Yirmiyahu 24

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Two Baskets of Figs

In a vision, G-d showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs, which were ready to eat, in front of the Temple, after the Babylonian exile. One basket was full of very good, fresh figs. The other basket held figs that were so bad, they were inedible. G-d asked Jeremiah what he saw and Jeremiah told Him.

G-d said, "The exile of Judah is like the good figs; I exiled them among the Chaldeans for their own good and I will protect them. I will keep an eye on them and ultimately restore them to the land. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know Me; they will be My people and I will be their G-d. They will return to Me sincerely."

"The bad figs," G-d continued, "are King Tzidkiyahu and his court, the people who remain in Jerusalem and those who went to Egypt. They will be a horror and an example for the nations of the world. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are wiped off the face of the land."

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz