God's gift to Jeremiah and Jeremiah's gift to us, if we choose to follow his example, is the gift of hope. Think of situations in your life when your beliefs conflicted with the reality at the time. Consider these questions on an individual level, on a family level, and then on a congregational or communal level. Throughout Jewish history, there were those who suggested that we forgo material things and withdraw from the world into a monastic existence. In this week's haftarah, when Jeremiah is confronted with a conflict, note that he does not withdraw from the world.
Many people take a dim view of Jeremiah.
Every community has disagreements about a broad span of issues, from high principles to the most mundane matters. Jeremiah's example combines both of these extremes. Jeremiah was able to convert the mundane physical realities of land and silver into a statement of faith. Maybe that is the key to the optimism we find in Parashat B'har and its accompanying haftarah. Both readings invite a discussion and a reevaluation of our attitudes toward the material world, success, power, and all the other prisons that may confine us.