Parshiyot Matot – Mas’ei
This week’s haftarah, the second of the “t’lat d’pur’anuta — three haftarot of punishment,” that precede Tisha B’av, is taken from the second and third chapters of Yirmiyahu, a direct continuation of the prophecy that we read last week. This — the first prophecy that the Navi addresses to Israel — accuses the people of being disloyal to God. By turning to the false gods of other nations, Israel abandoned their faith in the one God and worse, they exchanged the worship of the One true God with the veneration of deities that were false and powerless.
Additionally, Yirmiyahu accuses the wayward nation of being even worse than the idolatrous nations who remained faithful to their gods —, even though they had proven to be ineffectual. The Navi then argues that it was this faithlessness that led the people to be ungrateful, for when one doesn’t believe that Hashem is the One, the only, the all-powerful; he will fail to recognize Him as the Source of all blessing, and therefore, deserving of all thanks.
Ironically, Israel was led onto this wayward path as a result of the berachot — the gifts and blessings that Hashem had showered upon them. Their God-given successes led them to believe that they were a privileged nation, protected by their powerful Divinity, whose Temple and Holy Presence stood in their midst. And, for that reason, they were convinced that Hashem would never allow His Temple to be destroyed!
Even while under the Babylonian siege, the Jerusalemites chose to heed the words of the false prophets rather than look into their own actions and repair their ways. And this is why the prophet cried out to them: “How can you claim: ‘We have not sinned?’ Look at your path in the valley (perhaps, referring to Gei Ben Hinnom, where they practiced Molech worship of child sacrifice) and see what you have done!”
And, it was exactly this false belief that brought their downfall…
The Rambam opens his laws of teshuva by detailing the steps leading to a successful act of repentance with “hakarat hachet — a recognition of the sin,” that is, the misdeed, the corruption. Without realizing that one has sinned against God, there cannot be regret or remorse, and, therefore, there cannot be teshuva or penitence and, as a result, there can be no forgiveness and no atonement. The inability — or refusal — of Israel to recognize her sin, her blindness to the corruption in her midst and her rebelliousness toward God made forgiveness impossible. It is for that reason that, tragically, Yirmiyahu’s words remained unheeded. Israel failed to realize that she is only a “privileged” nation, when she accepts her divine responsibilities and she is only “chosen,” in order to carry out God’s mission for her.
As we stand in the midst of the “three weeks,” as the fast of Tisha B’av quickly approaches, our haftarah reminds us to recognize where we have fallen short of God’s expectations and where we need to repair our behavior. Our return to Hashem is not limited to acts of prayer, but must include acts of kindness. If we will look into ourselves and begin to accept our guilt, perhaps, then we would fulfill God’s wish that is expressed at the end of the haftarah: “Oh, if you would but once again call me, ‘My Father, Master of my youth.’ ”
Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Fort Lee, and now lives in Israel.
