Haftarah of Mishpatim

Yirmeyahu 34:8-22, 33:25-26

This Haftarah, from Yirmeyahu, takes place only a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem. Yirmeyahu was the final prophet to the final king, Tzidkiyahu. His life was dedicated to warning the Jewish People that they are on the path to destruction, to try to get them to mend their ways even a little, to earn some clemency from G-d's wrath.

The story in our Haftarah really brings home why G-d destroyed Jerusalem.

With the Babylonian army threatening a siege of Jerusalem, King Tzidkiyahu decided to have everyone release their Jewish slaves. The reason is not stated explicitly, but it was probably to prevent a slave rebellion while under siege, a common practice at the time. He had the wealthy slave-owners swear under oath that they will set their slaves free, and they did so. But then the Babylonian army receded, the crisis was over - so the slave-owners went and recaptured their slaves.

(Note: The word "maidservant" is meant to be the female form of "slave". There is no word for it in English, even in American English.)

(ח) הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת ה’

אַחֲרֵי כְּרֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְּרִית

אֶת כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלִַם

לִקְרֹא לָהֶם דְּרוֹר:

8) This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu from Hashem,

after King Tzidkiyahu had made a covenant

with all the people in Yerushalaim,

to proclaim liberty with them;

(ט) לְשַׁלַּח אִישׁ אֶת עַבְדּוֹ

וְאִישׁ אֶת שִׁפְחָתוֹ

הָעִבְרִי וְהָעִבְרִיָּה

חָפְשִׁים

לְבִלְתִּי עֲבָד בָּם בִּיהוּדִי אָחִיהוּ אִישׁ:

9) For each man to send away his slave

and each man, his maidservants,

- Hebrew male or female -

to be set free;

so that no one would enslave a fellow Jew, his brother.

(י) וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כָל הַשָּׂרִים וְכָל הָעָם

אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ בַבְּרִית

לְשַׁלַּח אִישׁ אֶת עַבְדּוֹ וְאִישׁ אֶת שִׁפְחָתוֹ חָפְשִׁים

לְבִלְתִּי עֲבָד בָּם עוֹד

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ וַיְשַׁלֵּחוּ:

10) The ministers and all the people

who entered the covenant agreed,

to each send his slaves and maidservants free,

so they would not be enslaved again;

they agreed and released them.

(יא) וַיָּשׁוּבוּ אַחֲרֵי כֵן

וַיָּשִׁבוּ אֶת הָעֲבָדִים וְאֶת הַשְּׁפָחוֹת

אֲשֶׁר שִׁלְּחוּ חָפְשִׁים

וַיִּכְבְּשׁוּם לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת: ס

11) But afterward, they changed their minds;

they brought back the slaves and maidservants

whom they had sent free,

and captured them into slavery.

G-d now sends the prophet Yirmeyahu to explain to them what He thinks of their actions. First, G-d reminds the Jewish People that He took them out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. He reminds them that the very first commandment they received at Sinai was to free slaves after six years of servitude. G-d points out that they have not keep this commandment for generations. And now, they finally did the right thing, they freed their slaves. That they then turned around and recaptured them back into slavery is perceived as a betrayal of the entire Torah.

(יב) וַיְהִי דְבַר ה’ אֶל יִרְמְיָהוּ

מֵאֵת ה’ לֵאמֹר:

12) Hashem’s word came to Yirmeyahu

from Hashem, as follows:

(יג) כֹּה אָמַר ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

אָנֹכִי כָּרַתִּי בְרִית אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם

בְּיוֹם הוֹצִאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם

מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים לֵאמֹר:

13) So says Hashem, the G-d of Israel:

I made a covenant with your fathers,

on the day that I took them out of Egypt,

out of slavery, as follows:

(יד) מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים

תְּשַׁלְּחוּ

אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו הָעִבְרִי אֲשֶׁר יִמָּכֵר לְךָ

וַעֲבָדְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים

וְשִׁלַּחְתּוֹ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ

וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אֵלַי

וְלֹא הִטּוּ אֶת אָזְנָם:

14) At the beginning of seven years,

you shall send away

your brother, the Hebrew, who has been sold to you;

he will have worked for you for six years,

then you will send him free from you.

Your fathers did not listen to me,

and did not lend an ear.

(טו) וַתָּשֻׁבוּ אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם

וַתַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינַי

לִקְרֹא דְרוֹר אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ

וַתִּכְרְתוּ בְרִית לְפָנַי

בַּבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שְׁמִי עָלָיו:

15) Today you returned,

and you did the right thing in My eyes,

by proclaiming liberty, each man to his fellow,

and you made a covenant before Me,

in the house upon which My name is called.

(טז) וַתָּשֻׁבוּ וַתְּחַלְּלוּ אֶת שְׁמִי

וַתָּשִׁבוּ אִישׁ אֶת עַבְדּוֹ וְאִישׁ אֶת שִׁפְחָתוֹ

אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתֶּם חָפְשִׁים לְנַפְשָׁם

וַתִּכְבְּשׁוּ אֹתָם

לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם

לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת: ס

16) But you reverted and profaned My name,

each of you got back his slave and his maidservant,

whom you had sent free to go,

and you captured them,

to become for you

slaves and maidservants.

G-d will do to them what they did to the slaves. They wouldn't give their slaves freedom? G-d will "free" them from His protection. They had made a covenant using a carcass and broke their word? G-d will cause their carcasses to rot in the fields. They were happy that the crisis had passed and the armies of Babylonia receded? G-d will bring them back to finish the job.

(יז) לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה’

אַתֶּם לֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֵלַי

לִקְרֹא דְרוֹר

אִישׁ לְאָחִיו וְאִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ

הִנְנִי קֹרֵא לָכֶם דְּרוֹר נְאֻם ה’

אֶל הַחֶרֶב אֶל הַדֶּבֶר וְאֶל הָרָעָב

וְנָתַתִּי אֶתְכֶם לְזַעֲוָה

לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ:

17) Therefore, so says Hashem:

You did not listen to Me,

to proclaim liberty

each man to his brother, each to his fellow.

Now I am proclaiming liberty for you, says Hashem,

to war and disease and famine.

I will make you into a horror

to all the kingdoms on earth.

(יח) וְנָתַתִּי אֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָעֹבְרִים אֶת בְּרִתִי

אֲשֶׁר לֹא הֵקִימוּ אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית

אֲשֶׁר כָּרְתוּ לְפָנָי

הָעֵגֶל אֲשֶׁר כָּרְתוּ לִשְׁנַיִם

וַיַּעַבְרוּ בֵּין בְּתָרָיו:

18) I will hand over the men who trespass on My covenant,

that they did not uphold the words of the covenant

that they had made before Me,

with a calf that they split into two

and passed between its parts.

(יט) שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה וְשָׂרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם

הַסָּרִסִים וְהַכֹּהֲנִים

וְכֹל עַם הָאָרֶץ

הָעֹבְרִים

בֵּין בִּתְרֵי הָעֵגֶל:

19) The ministers of Yehudah, of Yerushalaim,

officers and priests,

and all of the citizens

that passed

between the parts of the calf.

(כ) וְנָתַתִּי אוֹתָם בְּיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם

וּבְיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם

וְהָיְתָה נִבְלָתָם לְמַאֲכָל

לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ:

20) I will hand them over to their enemies,

over to those who seek their lives;

and their carcasses will be for food

for birds of the sky and beasts of the earth.

(כא) וְאֶת צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְאֶת שָׂרָיו

אֶתֵּן בְּיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם

וּבְיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם

וּבְיַד חֵיל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל

הָעֹלִים מֵעֲלֵיכֶם:

21) And Tzidkiyahu, king of Yehudah and his ministers,

I will hand over to their enemies,

to those who seek their lives;

to the army of the king of Babylonia,

who had withdrawn from you.

(כב) הִנְנִי מְצַוֶּה נְאֻם ה’

וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים אֶל הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְנִלְחֲמוּ עָלֶיהָ

וּלְכָדוּהָ וּשְׂרָפֻהָ בָאֵשׁ

וְאֶת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה

אֶתֵּן שְׁמָמָה מֵאֵין יֹשֵׁב:

22) I now command them, says Hashem,

and I will return them to this city, and they will fight over it;

they will capture it and burn it with fire,

and the cities of Yehudah,

I will make desolate and uninhabited.

So as not to end on such a depressing note, the Haftarah jumps back a chapter to something positive. (Jumping forward would not have helped; the following chapters of Yirmeyahu only get more depressing.)

G-d affirms that He is not rejecting Israel. Just as He will not overturn the laws of nature, He will not overturn His choice of Israel and of David's dynasty. He will find a way to get them to come back.

33:25) Thus says Hashem,

Had I not established day and night,

the laws of heaven and earth had I not appointed -

)כה) כֹּה אָמַר ה’

אִם לֹא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה

חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ לֹא שָׂמְתִּי:

36) So would I reject the seed of Yaakov and My servant, David,

from taking rulers from his seed

over the descendents of Avraham, Yitshak and Yaakov.

For I will return his captives and have mercy upon them.

)כו) גַּם זֶרַע יַעֲקוֹב וְדָוִד עַבְדִּי אֶמְאַס

מִקַּחַת מִזַּרְעוֹ מֹשְׁלִים

אֶל זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם יִשְׂחָק וְיַעֲקֹב

כִּי אָשִׁיב אֶת שְׁבוּתָם וְרִחַמְתִּים:

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל

Haftarot Unrolled http://www.torahforum.org/haftara