This haftarah is selected from one of the chapters of consolation found in the book of Yirmiyahu. The first verses of this chapter (32:1–5) detail the dire personal and national circumstances in which Yirmiyahu and the people of Yehudah found themselves when Yirmiyahu received the prophetic message recorded in this chapter. The prophecy is dated to the tenth year of King Tzidkiyahu, corresponding to the eighteenth year of Nevuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, at the time when the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem. Yirmiyahu himself was under personal siege, confined to the royal prison for having prophesied that God would deliver Tzidkiyahu and Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonian king.

The prophetic portion begins with God announcing to Yirmiyahu that his cousin, Chanamel, will be coming to the prison compound to request that Yirmiyahu buy his parcel of land in the city of Anatot, and thus redeem the ancestral property to which Yirmiyahu had the right of succession. The prophetic portion may then be divided into three sections: the acquisition of the property (32:9–11); the disposition of the deed of purchase (32:12–15); and Yirmiyahu’s prayer to God and the opening verse of the Divine response (32:16–27). Let us briefly discuss these three sections before exploring the relationship of the prophetic portion to the Torah reading.

1. The acquisition of the property (32:9–11):

At this time there was no coinage, and hence the purchase price, paid in silver, had to be weighed out on a balance in the presence of the seller. The Hebrew text describes the purchase price as “seven shekels and ten” which may be understood either as totaling 17 shekels, or else as totaling 7 ½ shekels of silver. The ambiguity is due to the absence of a designated measure of weight associated with the number 10. The number may refer back to the shekel (hence 7 + 10 = 17 shekels). The difficulty with this interpretation, however, is not only the order of the numerals, since the larger number would have been expected to be in the initial position (“10 shekels and 7”) but also by the need to explain the use of the more cumbersome phraseology of 7 + 10 rather than the use of the numeral 17. Thus other commentators suggest that the numeral 10 refers not to the shekel but to the subdivision of the shekel, namely the geirah. From Shemot 30:13, we learn that a shekel was the equivalent of 20 geirahs. Hence, 10 geirahs would equal half of a shekel. In either case, the acquisition of real estate was legally accomplished by giving the full purchase price in weighed silver to the seller. Yirmiyahu then drew up a deed of purchase, sealed it, had it witnessed, and reweighed the silver in the presence of the witnesses.

2. The disposition of the deed of purchase (32:12–15):

The written deed contained two texts – the “hidden” text which contained the detailed account of the transaction, and the “open” text which was probably an abbreviated account of the transaction. Ancient Near Eastern practice was to provide a “hidden” account of the transaction and a duplicate account which was easily accessible. In cuneiform practice, the inner clay tablet recording the transaction was hidden by an outer layer of clay containing a second complete or abbreviated record of the transaction, (often referred to as an “envelope”) which was exposed for all to see. In societies using leather scrolls, the detailed record of the transaction was rolled and tied up and hence hidden from view, while the scroll contained a second, often abbreviated, record which was left untied and open for all to see. The purpose of the double writing was to prevent the record from being corrupted by forgery. Should a claim of forgery or other malfeasance be charged by one of the parties, the “hidden” text would be opened by the court, exposing any type of corruption to the “open” text. Yirmiyahu gave the deed of purchase to his attendant, Baruch ben Neriah, in the presence of Chanamel, the witnesses, and all the Judeans sitting in the prison compound. Yirmiyahu then commanded Baruch to place the deed of purchase in an earthen vessel in order to preserve it for a long period of time. The efficacy of this practice has been documented from the ancient scrolls recovered from earthen jars found in caves, located in the Judean desert and in the area of the Dead Sea. Yirmiyahu then explained his charge to Baruch in the presence of all assembled by stating God’s promise of hope: “For thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Houses, fields and vineyards shall again be purchased in this land.’”

3. Yirmiyahu’s prayer and God’s response (32:16–27):

The role of the Biblical prophet is not only that of the Divine messenger, but also that of the intercessor, standing in the breach, trying desperately to avert the divine wrath from overwhelming the land and his people (Yechezkel 22:30–31).[1] Avraham, Moshe, Shmuel, and Yechezkel are paradigms of such prophets. Hence, prophetic prayer is very often one of intercession on behalf of the people. Yirmiyahu’s prayer in this haftarah, however, is a very different type of prayer, one that is wholly personal and intimate. It is the prayer of the anguished man of faith who does not hesitate to fulfill the Divine command, who deeply believes that “nothing is too wondrous” for the Creator of heaven and earth, and yet, when confronted with the reality of the Babylonian siege-mounds raised against the city to storm it, and witnessing the famine-stricken and pestilence-plagued city at the mercy of the attacking enemy, he dares to falter in his faith and question: How can it be that You commanded me to purchase the land for money and call in witnesses? Note God’s response has no hint of reproach for this wavering of faith. The Divine response begins with a reaffirmation of Yirmiyahu’s deep belief: “Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too wondrous for Me?” And the response ends with a Divine promise that “fields shall be purchased and deeds written and sealed, and witnesses called in the land of Benjamin and in the environs of Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah…For I will restore their fortunes – declares the Lord.”

Indeed, this haftarah declares that hope is a Divine imperative which throughout Jewish history has served to sustain and reinforce our deep faith in God’s ultimate goodness, even as we stand at the brink of despair. This faith is rooted in God’s everlasting covenant that we shall be His people and He shall be our God, in the steadfast belief that He will not turn away from us and that He will treat us graciously, and in the promise that He will put in our hearts reverence for Him so that He may delight in treating us graciously (Yirmiyahu 32:36–44).

The obvious relationship between the prophetic portion and the Torah reading is the commandment, found in this week’s parashah, to redeem the property of one’s kinsman: “If your brother is in straits and has to sell part of his holdings, his closest relative able to redeem shall come forth and redeem what his brother has sold (Vayikra 25:25).” Yirmiyahu is acting in his capacity as Chanamel’s nearest redeemer, thus exemplifying the fulfillment of this Biblical commandment. But the connection is even more profound. The theme of Parashat Behar centers on the Israelites’ relationship to the Land of Israel. The laws of the sabbatical and jubilee years decree periods of complete rest for the land, during which its owners must relinquish all signs of ownership over the land. These laws underscore the premise that the land ultimately belongs to God who ‘leases’ the land to the Israelites. In the jubilee year, every Israelite is to return to his ancestral property and again be united with the portion of land God had graciously allotted to his family. This ‘leased’ land must be retained by the Israelites and may not be alienated. The bond between the Land of Israel and the people of Israel must never be forgotten. This realization strengthens our love of the land and our commitment to dwell therein. Nevertheless, God’s ultimate ownership of the land must also never be forgotten. The following parashah, Bechukotai, warns us about the dire consequences for failing to observe the sabbatical and jubilee years – namely, exile and desolation – so that the land shall rest and make up for its Sabbath years. It is against this background that the haftarah unfolds. Yirmiyahu’s love of the land, his commitment to own property in the Land of Israel even as he witnessed the ensuing destruction, exile, and loss of national sovereignty, and his deep rooted faith in God’s promise to restore the covenant and His special relationship with His people and His land, have given us the strength to hope for a better future even in the darkest of hours.