Chapter 2: A prophecy of admonishment

1.      A prophecy of praise of Israel:

• The word of God came to Yirmiyahu telling him as follows: Go call upon the ears of Jerusalem and tell them that I God had remembered the kindness of their youth and the love which they have shown in the past when they went with blind faith into the unplanted desert.

2.    Israel as God’s Holy Grain

• The first of God’s grain: The Jewish people are holy to God and the first of His grain. Whenever a nation eats this grain [i.e. harms the Jewish people] they will be held accountable and have evil befall them, so says God.

3.      Chastising the Betrayal of the Jewish people:

• So says God, what have your forefathers found to draw them to leave Me and follow the vanity of deities, and cause themselves to become like vanity. Why do they not search for the God that took them out of Egypt and escorted them in the desert? Hashem recalls leading them out of Egypt and being their guide through the wilderness—a time when they relied on Him alone. Despite His faithfulness, Israel has proclaimed separation from Him, refusing to return to Hashem. The imagery of a bride forgetting her jewelry poignantly illustrates their abandonment, as they have forgotten Him for countless days.
• Hashem emphasizes His unwavering presence and provision, reminding Israel of His faithfulness even as they have rebelled against Him.