Haftarah of Masei

Yirmiyahu 2:4-28, 3:4

Yirmiyahu was the prophet during the last forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem. In the previous generation, King Menashe had attempted to turn the worship of Ba'al into the state religion of Yehudah, and murdered those who were loyal to G-d. Even though later in life, he tried to turn back to G-d, polytheism and pagan practices had by then permeated all levels of society, and it was impossible to uproot them. At the beginning of Yirmiyahu's career as a prophet, King Yoshiyahu also tried to get the people to come back to G-d, but the effects of Menashe's 50-year reign could not be erased.

The prophet calls the Jewish People out for their ingratitude to G-d, who took care of them in the desert, and brought them to His land. In return, they defiled the land and severed their relationship with Him.

4) Listen to the word of Hashem, House of Yaakov

and all the families of the House of Israel!

(ד) שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר ה' בֵּית יַעֲקֹב

וְכָל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל:

5) So says Hashem:

What evil have your fathers found in Me

that they distanced themselves from Me?

They pursued nonsense, and have become nothing.

(ה) כֹּה אָמַר ה'

מַה מָּצְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בִּי עָוֶל

כִּי רָחֲקוּ מֵעָלָי

וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל וַיֶּהְבָּלוּ:

6) And they did not say,

"Where is Hashem,

who took us up out of the land of Egypt,

who led us through the desert,

through a barren, pitted land, a land of thirst and gloom,

a land where no one had ever passed through,

where no man had settled."

(ו) וְלֹא אָמְרוּ

אַיֵּה ה'

הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

הַמּוֹלִיךְ אֹתָנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר

בְּאֶרֶץ עֲרָבָה וְשׁוּחָה בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְצַלְמָוֶת

בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא עָבַר בָּהּ אִישׁ

וְלֹא יָשַׁב אָדָם שָׁם:

7) I brought you to the land of plenty

to eat of her fruit and her goodness.

You came and you defiled My land,

My inheritance, you have made loathsome.

(ז) וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל אֶרֶץ הַכַּרְמֶל

לֶאֱכֹל פִּרְיָהּ וְטוּבָהּ

וַתָּבֹאוּ וַתְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת אַרְצִי

וְנַחֲלָתִי שַׂמְתֶּם לְתוֹעֵבָה:

8) The Cohanim did not say, "Where is Hashem?"

the keepers of the Torah did not know Me,

the shepherds betrayed Me,

the prophets prophesied for Ba'al.

That which is useless, they pursued.

(ח) הַכֹּהֲנִים לֹא אָמְרוּ אַיֵּה ה'

וְתֹפְשֵׂי הַתּוֹרָה לֹא יְדָעוּנִי

וְהָרֹעִים פָּשְׁעוּ בִי

וְהַנְּבִיאִים נִבְּאוּ בַבַּעַל

וְאַחֲרֵי לֹא יוֹעִלוּ הָלָכוּ:

G-d challenges the Jewish People to explain their behavior. None of the nations of the world would ever betray their gods, and those are not even real. Their betrayal is two-fold: first, that they left at all, and second, that they left Him for useless and meaningless idols.

9) Therefore, I will yet quarrel with you, says Hashem,

and with your grandchildren I will quarrel.

(ט) לָכֵן עֹד אָרִיב אִתְּכֶם נְאֻם ה'

וְאֶת בְּנֵי בְנֵיכֶם אָרִיב:

10) Travel to the islands and see,

send messengers to the nomads and consider it carefully,

and see, has there ever been such a thing?

(י) כִּי עִבְרוּ אִיֵּי כִתִּיִּים וּרְאוּ

וְקֵדָר שִׁלְחוּ וְהִתְבּוֹנְנוּ מְאֹד

וּרְאוּ הֵן הָיְתָה כָּזֹאת:

11) Has a nation ever exchanged its god?

And they are not gods!

Yet My people traded His honor, for something useless!

(יא) הַהֵימִיר גּוֹי אֱלֹהִים

וְהֵמָּה לֹא אֱלֹהִים

וְעַמִּי הֵמִיר כְּבוֹדוֹ בְּלוֹא יוֹעִיל:

12) The heavens, be distraught over this,

rage, destroy greatly! says Hashem.

(יב) שֹׁמּוּ שָׁמַיִם עַל זֹאת

וְשַׂעֲרוּ חָרְבוּ מְאֹד נְאֻם ה':

13) For My nation has done two evils:

they left Me, the source of living water,

in order to cut wells for themselves;

broken wells,

that do not hold water.

(יג) כִּי שְׁתַּיִם רָעוֹת עָשָׂה עַמִּי

אֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים

לַחְצֹב לָהֶם בֹּארוֹת

בֹּארֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים

אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָכִלוּ הַמָּיִם:

The prophet describes the wars with Egypt and Assyria that have caused destruction and desolation. Turning to either power for protection from the other will not help. The true cause of their punishment was leaving G-d.

14) Is Israel a slave?

Is he a house-born servant?

Why was he despoiled?

(יד) הַעֶבֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל

אִם יְלִיד בַּיִת הוּא

מַדּוּעַ הָיָה לָבַז:

15) Over him the lions roared,

their voices bellowed;

they made his land desolate,

his cities torched, uninhabited.

(טו) עָלָיו יִשְׁאֲגוּ כְפִרִים

נָתְנוּ קוֹלָם

וַיָּשִׁיתוּ אַרְצוֹ לְשַׁמָּה

עָרָיו נִצְּתוּ מִבְּלִי יֹשֵׁב:

16) Also the sons of Memphis and Tachpanches,

cracked your skulls.

(טז) גַּם בְּנֵי נֹף וְתַחְפַּנְחֵס

יִרְעוּךְ קָדְקֹד:

17) Wasn't what did this to you,

your leaving Hashem, your G-d,

as He led you on the path?

(יז) הֲלוֹא זֹאת תַּעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ

עָזְבֵךְ אֶת ה' אֱ-לֹהַיִךְ

בְּעֵת מוֹלִיכֵךְ בַּדָּרֶךְ:

18) Now, what do you care for the path to Egypt,

to drink the water of the river Shichor?

And what do you care for the path to Assyria,

to drink the water of the River?

(יח) וְעַתָּה מַה לָּךְ לְדֶרֶךְ מִצְרַיִם

לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵי שִׁחוֹר

וּמַה לָּךְ לְדֶרֶךְ אַשּׁוּר

לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵי נָהָר:

19) Your evil will pain you, your backwardness will rebuke you,

and you will know and see that it is evil and bitter

to leave Hashem, your G-d,

when you do not have fear of Me upon you,

says G-d, Hashem Tzva-ot.

(יט) תְּיַסְּרֵךְ רָעָתֵךְ וּמְשֻׁבוֹתַיִךְ תּוֹכִחֻךְ

וּדְעִי וּרְאִי כִּי רַע וָמָר

עָזְבֵךְ אֶת ה' אֱ-לֹהָיִךְ

וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ

נְאֻם אֲ-דֹנָי ה' צְבָא-וֹת:

G-d had always stepped in to remove the oppressors of the Jewish People, and each time, they promised that they would not betray Him again. But here they are again, worshipping idols without the slightest shame. G-d expresses His frustration with the way they turned out, and tells them that trying to rub away the external signs of their betrayal will not fool Him.

20) Haven't I always broken your yoke, loosened your bonds?

You would say, "I will not transgress!"

But on every tall hill and under every leafy tree,

you play the filthy harlot.

(כ) כִּי מֵעוֹלָם שָׁבַרְתִּי עֻלֵּךְ נִתַּקְתִּי מוֹסְרֹתַיִךְ

וַתֹּאמְרִי לֹא אֶעֱבוֹר

כִּי עַל כָּל גִּבְעָה גְּבֹהָה וְתַחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן

אַתְּ צֹעָה זֹנָה:

21) And I had planted you as premium vines,

purely a true breed;

so how have you turned before Me,

into sour, alien, grapes?

(כא) וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שֹׂרֵק

כֻּלֹּה זֶרַע אֱמֶת

וְאֵיךְ נֶהְפַּכְתְּ לִי

סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן נָכְרִיָּה:

22) Even if you scour yourself with soap,

and use tons of boride,

still your sin will be a stain before Me,

says G-d, Hashem.

(כב) כִּי אִם תְּכַבְּסִי בַּנֶּתֶר

וְתַרְבִּי לָךְ בֹּרִית

נִכְתָּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנַי

נְאֻם אֲ-דֹנָי ה':

They may try to deny their betrayal, but their behavior is erratic and irrational, like that of an animal in heat. They pursue foreign gods and foreign cultures, regardless of what it costs them.

23) How can you say, "I have not defiled,

I did not follow the Ba'als"?!

See your paths in the valley,

know what you have done,

a loose female camel zigzagging in her paths.

(כג) אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרִי לֹא נִטְמֵאתִי

אַחֲרֵי הַבְּעָלִים לֹא הָלַכְתִּי

רְאִי דַרְכֵּךְ בַּגַּיְא

דְּעִי מֶה עָשִׂית

בִּכְרָה קַלָּה מְשָׂרֶכֶת דְּרָכֶיהָ:

24) A wild mare of the desert,

snorting in her lust;

who can relieve her moans?

Those who seek her will not even tire,

in her heat they will find her.

(כד) פֶּרֶה לִמֻּד מִדְבָּר

בְּאַוַּת נַפְשָׁהּ שָׁאֲפָה רוּחַ

תַּאֲנָתָהּ מִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה

כָּל מְבַקְשֶׁיהָ לֹא יִיעָפוּ

בְּחָדְשָׁהּ יִמְצָאוּנְהָ:

25) Keep your feet from going bare,

and your throat from thirst,

and say, I give up!

"No, for I love foreigners and I will follow them."

(כה) מִנְעִי רַגְלֵךְ מִיָּחֵף

וּגְרוֹנֵךְ מִצִּמְאָה

וַתֹּאמְרִי נוֹאָשׁ

לוֹא כִּי אָהַבְתִּי זָרִים וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם אֵלֵךְ:

The leadership is guilty of the same duplicity and cognitive dissonance. They turn to G-d when things get bad, as if their betrayal never took place. The prophet tells them, cynically, to turn to their new gods for help.

26) Like the shame of a thief that was caught,

so the House of Israel has been shamed;

they, their kings and noblemen,

their priests and their prophets.

(כו) כְּבֹשֶׁת גַּנָּב כִּי יִמָּצֵא

כֵּן הֹבִישׁוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

הֵמָּה מַלְכֵיהֶם שָׂרֵיהֶם

וְכֹהֲנֵיהֶם וּנְבִיאֵיהֶם:

27) They say to a tree, "You are my father,"

and to a stone, "You gave birth to me."

They turned their backs to Me, not their faces.

And yet, in their time of trouble they say,

"Arise and save us!"

(כז) אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה

וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ יְלִדְתָּנוּ

כִּי פָנוּ אֵלַי עֹרֶף וְלֹא פָנִים

וּבְעֵת רָעָתָם יֹאמְרוּ

קוּמָה וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ:

28) Where are your gods that you have made yourself?

Let them arise and save you in your time of trouble!

As the number of your cities,

so were your gods, Yehuda!

(כח) וְאַיֵּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ לָּךְ

יָקוּמוּ אִם יוֹשִׁיעוּךָ בְּעֵת רָעָתֶךָ

כִּי מִסְפַּר עָרֶיךָ

הָיוּ אֱלֹהֶיךָ יְהוּדָה: ס

In order to end on a positive note, the Haftarah skips ahead to the one verse that is not condemning the Jewish People: at some point in the future, the Jewish People will once again acknowledge their relationship with G-d.

3:4) But from now on you will call Me,

"my father, the leader of my youth are You".

(ד) הֲלוֹא מֵעַתָּה קָרָאת לִי

אָבִי אַלּוּף נְעֻרַי אָתָּה:

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

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