Chapter 14: A Call to Repentance and the Consequences of Sin

(22 Peskuim)

1. Hashem’s Warning of Drought and Famine (14:1-6)

Drought: Hashem spoke to Yirmiyahu about a severe drought afflicting the land. “Judah mourns, and her cities are cut off; and the cry of Jerusalem has risen.”
The Famine: Famine and lack of water cause despair, with young people returning empty-handed from their search for water, and farmers mourning as the earth becomes barren. “Because the earth was broken for there was no rain on the earth, farmers were left helpless.”
Severity of the Famine on Livestock: Even nature reflects the severity of the famine, with hinds abandoning their young due to lack of grass and wild donkeys suffering from the absence of vegetation.

Yirmiyahu pleads to Hashem saying: Hope of Israel, Savior at time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land? Why should You be like a man overcome, like a mighty man, unable to save? Yirmiyahu implores Hashem to act for His name’s sake despite their guilt.
He appeals to Hashem as their hope and Savior, asking why He seems distant and unresponsive to their plight.
Hashem criticizes the people’s tendency to wander and disregard His commands, leading to divine punishment.

Hashem instructed Yirmiyahu to refrain from praying for the Jewish people.
Hashem says that he will not listen to their fasts, and their sacrifices and prayers will not be accepted.

Hashem condemns the false prophets who provide empty assurances of peace and prosperity, with Hashem declaring that both the prophets and their followers will face the sword and famine. The false prophets say: ‘You will see no sword, neither will you have a famine, I will give you a true peace in this place.
The punishment of the false prophets: Hashem said to Yirmiyahu: The prophets are prophesying lies in My name; I did not send them neither did I command them, nor did I speak to them. A false vision, divination, a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart they prophesy to you. Those prophets shall perish by the sword and the famine. And the people to which they prophesy, shall be cast in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, and no one will bury them, they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, and I will pour out upon them their evil.

Yirmiyahu expresses deep sorrow for the suffering of his people, describing the devastation caused by war and famine. “If I go out to the field, I behold the slain of the sword, and if I go into the city I see people ill with famine.”
He pleads with Hashem not to abandon Judah or break His covenant, seeking mercy for the sake of His glory.
Yirmiyahu says: It is futile to rely on idols or nature for salvation, as only Hashem can provide rain and deliverance.