Daily Tanach Sunday 3rd Kisleiv Sefer Yirmiyah Chapter 27: The Yoke of Babylon and the Warning Against False Prophets

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Chapter 27: The Yoke of Babylon and the Warning Against False Prophets

Overview

Hashem commands Yermiyahu to deliver a symbolic message of submission to Babylon. Through a yoke placed on his neck, the prophet warns Judah and neighboring nations that resisting Nebuchadnezzar will lead to destruction. False prophets promising quick restoration are exposed as liars, and Hashem affirms that the Temple vessels will remain in Babylon until He decides to restore them.

  1. The Symbolic Yoke
  • At the start of Jehoiakim’s reign, Hashem tells Yermiyahu to make yoke bars and wear them on his neck.
  • He is to send similar yokes to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their envoys visiting Jerusalem.
  • The message: Hashem, Creator of earth and all living things, has given these lands to Nebuchadnezzar, His servant. Even wild animals will serve him.
  1. The Call to Submit
  • All nations must serve Babylon—Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and grandson—until their appointed time ends.
  • Any nation refusing the yoke will face sword, famine, and plague until destroyed.
  • Those who submit will remain in their land and live.
  1. Warning to Judah and Its Leaders
  • Yermiyahu urges King Tzidkiyahu: “Submit to Babylon and live. Why choose death for yourself and your people?”
  • Do not listen to prophets claiming Judah will not serve Babylon—they speak lies.
  • Hashem did not send them; their words will lead to exile and ruin.
  1. False Hope About Temple Vessels
  • Yermiyahu warns priests and people:
    • Do not believe prophets who say the Temple vessels will soon return.
    • If they are true prophets, let them pray that the remaining vessels not be taken.
  • Hashem declares:
    • The remaining items—pillars, the bronze sea, and other furnishings—will go to Babylon.
    • They will stay there until the day Hashem remembers them and restores them.
  1. Takeaway

Chapter 27 teaches:

  • Submission to Hashem’s plan brings life; resistance brings ruin.
  • False prophets offer comforting lies that lead to disaster.
  • Hashem’s timing governs restoration—patience and obedience are key.

 

Key message:

The yoke of Babylon is heavy, but it is Hashem’s decree. Bearing it means survival; rejecting it means destruction.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.