By Rabbi Dovid Sapirman, Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
As we explore Tanach, we get a glimpse into the personalities of some very complicated figures in our history. The last king of Yehuda, Tzidkiyahu, was one such person.
In the early years of his reign, Chazal tell us that Hashem was so unhappy with the state of His people that He would have returned the world to void, as it was before Bereishis—but when He looked at Tzidkiyahu, He was appeased. Tzidkiyahu was a superlative tzaddik, with only three faults to his name.
When Nevuchadnetzar placed Tzidkiyahu on the throne of Yehuda, he forced Tzidkiyahu swear that he would never rebel against Bavel. Tzidkiyahu did, but he had no intent of keeping his promise. He was promptly matir his neder, then sent a message to Mitzrayim asking for help. This was a tremendous chillul Hashem. One cannot nullify a vow made to someone else without that person’s permission. That was Tzidkiyahu’s first sin.
His second fault was that he did not rebuke the people for their sins. Tzidkiyahu’s father, Yoshiyahu, had inherited the throne at just eight years old, at a time when the land was under the control of idol worshippers. Slowly, he began to take control. In an astonishing revival, Yoshiyahu destroyed the idols and foreign temples throughout the land of Yehuda, and was considered one of the most righteous kings to ever sit on the throne. By not following in his father’s footsteps, Tzidkiyahu shirked his responsibility. He was a great tzaddik himself, but did not influence his subjects.
Tzidkiyahu’s third sin, as identified by Chazal, is astounding. He knew that Yirmiyahu was a navi emes, and would ask him to daven for Hashem’s help in times of distress. During the siege of Yerushalayim, as the end neared, Tzidkiyahu asked Yirmiyahu if there was a message from Hashem.
“There is no purpose in sharing it,” the navi replied. “You will kill me for saying what you do not want to hear. And you will not listen to me anyway.”
Tzidkiyahu swore not to kill him, and Yirmiyahu shared the message from Hashem: to surrender. If the king went out to the enemy and surrendered, his life, his family, and his city would be spared.
But Tzidkiyahu was too proud. Instead, the Beis Hamikdash and Yerushalayim were burnt, and the people were marched off into exile.
