Reflections on the Ninth of Av:

In the final years of the kingdom of Judah, in the 580s BCE, the nation seems to have been strongly polarized between two parties:

Those who believed that God’s covenant with Israel was a covenant of promise – unshakable. God had promised, literally, that David’s “throne would be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)   Therefore, God would be on our side in the war with the Babylonian invader; we should throw ourselves fully into the war effort and we were assured of total victory.

Those who understood the covenant as conditional: as it had been stated in the Torah, “If you do not observe all My commandments and you break My covenant… I will set My face against you and you shall be routed by your enemies.” (Lev. 26:15, 17) They argued that the Babylonians were God’s instrument of punishment, and that rebellion was hopeless; better we should accept the conquest without resistance, minimize the damage, reform our society, and await God’s forgiveness.

This internal conflict found dramatic expression in several episodes in the prophet Jeremiah’s life; for example, chapter 26, wherein the “priests and prophets” heard his prophecy condemning the rebellion and demanded, “This man deserves the death penalty, for he has prophesied against this city.” (Jer. 26:11)  In response, certain “officials” defended Jeremiah’s........

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