Chapter 13: Hashem’s Judgment and Mercy

(27 Pesukim)

1. Yirmiyahu and the Linen Belt (13:1-11)

Yirmiyahu buys a Linen Belt: Hashem instructed Yirmiyahu to buy and wear a linen girdle. Hashem instructed him to not place it in water. Yirmiyahu bought the girdle according to the word of Hashem, and put it on his loins.
Yirmiyahu hides the Linen Belt: The word of Hashem came to Yirmiyahu a second time telling him to take the girdle that he bought to the Perath region and hide it there in the cleft of a rock. Yirmiyahu went and hid it in Perath, as Hashem had commanded him.
Yirmiyahu retrieves the Linen Belt: At the end of many days, Hashem said to Yirmiyahu to arise and go to Perath and take from there the girdle which he hid there. So, I went to Perath, and dug up the girdle from the place where I had hidden it, and behold, the girdle was rotten; it was of no use for anything.
Symbol of Destruction: So said Hashem: So I will destroy the pride of Judah and Jerusalem and they will be similarly destroyed. The people have turned away from Hashem, following their own desires and worshiping other Hashems, rendering them as worthless as the ruined girdle.
Just as a belt is fastened securely around a person’s waist, so have I caused the entire house of Israel and the entire house of Judah to be closely connected to Me, says Hashem. They were intended to be My people, bringing honor, praise, and distinction, but they did not listen.

Wine of Drunkenness: Hashem declares through Yirmiyahu that all bottles will be filled with wine, symbolizing the drunkenness and disarray He will bring upon Jerusalem’s inhabitants, including kings, priests, and prophets.
Family Fights: Hashem will pit families against one another, showing no mercy or compassion in His judgment. “I will dash them one against the other, and the fathers and the sons together.”

Yirmiyahu urges the people to listen and humble themselves before Hashem before the darkness overtakes them and their steps falter.
Weeping: Yirmiyahu weeps for their pride and captivity, urging them to honor Hashem before it is too late. “Privately, I will mourn for your pride, and my eyes will shed many tears, as Hashem’s flock has been taken captive.”
Fall of the King and Queen: Leaders are told to step down from their positions of power and acknowledge their downfall. “Please inform the king and the queen-mother to assume a modest position, as their former stature has diminished and the symbol of their honor is no longer upheld.”

Exile of Judah: The cities of the South are shut and all of Judah has been exiled peacefully.
Enemy from the North: Lift your eyes and see those coming from the North.
The people question the reasons for their suffering: If you say in your heart, “Why have these tragedies befallen me? It is your iniquities that have exposed your shame and led to humiliation.
Like a spotted leopard: Hashem compares their inability to change to a leopard unable to alter its spots—they are entrenched in evil habits. “Will a Cushite change his skin, or a leopard his spots? So will you be able to improve, you who have become accustomed to do evil.”

Hashem will scatter them like straw carried by the wind, leaving them exposed and disgraced.
Jerusalem’s abominations and harlotries have led to its downfall, leaving the city in desperate need of purification.
Hashem laments over its condition, asking when it will ever be cleansed. “Your adulteries on hills in the field I have seen; woe to you, Jerusalem, you shall not become purified. After when shall it ever be.”