwells in tents and owns no field or vineyard can easily relocate from place to place.
"We Have Listened and Done": The Actual Fulfillment of the Testament
וַנִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל יְהוֹנָדָב בֶּן־רֵכָב אָבִינוּ לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּנוּ לְבִלְתִּי שְׁתוֹת־יַיִן כָּל־יָמֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ נָשֵׁינוּ בָּנֵינוּ וּבְנֹתֵינוּ׃ - "And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days: we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters."
And on this note: How does a nazir make kiddush, seeing as he is forbidden to drink wine and forbidden to defile himself for the dead? Over bread.
וּלְבִלְתִּי בְּנוֹת בָּתִּים לְשִׁבְתֵּנוּ וְכֶרֶם וְשָׂדֶה וָזֶרַע לֹא יִהְיֶה־לָּנוּ׃ וַנֵּשֶׁב בָּאֳהָלִים וַנִּשְׁמַע וַנַּעַשׂ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּנוּ יוֹנָדָב אָבִינוּ׃ - "Nor to build houses for us to dwell in, and we have neither vineyard, nor field, nor seed. But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us."
וַיְהִי בַּעֲלוֹת נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶל־הָאָרֶץ וַנֹּאמֶר בֹּאוּ וְנָבוֹא יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִפְּנֵי חֵיל הַכַּשְׂדִּים וּמִפְּנֵי חֵיל אֲרָם וַנֵּשֶׁב בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃ - "And it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said: 'Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of Aram'; so we dwell in Jerusalem."
Here they acknowledge that regarding dwelling in houses, they could not observe the command to the very letter. When Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, it became dangerous to dwell in tents outside the city, so they said: We have no choice, let us enter Jerusalem because of the Chaldean and Aramean armies. This was by no means a violation of their father's command, but quite the opposite. For why did their father command them to live in tents in the first place? "So that you may live." Just as being anchored to a house can be hazardous, so too here: specifically by leaving the tents and taking up residence in the houses of Jerusalem, they were fulfilling their father's command, whose entire objective was that they should preserve their lives.
Here the Explanation Begins: The Rebuke
Until now, this entire dialogue seemed baffling: why summon them, why offer them wine, and what was the purpose of all these accounts regarding their father's testament? From this point onward, the true intention becomes clear.
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ לֵאמֹר׃ כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלֹךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה וּלְיוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם הֲלוֹא תִקְחוּ מוּסָר לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל־דְּבָרַי נְאֻם־ה'׃ - "Then came the word of Hashem to Jeremiah, saying: Thus says Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Will you not learn a lesson to listen to My words? says Hashem."
הוּקַם אֶת־דִּבְרֵי יְהוֹנָדָב בֶּן־רֵכָב אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה אֶת־בָּנָיו לְבִלְתִּי שְׁתוֹת־יַיִן וְלֹא שָׁתוּ עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי שָׁמְעוּ אֵת מִצְוַת אֲבִיהֶם וְאָנֹכִי דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם הַשְׁכֵּם וְדַבֵּר וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֵלָי׃ - The words of Yehonadav son of Rechav, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, have been upheld, and they have not drunk to this day, for they obeyed their father's command; but I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, yet you have not listened to Me.
See how remarkable this is: a single father commanded, and the children obey. This is neither light nor simple - not drinking wine their entire lives, not building a house, and dwelling in tents for generation after generation. Yet they obeyed and did not seek loopholes: whatever their father says, that is what they do. "And I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, yet you have not listened to Me" - what a devastating rebuke.
וָאֶשְׁלַח אֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־כָּל־עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִאִים הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ לֵאמֹר שֻׁבוּ־נָא אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וְהֵיטִיבוּ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְאַל־תֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעָבְדָם וּשְׁבוּ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַתִּי לָכֶם וְלַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא הִטִּיתֶם אֶת־אָזְנְכֶם וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֵלָי׃ - And I sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, saying: 'Return now, every man from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not follow other gods to serve them, and dwell in the land that I gave to you and to your fathers'; but you did not incline your ear, and you did not listen to Me.
Here the contrast is emphasized: I did not ask you to live in tents or refrain from planting vineyards. On the contrary, dwell upon the land I gave you, build, sow, and plant - only listen to the voice of Hashem. Yet even this easy request you did not heed.
כִּי הֵקִימוּ בְּנֵי יְהוֹנָדָב בֶּן־רֵכָב אֶת־מִצְוַת אֲבִיהֶם אֲשֶׁר צִוָּם וְהָעָם הַזֶּה לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלָי׃ - For the sons of Yehonadav son of Rechav have upheld the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.
A mortal father gave a command, and his children obey him with such devotion. Yet here the Creator of the universe commands, and you do not listen.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶל־יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם יַעַן דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ וָאֶקְרָא לָהֶם וְלֹא עָנוּ׃ - Therefore thus says Hashem, God of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Yehudah and upon all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim all the evil that I pronounced against them, because I spoke to them and they did not hear, and I called to them and they did not answer.
The Reward of the House of the Rechavites
וּלְבֵית הָרֵכָבִים אָמַר יִרְמְיָהוּ כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יַעַן אֲשֶׁר שְׁמַעְתֶּם עַל־מִצְוַת יְהוֹנָדָב אֲבִיכֶם וַתִּשְׁמְרוּ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺתָיו וַתַּעֲשׂוּ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה אֶתְכֶם׃ - And to the house of the Rechavites Yirmeyahu said: Thus says Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Yehonadav your father, and kept all his commandments, and done according to all that he commanded you.
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא־יִכָּרֵת אִישׁ לְיוֹנָדָב בֶּן־רֵכָב עֹמֵד לְפָנַי כָּל־הַיָּמִים׃ - Therefore thus says Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel: A man from Yonadav son of Rechav shall never be cut off from standing before Me for all time.
"Standing before Me" - the meaning is that they will sit in the Sanhedrin and instruct in Torah law. Some say that the descendants of Yonadav son of Rechav were descendants of converts, which raises the question: doesn't "standing before Me" imply ministering in the Sanctuary, and how could that be? After all, even an ordinary Yisrael cannot enter to serve! Rather, the meaning is, as noted, that they would sit in the Sanhedrin and teach Torah, and also that their daughters would marry into the Kehunah so that their grandsons would offer sacrifices upon the Altar. That is to say: if a man's daughter marries a kohen, his grandson serves upon the Altar. While an ordinary Yisrael can never have his own son serve upon the Altar, his daughter's son certainly can. This is "standing before Me for all time": you will merit that your grandsons will minister before Me in the Beit HaMikdash.
In summary: