2. Broken Cisterns: The Tragedy of Choosing Less - Three Weeks Seminar

The second of a three-part series with Rabbanit Dr. Devorah Halevy on Nevi'im: Prophecies of Destruction. This class continues through the second chapter of Yirmiyahu, examining the nature of the failure the prophet describes and the reasons behind it. We begin with the problem itself, reading Yirmiyahu 2:4–25 alongside 6:16 and 18:11–17, passages that together portray a nation abandoning what has served it well in favor of what cannot serve it at all. We then consider the psychology underlying that choice, weighing three possible explanations: the assumption that what is new must be better, an entrenched unwillingness to listen, and a reluctance to undertake the more demanding path. The class concludes with a contemporary application, drawing on a passage from Rabbi Shimon Agassi in which the prophet's critique is brought to bear on the conditions of a later generation. (7/12/2026) — Please find the source materials below: https://www.sefaria.org/Steinsaltz_on_Jeremiah.1.1?lang=bi https://shiviti.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Chronology… https://shiviti.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Rabbi-Shim…