“Thus says the Lord of Hosts” [7:21]. Thus said God: the sacrifices that you offer, and your burnt offerings, add them to your other sacrifices. I did not command your ancestors when they left Egypt to offer sacrifices, but that you should hear and keep my words. I want to be your God and you should be My people. Go in my path and it will be well for you.
“They did not listen” [7:24]. However, you Israel did not obey Me and you went after your evil hearts and your own advice. They have gone backwards and for themselves. From the day that you and your ancestors left Egypt, I have sent you prophets to punish you daily. You did not turn to them and closed your eyes. You turned your backs and committed many more transgressions than your ancestors.
“Say to them” [7:28]. You prophet, say all this to Israel, that they have committed transgressions and I know well that they will not listen to you. You will call them and they will not listen. They will not respond to you properly, says the Holy One. I will do mine and will let them know that they should not commit the sins. Say to Israel, because you did not hear the word of God, your truth is lost and it has been cut off from your mouths. That is to say, they speak falsehoods with their mouths; even more so, they speak no truth with their hearts.
“Cut your hair” [7:29]. Tear out the hair of your head out of troubles and begin to mourn and recite lamentations, because you have shamed God. God has also shamed you and the Holy One has left this generation. He has poured out His wrath on this generation, because the children of Judah have done evil in the eyes of God. They have made My house impure.
“They have built the high places of Topheth” [7:31]. They have built a building in which they had a foreign god called Moloch. The father brought his child and gave it to the priest to be burned in the fire. They had drums and they drummed and all the priests made a loud noise so that the father should not hear the screams of the child. He might have mercy on the child if he would hear the screams of his child.1Yalkut Shimoni, Jeremiah, Remez, 277.
“It did not come into my mind” [7:31]. That is to say, I did not command that children should be slaughtered or killed. When I commanded Abraham to slaughter his son, it was not in my mind that he should be slaughtered. Rather, I wanted to make the righteousness of Abraham and Isaac public.2Rashi, Jeremiah, 7:31.
“Therefore, days are coming, declares the Lord” [7:32]. Therefore, tell Israel that the days will come that they will no longer say that this place used to be called the Topheth and the valley of the son of Hinnom. That is to say, where they drummed and boasted. Rather, it will be called a place of slaughter, where the evil Israelites will be killed. Their bodies will be food for the birds and the wild animals of the earth.
“None to frighten” [7:33]. There will be nobody to frighten away the birds and the animals.
“And I will silence the cities of Judah, etc.” [7:34]. I, God, will destroy all the cities of Israel so that the sound of joy and happiness, the sound of bride and groom will not be heard.
“At that time, says the Lord” [8:1]. At the same time, God said: I will cause that the bones of the dead will be taken out of their graves, the bones of princes, priests and prophets. The bones will be spread out before the sun and moon, to which they bowed down. Now they will be embarrassed and will never be buried. Their bones will be like dung on the fields.
“Death shall be preferred to life” [8:3]. When the people will see the disgrace, they will drag themselves over the fields and bury the dead. Those remaining alive will have great troubles and will plead with God that they should die. Thus will Israel ask when they will be driven away in all the lands. So says God.
“Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom” [9:22]. God said: no person should boast, even when he is very rich or wise. When the Holy One does not want to help, then his wisdom is nothing. Similarly, if he is a hero, he should not boast of his heroism. Similarly, when he is rich, he should not boast of his wealth, but he should rely on the Holy One.
“In his devotion to Me” [9:23]. He should know that I am God who acts with lovingkindness, equity and justice, for everything that is on the earth.
“For in these I delight, says the Lord” [9:23]. That is to say, these three that thought that they had wisdom, heroism and wealth, these I, God, desire, since I command who will be wise, and whose wisdom will help and similarly, when a hero should protect himself. Similarly, when someone will be rich. This, I command, as the verse says, “the silver and gold are mine, says the Lord of Hosts” [Haggai, 2:8].