From the Haftarah: Staffs, Pots, and Remembered Kindnesses
The Haftarahs for the Shabboses of the Three Weeks are known as “T’lasa de’Puranusa,” the three [haftarahs] of calamity. They describe the prophets decrying the low spiritual and moral state to which the people have descended, exhorting them to mend their ways, and foretelling of the disaster that will befall them if they do not do so.
The first haftarah comes from the opening chapter of the Book of Yirmiyahu. Hashem charges Yirmiyahu as a prophet and instructs him to convey his prophecies fearlessly to the people, even if they are messages of rebuke and fortellings of disaster. In this regard, Hashem shows Yirmiyahu two visions and explains their meaning:
- The first vision is of a staff from and almond tree (שקד). Hashem explains this as showing that He will hasten (שקד) to bring the evil decree upon the people.[1]
- The second vision is of a bubbling pot, with its opening facing north. The meaning of that vision is that evil will be released upon the people from the North, from Babylon who will invade from the north side of the country.[2]
And with that, the messages of impending calamity have been transmitted. But the haftarah is not over. Hashem has something else wants to say to the people. He instructs Yirmiyahu:
הלך וקראת באזני ירושלם לאמר כה אמר ה' זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך אהבת כלולתיך לכתך אחרי במדבר בארץ לא זרועה
Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: “Thus says Hashem, ‘I recall for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me into the Wilderness, into an unsown land.[3]
With these words, Hashem is saying: “My words of rebuke and pleas for repentance have fallen on deaf ears, and the tragic consequences of your corruption and estrangement are about to be visited upon you. Yet even when this happens, do not think for a moment that I have forgotten the kindness of your youth and the special love that existed between us when I took you of Egypt. I have not forgotten that time and I never will.”[4]
The love that began at that time that we left Egypt is still there at the time of the churban – it accompanies the process throughout. The intent and purpose of the travails that were to come was not to relinquish the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, but to reclaim it.
The haftarah thus concludes by saying:
קדש ישראל לה' ראשית תבואתו
Israel is holy to Hashem, the choice of His crop.[5]
Here, too, the enduring idea is that, whatever calamity the people bring upon themselves, Israel is still holy to Hashem and always will be. The difficulties ahead are there in order to put them back in touch with that holiness, and restore their relationship with Hashem to its full and former glory.
This message of the undying love and hopes that Hashem has for us – and the faith He has in us – should serve to set the tone for the mourning and soul-searching that are to take place during the Three Weeks. Through this, we hope to play our part in the historic process of spiritual alchemy toward which our hopes and dreams are directed – taking days of mourning and turning them into festivals.
May we merit that this should happen soon!
[1] Verses 11-12.
[2] Verses 13-14.
[3] 2:2.
[4] See Commentary of Malbim to Yirmiyahu ibid.
[5] 2:3.