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May 16, 2003/Iyar 14 5763, Vol. 55, No. 38
Hope remains even in utmost despair
Torah study
RABBI NEIL GILLMAN
BeHar/Leviticus 25:1-26:2
The haftara this week, from Jeremiah, chapter 32, describes one of the more unusual real estate transactions in history.
The haftara begins with verse six of that chapter, thus omitting the required historical context of the episode. Those five omitted verses locate these events in the days prior to the destruction of the first Temple by Babylonia in 587 B.C.E. We are told that Jerusalem and the land were about to fall to the Babylonian army, that this was the will of God, and that Jeremiah had been imprisoned for the seditious act of prophesying that Jerusalem would be destroyed as God's punishment for Israel's sin.
This was one of the bleakest moments in Israelite history. Yet God instructs Jeremiah in jail to redeem a piece of land owned by his cousin in his native town of Anatoth.
The commandment of land redemption is described in our Torah portion. Should a member of a family be under duress and need to sell some of his property, it becomes incumbent on another member of the family to purchase the land for it to remain within the family holdings.
Jeremiah enacts the legal requirements and instructs his assistant, Baruch ben Neriah, to deposit the relevant documents in an earthen jar for posterity. And now comes the key verse of the passage - "thus said ... the God of Israel: 'Houses, fields, and vineyards shall again be purchased in this land.' " (Jeremiah 32:15)
What follows is what makes Jeremiah the most human of the prophets. He has observed the legal procedures without a hint of emotion. When he is alone, his feelings erupt.
"Ah, Lord God! You made heaven and earth. ... Nothing is too wondrous for you." (Jeremiah 32:17)
He then acknowledges that Israel has sinned and as a result, merited the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Finally, Jeremiah exclaims in bewilderment at what he has been commanded to do: "Yet You, Lord God, said to me: 'Buy the land for money and call in witnesses when the city is at the mercy of the Chaldeans!" (Jeremiah 32:25) More colloquially, he is saying, "God, this is not a time to invest in real estate."
God responds by echoing Jeremiah's words, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too wondrous for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
With this one-sentence response, the haftara ends. Ten verses for Jeremiah's prayer, one verse for God's response.
But later in the book of Jeremiah, God becomes long-winded, explaining that houses, fields and vineyards shall again be purchased in this land.
This real estate transaction is like no other in history because the land will continue for decades to be worthless. But the symbolic power of the transaction is breathtaking. Its message is one of hope and the promise of redemption. As bleak as things may appear today, this land and this people will have a future. They will return to this land and once again buy land and build houses.
In the following chapter that continues God's response to the imprisoned prophet, they will also marry. To this day, the wedding liturgy quotes God's message of hope to Jeremiah: "Again there will be heard in this place ... in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem ... the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride..." (Jeremiah 33:10-11)
Just as Elijah appears at every Passover seder, so does Jeremiah appear at every wedding because every marriage is redemptive, a statement of hope and continuity, even in the midst of utmost despair.
Rabbi Neil Gillman is professor of Jewish philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
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