ירמיהו, פרק ב׳, פסוק כ׳

The relationship between God and the Israelites is defined by a painful contrast between God's continuous acts of liberation and the people's repeated betrayal. Throughout history, God has freed them from crushing bondage. This liberation is compared to the removal of heavy burdens from a beast of burden, shattering the wooden yoke of hard labor and snapping the leather straps that bind it [רש"י, מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that this refers both to the ancient exodus from Egypt and to God's continuous rescue of the Israelites from the subjugation of other nations in every generation [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, צאינה וראינה]. Alternatively, this broken yoke was not political oppression, but the cruel and heavy burden of idolatry, which demanded horrific acts like human sacrifice. In its place, God granted the people true freedom and much lighter commandments [מלבי"ם].

In response to this liberation, the Israelites initially promised steadfast loyalty. They declared that they would no longer transgress God's laws and would cease worshiping other deities [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, מנחת שי]. However, a unique perspective interprets their response not as a pledge of loyalty, but as an outright rebellion. According to this view, the people refused to serve God because they desired the prestige of the priesthood for themselves. Since service in the Tabernacle and the Temple was strictly forbidden to anyone who was not a priest, the people chose to build private altars for idol worship, where ordinary citizens could freely offer sacrifices [אהבת יהונתן].

Whatever their initial intentions, the people quickly turned in the opposite direction [רש"י]. They established centers for idol worship on every high hill and beneath every moist, leafy tree [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This frantic devotion to idolatry is compared to the behavior of a wandering, unfaithful woman. The primary approach among commentators is that she does not stay in her home, but constantly travels from place to place, frantically moving from one idol and altar to another [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, צאינה וראינה]. This physical wandering was driven by an intense emotional storm and an internal restlessness fueled by a burning desire for betrayal [מלבי"ם]. Another interpretation suggests that her actions specifically evoke the preparation of a bed for illicit encounters [רש"י]. Ultimately, this powerful metaphor of prostitution primarily points to the spiritual and moral betrayal of abandoning God, while also serving as a stark reminder of the actual sexual immorality that was an inseparable part of Canaanite idol worship during that era [ביאור שטיינזלץ].