Every pasuk in Tanach concerning bitachon speaks volumes about bitachon. The passuk in Yirmeyahu 39:18 enlightens us about how one should act in times of fear and terror, confusion and war. It says, “I shall rescue you; you shall not fall by sword...because you trusted in Me, says Hashem.”
In order to understand this passuk, we first need to be aware of some of the events in the life of the navi Yirmeyahu.
Yirmeyahu’s name was given to him by Hakadosh baruch Hu. Yirmeyahu is a combination of the words yarei miHashem – he fears Hashem; for indeed, Yirmeyahu was very much afraid to tell others the messages Hashem gave him, but he was even more afraid of Hashem, and he did whatever Hashem commanded him.
While Tzefania was saying nevuos in the shuls, and Chuldah was giving mussar to the women, Yirmeyahu was simultaneously commanded to say nevuah in the public arena, and he was but a young boy. Yirmeyahu complained and said, “I do not know how to speak, for I am but a youngster” – how could I rebuke Am Yisrael? Moshe Rabbenu rebuked them only after he had led them and had been the conduit for miracles and wonders for them for forty years. But I am a young lad. I do not have a rich history that will cause them to listen to me, and how can I start out speaking harsh words to them?
But Hashem answered him that it was specifically his youth that set him at a great advantage – he had never experienced the taste of sin.
Yirmeyahu started to say his harsh prophecies, and he spoke in a soft tone. The gist of his message was that “for you, the sons of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, it is not appropriate to act in this way.” But the content of his words was very harsh. At that time the nation was enjoying great bounty and success, and then a young boy came along and rebuked them for their evil deeds.
Meanwhile, in contrast, there were older speakers who prophesied a rosy future. These false nevi’im were respectable people who made a much better impression. Their words were very pleasant, while the annoying voice of Yirmeyahu simply irked the masses and disrupted their lives!
Everyone belittled him, even the people who were closest to him, to the point that he was nicknamed “Buzi” – the despised one. He became so widely known by this name that to this very day his son’s name is mentioned as “Yechezkel ben Buzi the kohen,” instead of “Yechezkel ben Yirmeyahu the kohen.” Nonetheless, with pure yiras Shamayim he continued his difficult task. As per Hashem’s command, he wrote his words down in a megillas sefer, and he sent his disciple Baruch ben Neriyah to bring the megillah to the king Yehoyakim. When the king read the scroll with its harsh prophecies of rebuke, he ordered that it be burned.
Yirmeyahu then rewrote the scroll, adding another even harsher chapter, and had it sent to the king and his officers. This aroused their wrath, and they threw him into a pit in the jail. This was a horrible pit flooded with water and mud. Hashem made a miracle and raised the mud so that Yirmeyahu would not drown. Yonasan the scribe stood atop the pit and mocked Yirmeyahu: “Lay your head down on the mud so that you’ll sleep well....”
The only one who remained loyal to Yirmeyahu was Baruch ben Neriyah. This was when the siege had already begun. When Baruch ben Neriyah saw the situation he mustered courage, and with bitachon in the Creator of all worlds, he stood before the king and his officers and said that if Yirmeyahu were to die in the pit, the entire city would subsequently be destroyed and would fall to the enemy. By so saying, he greatly endangered himself, as the wicked officers could have killed him on the spot, but he trusted in Hashem, and Tzidkiyahu the king listened to his request and allowed him to take Yirmeyahu out of the pit, with the assistance of thirty other people.
After Yirmeyahu was taken out of the pit, while he was still in the jail, he received a nevuah that he was commanded to say to Baruch ben Neriyah. Here is where we see the passuk mentioned above. Hashem promised Baruch ben Neriyah that nothing bad would happen to him. The decree of the churban and galus would happen, but, “I will save you on that day.” Why? “Because you trusted in Me, says Hashem!”
Baruch ben Neriyah trusted in Hashem and did the right thing when he saved Yirmeyahu, and in the zechus of this bitachon he was saved from all harm. Chazal added that his reward was so great that he was taken into Gan Eden alive.
From this we too, in 5785, can learn not to be afraid of anything that comes up against us, to continue to do mitzvos and learn Torah and to strengthen ourselves in rock-strong bitachon in Hashem yisbarach, for He is our Father, He is our Savior, He will save us and redeem us. May we be zocheh to hear, speedily in our days, the words of Hashem: “My children, do not fear, the time of your redemption has come”; amen.
