{"id":64282,"date":"2018-07-09T17:44:50","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-334\/"},"modified":"2023-05-18T06:38:24","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T03:38:24","slug":"wall-334","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-334\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-II Kings-25"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"334","date":"20261209","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"63726","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"JPS Audio Bible - 2 Kings Chapter 25 ","post_title":"JPS Audio Bible - 2 Kings Chapter 25","slug":"jps-audio-bible-2-kings-chapter-25","old_id":"63726","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"2 Kings Chapter 25","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"Hear the daily chapter","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/JPS_Audio_Bible_2_Kings_Chapter_25","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"64577","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The End Of Punishment Is The Beginning Of Redemption ","post_title":"The End Of Punishment Is The Beginning Of Redemption","slug":"the-end-of-punishment-is-the-beginning-of-redemption","old_id":"64577","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36277,"post_title":"Yedidya Sinclair","slug":"yedidya-sinclair","old_id":"36277","first_name":"Yedidya","last_name":"Sinclair","description":"Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair serves as Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon, the leading US Jewish environmental organization. From 2011-16 he was Vice President for Research and Senior Economist at Energiya Global, a Jerusalem-based solar energy company focused on the developing world and he continues to consult on renewable energy and climate change preparedness. In 2014 he published together with Hazon, a translation of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook's great work on shmitta, the Sabbatical year, \"Introduction to Shabbat Ha'aretz.\" Yedidya holds a BA from Oxford University, an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and lives with his family in Jerusalem.","short_description":"Yedidya Sinclair is a Jerusalem-based rabbi and economist, and is Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36278,"alt":"","title":"yedidya sinclair","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","width":200,"height":200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium_large-width":200,"medium_large-height":200,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","large-width":200,"large-height":200,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","1536x1536-width":200,"1536x1536-height":200,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","2048x2048-width":200,"2048x2048-height":200,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","post_full_size-width":200,"post_full_size-height":200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","home_baner-width":200,"home_baner-height":200}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Connecting ignominious end to glorious beginning, signifies the possibility of a new beginning","post_main_content_content":"

What should we make of the strange coda to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem that concludes the Book of Kings? After recounting in unsparing detail the plundering of the Temple, the exile of people and finally the utter devastation of Judea, the author flashes forward 27 years into the depths of the Babylonian exile and gives us this little anecdote about the treatment of the exiled King Jehoiachin:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cIn the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah...King Evilmerodach of Babylon, in the year he became king, took note of King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a throne above those of other kings who were with him in Babylon. His prison garments were removed, and [Jehoiachin] received regular rations by his favor for the rest of his life. A regular allotment of food was given him at the instance of the king\u2014an allotment for each day\u2014all the days of his life\u201d (25:27-30).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The commentators are divided on how to read this vignette. Is Merodakh\u2019s patronizing treatment of the former King an expression of the ultimate degradation of Judah, as if Jehoiachin has become so harmless and pathetic that he no longer needs to be humiliated? Or should we see the material improvement of the former king as a sign of comfort and a portent that the worst is over and the Judah\u2019s fortunes are set to rise?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Da\u2019at Mikra shows how the narrative of the kingdom\u2019s decline and fall is replete with linguistic parallels to the descriptions of Judah at the height of its glory under David and Solomon.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For example, at the end of his life David blesses God that he has merited that \u201chis eyes see\u201d his son Solomon peacefully succeeding him on the throne\u201d (I Kings I:48). In grotesque contrast, King Zedekiah is made to watch as his sons are slaughtered in front of him, before the King\u2019s eyes are put out so he will see nothing else ever again (II Kings 25:7). The very last thing he is permitted to witness is the violent destruction of his dynasty. This awful episode is made more painful still by the reference to David seeing his son\u2019s serene succession.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Similarly, the epilogue, of Jehoiachin eating food from the King of Babylon\u2019s table is set against the effusive descriptions of the food at King Solomon\u2019s table (I Kings 5:2-3) and the multitudes who ate from the King\u2019s table at the zenith of the kingdom. Jehoiachin\u2019s humiliation is rendered all the more acute by this verbal resonance.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

And yet, Da\u2019at Mikra sees in this a sign of hope. All the degradations of Israel have now played out, the precise inverses of her glory days. Now that the punishment has been meted out in full, the recovery of the nation\u2019s fortunes can begin.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Fabre - Nabuchodonosor Has Zedekiah's Children Killed before his Eyes, 1787 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64578,"alt":"","title":"2kings25-Zedekiah's_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","width":651,"height":501,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes-300x231.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":231,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","medium_large-width":651,"medium_large-height":501,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","large-width":651,"large-height":501,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","1536x1536-width":651,"1536x1536-height":501,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","2048x2048-width":651,"2048x2048-height":501,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg","post_full_size-width":651,"post_full_size-height":501,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-Zedekiahs_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes-546x420.jpg","home_baner-width":546,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The 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His poems have won twenty-two prizes in international poetry competitions, and he has twice been awarded fellowships from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.","short_description":"Yakov Azriel is an English language poet who lives in Israel","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36670,"alt":"","title":"Yakov.Azriel.Photo","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","width":1099,"height":1519,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-217x300.jpg","medium-width":217,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":741,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","large-width":741,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","1536x1536-width":1099,"1536x1536-height":1519,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","2048x2048-width":1099,"2048x2048-height":1519,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-868x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":868,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-304x420.jpg","home_baner-width":304,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"This is the hour for which our captors yearned \/ This is the hour when heaven is overturned","post_main_content_content":"

This is the hour when Temple gates are burned,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>When altars are profaned, when Temple priests<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Become the sacrifice instead of beasts;<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>This is the hour for which our captors yearned.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>This is the hour when heaven is overturned,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>When sunsets in the west are now the east's<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Last hope of light, as shadows eat their feasts;<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>This is the hour when all our pleas are spurned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This is the hour when hours are scorched to death<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>And time itself is buried under sod;<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>The present has no life, the past \u2014 no power<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>To move its limbs, the future has no breath,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>When all we see is the hidden face of God.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>This is the month, week, day. This is the hour.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64557,"alt":"","title":"2kings24-hourglass","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","width":1920,"height":1097,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-300x171.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-768x439.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":439,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-1024x585.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":585,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":878,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1097,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-1200x686.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":686,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-735x420.jpg","home_baner-width":735,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"929 Poetry Corner","tile_main_caption":"The Hour Of The Temple's Destruction","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"This is the hour for which our captors yearned \/ This is the hour when heaven is overturned","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":64557,"alt":"","title":"2kings24-hourglass","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","width":1920,"height":1097,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-300x171.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-768x439.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":439,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-1024x585.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":585,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":878,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1097,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-1200x686.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":686,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-hourglass-735x420.jpg","home_baner-width":735,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"362","name":"Poetry","old_id":"762"},{"term_id":"420","name":"Time","old_id":"820"},{"term_id":"432","name":"Exile","old_id":"832"}]},{"order":4,"id":"64583","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Remaining In The Ruler\u2019s Good Graces ","post_title":"Remaining In The Ruler\u2019s Good Graces","slug":"remaining-in-the-rulers-good-graces","old_id":"64583","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34250,"post_title":"Sarah Rudolph","slug":"sarah-rudolph","old_id":"34250","first_name":"Sarah ","last_name":"Rudolph","description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor. She has been sharing her passion for Jewish texts of all kinds for over 15 years, with students of all ages. Sarah\u2019s essays have been published in a variety of internet and print media, including Times of Israel, Kveller, Jewish Action, OU Life, The Lehrhaus, TorahMusings, and more. Sarah lives in Cleveland with her husband and four children, but is privileged to learn online with students all over the world through www.TorahTutors.org and www.WebYeshiva.org. \r\n\r\n","short_description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34251,"alt":"","title":"Sarah R","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","width":2824,"height":4246,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-200x300.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":681,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","large-width":681,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","1536x1536-width":1022,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","2048x2048-width":1362,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-798x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":798,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-279x420.jpg","home_baner-width":279,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Like Joseph, Jehoiachin is released, and with him - hope for a return to grandeur.","post_main_content_content":"

The very end of the book of Kings might seem anticlimactic. We\u2019ve read chapter after chapter about prophets and kings, royal intrigue, wars and miracles, exile and destruction. The Holy Temple, so deeply longed for and celebrated at the beginning of Kings I, has just been conquered and destroyed by foreign rulers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We might expect the book to end with a powerful lament, or perhaps a prophecy of hope for the nation\u2019s future. Something on a grand enough scale to match the disaster that befell the people.\u00a0<\/span>But instead, we read somewhat mundanely that Jehoiachin, the defeated king of Judah, was released from prison. The end.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Then again, perhaps we shouldn\u2019t knock the small stuff; there can be important takeaways on every level.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For whatever reason the Babylonian king decided to release Jehoiachin, he didn\u2019t <\/span>only<\/span><\/em> release him. If we want to be metaphorically-literal about it, he \u201craised his head.\u201d In the much earlier story of Joseph, that phrase is used to describe both the baker\u2019s beheading and the butler\u2019s reinstatement (Genesis 40: 13, 19); in verse 27, we (and Jehoiachin himself?) may not be sure which sort of head-raising experience awaits. But as we read on, we discover what else the king did, that it was a reinstatement of sorts \u2013 not as king, but as a person of dignity. We also get some clues as to what it takes to create a sense of dignity for a person: kind words, social recognition, nice clothing, and food \u2013 not just a meal or two, but real food security. The parallels to Joseph\u2019s own release from prison are also quite striking!<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The inclusion of each of those details seems designed to highlight the necessity of them all; we might particularly note the apparently superfluous mention of kind words, without which even official status, nice clothing, and food security could leave a person feeling somewhat empty.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

At the same time, what the conquered Judaean king experiences on an individual level might indeed offer a message of hope on a grander scale. Jehoiachin\u2019s survival means there is hope for the survival of the Davidic line, and his survival with restored dignity signifies the hope that the dignity of the Jewish people will be restored. In fact, Jehoiachin\u2019s survival led to the birth of Zerubbabel \u2013 who ultimately leads the people back to their land.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jehoiachin\u2019s Babylonian imprisonment was temporary, and so was his people\u2019s Babylonian exile. Like him, the people will be restored, if not to their former glory, at least to a degree of dignity and security.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Of course, one wonders whether Jehoiachin could ever have felt completely secure, or whether he would have been constantly watching his step to remain in the Babylonian ruler\u2019s good graces \u2013 and it will be up to the Jewish people, when they do return to their land, to determine by their actions whether they will remain in their Ruler\u2019s good graces. The grand scale of Jewish history is far from complete.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image:\u00a0Engraving of \"Manasseh Led Away Captive\" published in The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,<\/em>\u00a0published by Charles Foster in 1883.\u00a0<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64584,"alt":"","title":"Manasseh Led Away Captive","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","width":1500,"height":844,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":844,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":844,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-746x420.jpg","home_baner-width":746,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Remaining In The Ruler\u2019s Good Graces","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Like Joseph, Jehoiachin is released, and with him - hope for a return to grandeur.","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":64584,"alt":"","title":"Manasseh Led Away Captive","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","width":1500,"height":844,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":844,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":844,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-king-prison-746x420.jpg","home_baner-width":746,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"432","name":"Exile","old_id":"832"},{"term_id":"523","name":"Joseph","old_id":"923"},{"term_id":"948","name":"Babylonians","old_id":"1348"}]},{"order":5,"id":"64574","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Bittersweet Endings ","post_title":"Bittersweet Endings","slug":"bittersweet-endings","old_id":"64574","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":49926,"post_title":"Binyamin Cohen","slug":"binyamin-cohen","old_id":"49926","first_name":"Binyamin ","last_name":"Cohen ","description":"Binyamin Cohen is a Jewish Studies teacher at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in Deerfield, IL. He completed his Master\u2019s in Jewish Education through Pardes Day School Educators Program in conjunction with Hebrew College. He is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and currently lives in Chicago.","short_description":"Binyamin Cohen is a Jewish Studies teacher at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in Deerfield, IL. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":49927,"alt":"","title":"binyamin cohen","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen.jpg","width":800,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen-240x300.jpg","medium-width":240,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen-768x960.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":960,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/binyamin-cohen-336x420.jpg","home_baner-width":336,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And intimations of redemption from small acts of kindness","post_main_content_content":"

The end of II Kings marks the end of the major narrative portions of the Tanach. One might wish that the story of the Israelites had ended in a happy, celebratory, victorious way, to parallel how that story began, with the Exodus. But if you\u2019ve been reading along with II Kings, you know that the story is going in a very different direction. In fact, on the face of it, this chapter is the most dire of all: Jerusalem is besieged, the city is breached, the Temple is then destroyed, and the people taken into exile. King Zedekiah witnesses his own sons\u2019 execution before having his eyes gouged out.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Finally, the last glimmer of hope is snuffed out with the assassination of Gedaliah by fellow Jews.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Throughout this chapter, the events are described in excruciating detail: we\u2019re told the geography of the city as the Babylonians rampage through it, we\u2019re told exhaustively of the spoils they took from the Temple, and we\u2019re given a long list of Judean dignitaries and officials executed by the Babylonian King.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The chapter, the book, the story: they all end with a twist. In the last few verses, all the despair and woe of the previous two chapters is set aside: Jehoiachin, formerly king of Judah, current Babylonian captive, is freed from captivity by the new Babylonian king. Not only is he freed, but we learn, in the exacting detail used in the rest of the chapter, that Jehoiachin is treated well and given a special place of honour in the Babylonian court.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Decades after his exile, and indeed decades after the destruction of the Temple, there is a glimmer of hope. Jehoiachin\u2019s freedom and elevation are a sign to the reader-in-exile that despite all the evil that has befallen us, times will change, things will get better, kindness will return.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One phrase is especially poignant: <\/span>vayedaber ito tovot <\/span><\/em>- <\/span><\/i>\u201cHe spoke kindly to him\u201d. The conquering king\u2019s kind words to Jehoiachin are the match that kindles the fire of hope. These last verses of the Israelite story forecast a renewal of hope, goodness, wholeness, all fueled by a simple kindness. So, it\u2019s true, the story doesn\u2019t end the same way it began. We left Egypt <\/span>beyad ramah<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>proudly and defiantly, our story is renewed with <\/span>tovot<\/span><\/em> with kindness, with simple good things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The end of the story tells us that new beginnings don\u2019t have to come from miracles and signs and wonders; they can come from small acts of kindness, that together are \u201clike the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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His first book \"I Kings - Torn in Two\" was published in 2013. 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Kings 25:27-30 is an enigmatic finale to Kings. Jerusalem is in ruins, its people exiled. Suddenly we read a snippet of information about the exiled king, as we jump forward thirty-seven years and hear that with the advent of a new Babylonian ruler, Jehoiachin has been released from his Babylonian incarceration. But why is this story included as the epilogue to the <\/span>churban<\/span><\/em>? What does it seek to convey?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Some look at this as a tale of pessimism and despair, continuing the gloom and doom of the book of Kings. In this reading the king languishes in exile, any hope of a collective return to Zion an absolute impossibility. The Judahite king is absolutely dependent upon his Babylonian benefactor. The <\/span>churban<\/em> <\/span>in this reading is final and definitive. Others, however, disagree, pointing to the release of the king as optimistic news. Corroboration for this may be found in the language, which speaks of the restoration of Jehoiachin's \"throne,\" and in the manner in which the king \"raised the head\" of Jehoiachin, a phrase which in its parallel usage in Genesis 40:13 connotes not merely freedom from incarceration but restoration to one's former position and prestige. Does the change in Jehoiachin's physical conditions and his newfound rise in status evoke some hope that better times are ahead?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One phrase which strikes us \u2014 almost the final word of the book \u2014 expresses how Jehoiachin's food is bestowed \"<\/span>devar yom beyomo<\/span><\/em>\" (II Kings 25:30), on a daily basis. This particular phrase appears in only one other place in Kings: at the dedication of the Temple. There Solomon says:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Let these words of mine, which I have pleaded before God, be close to the Lord God day and night, and may He maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, day by day \u2014 <\/span>devar yom beyomo<\/span><\/em>. (I Kings 8:59)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This, then, is a phrase of divine response to Israel's prayers. Evil-merodach's provision of Jehoiachin's daily requirements is indicative that God is in some manner engaging with His nation and acting with mercy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jehoiachin's reprieve offers a glimmer of hope, a sense that the tide has turned, and events may yet again shift in Israel's favor with the restoration to land, the Temple, and self-governance. Indeed, it shall be none other than Jehoiachin's grandson Zerubbabel who, one generation hence, will lead the exiles back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Alex Israel, II Kings: In a Whirlwind<\/em>, Maggid Books, 2019, The End<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":63310,"alt":"","title":"Alex Israel - 2_kings_cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","width":1711,"height":1821,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-282x300.jpg","medium-width":282,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-768x817.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":817,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-962x1024.jpg","large-width":962,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1443,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1711,"2048x2048-height":1821,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-1128x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1128,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-395x420.jpg","home_baner-width":395,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Excerpts from: II Kings - In A Whirlwind","tile_main_caption":"A Daily Allotment","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Events may yet again shift in Israel's favor with the restoration to land, the Temple, and self-governance","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":63310,"alt":"","title":"Alex Israel - 2_kings_cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","width":1711,"height":1821,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-282x300.jpg","medium-width":282,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-768x817.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":817,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-962x1024.jpg","large-width":962,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1443,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1711,"2048x2048-height":1821,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-1128x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1128,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-395x420.jpg","home_baner-width":395,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"432","name":"Exile","old_id":"832"},{"term_id":"451","name":"Hope","old_id":"851"}]},{"order":8,"id":"114986","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"The Tanakh Podcast-IIKings25","post_title":"The Tanakh Podcast-IIKings25","slug":"the-tanakh-podcast-iikings25","old_id":"114986","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33692,"post_title":"Alex Israel","slug":"33692-2","old_id":"33692","first_name":"Alex","last_name":"Israel","description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem. 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The Message Of The Book Of Kings","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"We conclude with a reflection on the broad message of the Book of Kings ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":108885,"alt":"","title":"-635baf915f04f--635baf915f050tanakh podcast - Alex Israel.JPG","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","width":350,"height":352,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG-298x300.jpg","medium-width":298,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","medium_large-width":350,"medium_large-height":352,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","large-width":350,"large-height":352,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","1536x1536-width":350,"1536x1536-height":352,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","2048x2048-width":350,"2048x2048-height":352,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","post_full_size-width":350,"post_full_size-height":352,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/10\/635baf915f04f-635baf915f050tanakh-podcast-Alex-Israel.JPG.jpg","home_baner-width":350,"home_baner-height":352}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/2C8JQGMvW57xJoXWRmn18X","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"589","name":"audio","old_id":"989"},{"term_id":"857","name":"podcast","old_id":"1257"}]},{"order":9,"id":"64544","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Mercy On King Jehoiachin ","post_title":"Mercy On King Jehoiachin","slug":"mercy-on-king-jehoiachin","old_id":"64544","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":54356,"post_title":"Robert Alter","slug":"robert-alter","old_id":"54356","first_name":"Robert ","last_name":"Alter","description":"Robert Alter is the Class of 1937 Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. 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Norton & Co., 2019.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":54357,"alt":"","title":"robert alter","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","width":184,"height":275,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","medium-width":184,"medium-height":275,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","medium_large-width":184,"medium_large-height":275,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","large-width":184,"large-height":275,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","1536x1536-width":184,"1536x1536-height":275,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","2048x2048-width":184,"2048x2048-height":275,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","post_full_size-width":184,"post_full_size-height":275,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","home_baner-width":184,"home_baner-height":275}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Cold comfort - or a glimmer of hope of salvation for a scion of David?","post_main_content_content":"

25:30 \u201cAnd his provision was a perpetual provision given him by the king day after day, all the days of his life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The historical event with which the Book of Kings ends is of course a complete catastrophe -- the utter destruction of Jerusalem, including temple and palace; the massacre of the royal line and the military and priestly elite; and the exile of a large part of the population.This concluding image, however, seeks to intimate a hopeful possibility of future restoration: a Davidic king is recognized as king, even in captivity, and is given a daily provision appropriate to his royal status. As he sits on his throne elevated above the thrones of all the other captive kings, the audience of the story is invited to imagine a scion of David again sitting on his throne in Jerusalem.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From: Robert Alter, <\/span>The Hebrew Bible<\/span><\/i>, vol. 2: Prophets, W. W. Norton & Co., 2019, ad loc. By permission of the author.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"From Robert Alter's Bible Translation and Commentary","tile_main_caption":"Mercy On King Jehoiachin","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Cold comfort - or a glimmer of hope of salvation for a scion of David?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"451","name":"Hope","old_id":"851"},{"term_id":"835","name":"King","old_id":"1235"}]},{"order":10,"id":"64580","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"A Silver Lining? ","post_title":"A Silver Lining?","slug":"a-silver-lining","old_id":"64580","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And the establishment of a model of Jewish leadership for the ages","post_main_content_content":"

If Nebuchadnezzar thought that the \u201cgift of God\u201d (Mataniah) persona would embolden Zedekiah (see chapter 24), he was right. After nine years of rebellion, the Babylonians returned to Jerusalem, besieged it for two years, and, having brought the population to starvation, breached the walls and put the city\u2014Temple and palaces alike\u2014to the torch.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Once again, the Temple vessels and furnishings were looted (implying that they had been restored or replaced after their earlier looting in Chapter 24). Those that could be carried off to Babylonia were taken there, while those that could not be transported intact\u2014like the bronze pillars, stands, and tank (13)\u2014were broken up and carried off piecemeal. Zedekiah paid a dear price for his rebelliousness: his own sons were killed in his presence and then he was blinded. The high priest, his deputy, and three official gatekeepers of the Temple were executed, along with the captain of the guard and other military officers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Again (see 24:14), only the upper class was exiled; the most impoverished of the population were left behind \u201cto be vinedressers and field hands\u201d (12). To govern them, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shafan, the latter two having been members of the delegation dispatched by King Josiah to inquire of the prophetess Hulda when the scroll of the law was discovered (2 Kings 22:12, 14). From a parallel passage in Jeremiah, we also learn that Ahikam defended that prophet from the mob that sought his death (26:24).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Since Jeremiah had counseled capitulation to Babylonia (which is why the mob wanted to lynch him), he was likely viewed favorably by Nebuchadnezzar, and the appointment of Ahikam\u2019s son may therefore have been seen as a politically safe one. Indeed, the only words of his that have been recorded in the Bible are \u201cStay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you\u201d (24). Gedaliah did not last long. He was assassinated by survivors of the royal family (hence the Fast of Gedaliah) and the remaining Judeans fled to Egypt in fear of Babylonian reprisal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On the other hand, the Book of Kings ends on a somewhat positive note: Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s son and successor eventually released Jehoiachin from prison (27), elevated him to the highest ranks of Babylonian nobility (28), and provided for his lifetime maintenance (29). According to later Jewish sources, the descendants of Jehoiachin became the exilarchs (<\/span>Rashei Golah<\/span><\/em>), empowered by the Babylonians\u2014and, later, the Persians, Medes, Greeks, Romans, and Muslims\u2014to oversee whatever self-rule the Jews of Babylonia were granted by their overlords. Even the family of the patriarch (<\/span>Nasi<\/span><\/i>), who served a similar function in the Land of Israel, acknowledged the superiority of the exilarchs on account of their more direct descent from the Davidic kings, and the Sabbath morning liturgical passage called <\/span>Yekum Purkan<\/span><\/em> (\u201cMay Deliverance Arise\u201d) still bestows blessings on the <\/span>Resh Galuta<\/span><\/em>, as he was called in Aramaic.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64581,"alt":"","title":"2kings25-exilarch","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","width":392,"height":521,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch-226x300.jpg","medium-width":226,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","medium_large-width":392,"medium_large-height":521,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","large-width":392,"large-height":521,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","1536x1536-width":392,"1536x1536-height":521,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","2048x2048-width":392,"2048x2048-height":521,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch.jpg","post_full_size-width":392,"post_full_size-height":521,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings25-exilarch-316x420.jpg","home_baner-width":316,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"A Silver Lining?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And the establishment of a model of Jewish leadership for the 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Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"840","name":"Jeremiah","old_id":"1240"},{"term_id":"948","name":"Babylonians","old_id":"1348"},{"term_id":"949","name":"Gedaliah","old_id":"1349"}]},{"order":11,"id":"64559","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"2","name":"All Has Been Undone ","post_title":"All Has Been Undone","slug":"all-has-been-undone","old_id":"64559","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":57331,"post_title":"Josh and Leora Blechner","slug":"josh-and-leora-blechner","old_id":"57331","first_name":"Josh and Leora ","last_name":"Blechner","description":"Josh and Leora Blechner have been learning Tanach together since Leora was five years old. Josh is an in-house attorney in New Jersey and Leora is a middle school student at SAR academy.","short_description":"Josh and Leora Blechner have been learning Tanach together since Leora was five years old. Josh is an in-house attorney in New Jersey and Leora is a middle school student at SAR academy.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":57484,"alt":"","title":"blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","width":501,"height":509,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1-295x300.jpg","medium-width":295,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","medium_large-width":501,"medium_large-height":509,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","large-width":501,"large-height":509,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":501,"1536x1536-height":509,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":501,"2048x2048-height":509,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1.jpg","post_full_size-width":501,"post_full_size-height":509,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blechner-1-413x420.jpg","home_baner-width":413,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"334","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The destruction matches the building in a chilling parallel\u00a0","post_main_content_content":"

The destruction of the Temple described in the 25th chapter of Kings II is tragic. The description is extremely detailed regarding what the Babylonians destroyed- the bronze columns, the bronze tank, the utensils and in chapter 24, the golden decorations of the Temple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why are only these items listed? At first glance it seems that the description is meant to increase the sadness and tragedy of the destruction. The special items are now being taken down and destroyed. The items listed specifically mention that Solomon built them. Why? What about the utensils from the Tabernacle? What about all the renovations added by other kings?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The answer could be that the text is trying to create a bookend to the building of the Temple back in 1 Kings chapter 6. Those chapters present in striking detail these items as part of the building of the Temple, while this chapter details each item as it is destroyed. In fact the two chapters also begin in similar fashion- both with a description of the exact date of the event- 1 Kings 6: <\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv\u2014that is, the second month\u2014in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, Solomon began to build the House of the LORD.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The final chapter, 2 Kings 25 begins in a similar fashion: <\/span><\/p>\r\n

And in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar moved against Jerusalem with his whole army. He besieged it; and they built towers against it all around.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What centuries earlier was hailed as the culmination of the settlement of the land of Israel has now been fully reversed by the destruction of the Temple.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image:\u00a0The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, by David Roberts, 1850 \/ wikipedia<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64572,"alt":"","title":"Destruction of Jerusalem by Ercole de' Roberti","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","width":1000,"height":637,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-300x191.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":191,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-768x489.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":489,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":637,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":637,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":637,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":637,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-659x420.jpg","home_baner-width":659,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"All Has Been Undone","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The destruction matches the building in a chilling parallel\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":64572,"alt":"","title":"Destruction of Jerusalem by Ercole de' Roberti","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","width":1000,"height":637,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-300x191.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":191,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-768x489.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":489,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":637,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":637,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":637,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":637,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings24-Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem-659x420.jpg","home_baner-width":659,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"432","name":"Exile","old_id":"832"},{"term_id":"778","name":"Temple","old_id":"1178"}]},{"order":12,"id":"63805","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Sefaria Source Sheets - 2 Kings 25 ","post_title":"Sefaria Source Sheets - 2 Kings 25","slug":"sefaria-source-sheets-2-kings-25","old_id":"63805","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42228,"post_title":"Sefaria","slug":"sefaria","old_id":"42228","first_name":"","last_name":"Sefaria","description":"Sefaria is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. 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\u201cFasting In Jewish Tradition\u201d<\/a> by Scott Bolton: The history of this pious practice.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe Biblical Story of Jerusalem\u201d<\/a> by Cathy Schechter: Tanakh texts about the holy city.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Source Sheets - 2 Kings 25","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":13,"id":"63777","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"A Lesson on the Daily Chapter- 2 Kings 25 ","post_title":"A Lesson on the Daily Chapter- 2 Kings 25","slug":"a-lesson-on-the-daily-chapter-2-kings-25","old_id":"63777","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":40936,"post_title":"David Silber","slug":"david-silber-2","old_id":"40936","first_name":"David ","last_name":"Silber ","description":"Rabbi David Silber is the Founder and Dean of Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. 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    \r\n\t
  1. Chronicles<\/em>. The destruction of Jerusalem and Judah occurred in the year 586 BCE. More details are presented in the book of Jeremiah, and also in Babylonian records.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Not a word<\/em>. Nothing is mentioned here about why the destruction occurred. There is a little in the previous chapter. All this is very different from the detailed parting from the kingdom of Israel (8 chapters ago, 2 Kings 17).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Dates and fasts<\/em>. The actual dates of the reported events are not listed in the chapter. But if we compare with other biblical sources, we can reconstruct the stages of the destruction in light of what we know from the fast days in the Hebrew calendar: Tevet (10th) - the onset of the siege; Tamuz (17th)\u00a0 - the breach of the wall; Av (9th) - the burning of the Temple and the destruction of Jerusalme, and Tishri (3rd) - the assassination of Gedaliah.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. Executive punishment<\/em>. In the context of the punishment of all of Judah, there are two groups of VIPs that are treated separately, as befits their status and authority. There\u2019s the king and his sons (verses 6-7), and other notables in verse 19.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  5. The horizon<\/em>. The relatively positive note upon which the Book of Kings ends, teaches us about when the chapter was composed. In the more distant future, Babylon will descend the stage of history, and a king by the name of Cyrus will ascend the throne, and allow the exiles to return to Judah. Stay with us!<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"2 Kings 25","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"25","chapter_main_number":"334","date":"20261209","wall_id":"334"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/64282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}