The first Bet haMiqdash, the Great Temple of Jerusalem, was destroyed on the 9th day of the month of Ab of the year 586 before the common era, about 2600 years ago.
THE ROD OF YEHUDA
Our Sages explained that the enemies of Israel are like the rod with which God punishes the people of Israel for their transgressions. Therefore, when we fast in memory of the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash, we do not do it to remember the lost battles or to demonstrate our resentment against the enemy, but to become aware of our collective responsibility in these events and reflect on what we did wrong to deserve God’s abandonment. HaShem’s presence departs from us when we abandon the Torah and its paths of goodness. And without His protection, we are exposed and vulnerable to the enemy.
The first Bet haMiqdash was destroyed for three main reasons: the Jews of that generation worshipped other gods (abodá zará), practice murder with impunity (shefikhut damim), and were involved in sexual promiscuity (gilui arayot). These are the three cardinal sins in Judaism.
To warn the people, God comminuted with his prophets, to warn His nation that they were heading down the wrong path. The prophets passionately spoke to the people, especially the king and the aristocracy, and conveyed “God’s point of view” about their behavior. The prophets denounced injustice and warned that if they continued down the wrong path, HaShem would distance Himself from them and they would fall into the hands of the enemy, who is always lurking. These adversaries of Israel will act without mercy and God warns that he will not prevent it.
But the Jewish people did not listen to the prophets… and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.
THE PROPHET OF ANATOT
In the last years of the first Bet haMiqdash, the most prominent prophet was Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) who lived in the times of Yoshiyahu, of Yoyaqín, of his son Yoyakhín, and of the last king of Yehuda: Tsidqiyahu.
Below we present a brief example of Jeremia’s words to the Jewish people, which show us the state of immorality that prevailed in the society of Yehudá.
Yirmiyahu warns the king and the people of the inevitable consequences of their wrong actions:
“Thus said HaShem, … Practice justice and righteousness, free the oppressed, do not humiliate or mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows… do not shed innocent blood. … If [you reconsider, and you correct your actions] and do as I tell you, you will continue to have Jewish kings to govern you, kings who will continue to arrive in their luxurious chariots and horses at this beautiful palace, accompanied by officials and the people… But if you do not heed these warnings, [the enemy will take over this city, destroy it] and this beautiful palace will be turned into ruins.”Chapter 22:1-13
In another occasion, Yirmiyahu addresses the King and the royalty of Judea (Judea in Hebrew is “Yehuda”, the official name of the Jewish state in those times) and denounces two things: first, that the royalty abused the poor, and second, that they were exceeding in their materialism. It is very interesting to note that Yirmiyahu never criticized the comfort and luxury enjoyed by people who earn their money honestly. The Jewish prophet is clearly not advocating the king’s voluntary austerity. His message is, firstly, that all money should be earned honestly, and secondly, that the wealthy could not abuse their servants: that workers should be treated with dignity and respect.
Addressing the king and other members of the nobility, Jeremiah says in chapter 22:13-17 “Woe to you [the king, and the aristocrats], who build your palaces and tall buildings on the basis of abuse and injustice. You make others work without paying them their wages…you say: ‘I will build myself a large mansion, with large rooms on the upper floor’… you open windows, and cover your walls with cedar, and paint them red… Do you think that being a king consists of living surrounded by cedar? [True, your ancestors also] enjoyed a life [with luxury]; but [unlike you, they] acted with justice and righteousness… always attentive to protect the rights of the poor and oppressed… this is what is called “knowing God” [acting aware of the Divine presence] … but you only care about ill-gotten gains; you let the innocent die, and oppress and exploit [the poor of] your own people.”
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
To understand what led the people of Israel to abandon the Tora, we have to go back to the times of King Menashe. Menashe ruled in Judah. His reign was the longest, and in some ways, the worst of all. In his eagerness to make peace and enjoy the economics benefits of being part of the powerful Assyrian Empire, Menashe transformed Judah into an Assyrian province in every sense. He imported the Assyrian gods and cult, and systemically tried to eradicate the Tora and the observance of the Mitsvot. And he succeeded. Two generations of Jews were totally uprooted from any Jewish practice and distanced from God and His Tora. Yehuda never completely recovered from that. The Bet haMiqdash was used for the worship of idols, and the Kohanim (priests) who refused to serve idols were expelled or eliminated.
The Jewish judges, famous for their sense of fairness, also assimilated and no longer judged with the justice of the Tora. They followed Assyrian justice, which always favor the most powerful. After Menashe, his son Amon reigned. He was as bad as his father, but at least he ruled for a short period of time: two years.
Amon was succeeded by Josiah (Yoshiyahu 640-610 BCE). He implemented an extraordinary religious revolution to serve God again. The story of Josiah is fascinating. In his time, while making certain repairs on the walls of the Bet haMiqdash, they found a hidden Sefer Tora (Torah scroll). After more than 60 years of religious abandonment, it seems that there was no other book of Tora in existence. Upon reading the Tora for the first time in his life, King Josiah was moved and decided to serve HaShem again. Thus began a process of national Teshuba (repentance), which was partially successful.
This is when the prophet Jeremiah begins his mission, trying to convince the Jewish people to return to religious observance.
We will now see some illustrations of his prophecy and his warnings about the idolatrous immoral practices that the people were prcaticing from the times of Menashe.
In chapter 10 of Jeremiah we read:
“Do not follow the example of other nations, nor be frightened by the signs of heaven (=astrology), as those nations do. The practices of those people is vanity. They cut wood in the forest, a sculptor carves it with his chisel, then they adorn it with silver and gold, they secure it with nails and hammer so that it does not fall [and they worship this piece of wood as if it were a god!]. The idols are like scarecrows in a field planted with melons; they cannot speak, and they have to be carried because they do not walk. Do not fear [superstition] those idols, who do no harm or do good to anyone. [Understand that] HaShem is the true God, the God of life, the eternal King…
In chapter 17, we see how Jeremiah tries to persuade the people to observe Shabbat again. The Judeans were so assimilated that for them, Shabbat was just another day. The Assyrians, who were very sharp merchants, had contributed to this assimilation by mocking those Jews who did not work on Shabbat, accusing them of being lazy. HaShem orders Jeremiah to stand at the entrance of the Jerusalem market on Shabbat and say this to the people:
“King, and people of Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter through these gates, listen to the word of HaShem… on Shabbat, and for the sake of your own lives, do not bring your goods [to sell or trade] through the gates of Jerusalem… do no work on this day. Consecrate the Shabbat, just as I ordered your ancestors’…”
ABANDONMENT OF THE TORA
Jeremiah was very clear that the abandonment of religious observance was also responsible for the decay of the legal system and the cessation of social justice. Especially for the protection of the rights of the needy: the poor, widows, and orphans. There is a phrase that is repeated over and over again in the prophecies of Jeremiah: yedi’at HaShem, “knowing HaShem”. For Jeremiah, knowing HaShem means 1. Knowing that HaShem is permanently observing us and making us accountable for our actions. 2. “imitating God”, which is the highest expression of Jewish spirituality.
But how does one imitate God? Jeremiah reminds the people what the Tora says: HaShem is the protector of orphans and widows, He bestows kindness with the needy and liberates the oppressed. This message is repeated dozens of times in the book of Jeremiah. In chapter 9 we see a very brief example:
“Thus says HaShem, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man glory in his strength, nor the rich man glory in his riches. But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things, I delight, says HaShem.”
In the days of King Jehoiakim, HaShem spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and told him to go to the Bet haMiqdash and convey this message:
“God says, …thus you shall say… to all [those who come from] the cities of Judah …do not omit a single word [of what I tell you]. Perhaps they will listen and repent of their evil ways. If they do so, [I too] will desist from the evil I intended to do [to the Bet haMiqdash and Jerusalem] because of their evil deeds. You shall warn them that thus says HaShem: ‘If you do not obey me or abide by the law that I have given you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent time and time again and you have disobeyed, then I will do to this house what I did to Shiloh'”. Chap. 26: 1-6
Now, the prophet declares what his mission truly is. HaShem sent the prophets to save His people, to spare them from the consequences of their wrongdoing. The prophecy he announces is the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash (Temple), that could suffer the fate of the Tabernacle of Shiloh, which was destroyed by the Philistines during the time of the prophet Shemuel. However, if the people repent and if the leaders correct their actions, destruction of the Temple can be prevented…
THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY
But how did the people at the Bet haMiqdash react to the words of Jeremiah? Did they pay attention to Yirmiyahu’s warning to correct themselves? Exactly the opposite! The Priests and the false prophets, the leaders of the Bet haMiqdash, condemned Yirmiyahu to death! They claimed that the young prophet threatened their authority and leadership and they branded him as a rebel and an instigator. They accused Yirmiyahu of demoralizing the people and working for the enemy because while the false prophets announced that everything was fine, Yirmiyahu was indirectly inciting a rebellion against the established religious leadership of the Temple. With great hypocrisy, the priests and false prophets said: “How is it possible that this man says that the Bet haMiqdash will be destroyed? Does he think that HaShem does not have the power to prevent the destruction of His Sanctuary?”
Yirmiyahu was publicly beaten and miraculously saved his life.
But as we have already explained, for HaShem the actual building of the Bet haMiqdash, its walls, its enclosures, and its stones mean nothing if the people did not behave with integrity! People who acted badly cannot come to the Bet haMiqdash to cleanse the sins they continue to commit. Religious ritual, if not accompanied by upright and honest behavior, is cynicism and sacrilege.
The strong words of Yirmiyahu against this hypocritical attitude speak for themselves:
“Correct your behavior and your actions, and I [God] will let you continue living in this land. Do not trust the deceptive words that [the false prophets] repeat: ‘This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord! [that will never be destroyed]’. If you correct your behavior and your actions, if you practice justice with each other, if you do not oppress the foreigner or the orphan or the widow, if you do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor continue to worship other gods … then I will let you continue living in this land, the land that I gave to your ancestors forever… [but] you … keep stealing, killing, committing adultery, swearing falsely, burning incense to [the pagan god] Baal, and following [the immoral practices] of other foreign gods, and then come and stand before Me, in this house that bears My name [the Bet haMiqdash], and say: ‘[Here] we will be safe’ [God will protect us and not let anything happen to His house], only to continue committing all these abominations! Do you think this house that bears My name is a den of thieves [a refuge for criminals]?”. Cap 7: 3- 11
The Jews did not listen to Yirmiyahu and missed the opportunity to absorb the prophet’s message and repent. Shortly thereafter, the city of Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed.
The words of Yirmiyahu, sadly, were not heeded in his generation. But they were written for future generations as a testimony for us all.
Tonight and tomorrow, we will observe the 9th of Ab, the day of national mourning, dedicating ourselves to introspection, to remember the mistakes of our ancestors to correct them and never repeat them again
