ירמיהו, פרק ל״ו, פסוק כ״ד

Faced with harsh prophecies and severe divine warnings, the royal leadership displays a chilling apathy. Rather than showing signs of shock or remorse, the king and his court remain entirely unmoved. The natural expectation during such a moment is that the listeners would be struck with terror by the heavy messages read to them. They should have torn their garments as an expression of deep sorrow and mourning, ultimately leading them to repent before God [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The primary approach among commentators is that the failure to tear their clothing reflects a profound indifference toward the actual content of the prophecies. However, another perspective suggests that the expectation to mourn was triggered by a different offense entirely: the physical destruction of the scroll. According to this view, anyone who witnesses holy writings being burned is strictly obligated to tear their clothes in grief [מלבי״ם]. This understanding is rooted in the teachings of the early Sages, who concluded that seeing a sacred scroll forcefully destroyed or torn necessitates this physical act of mourning [רד״ק].

There are varying views regarding the exact identity of the servants who stood by the king and shared in this indifference. One approach identifies these individuals simply as the government ministers who were stationed beside the king at that time [מלבי״ם]. In contrast, another perspective draws a sharp distinction between the king's personal attendants and the government ministers. While the attendants inside the room remained completely apathetic, the ministers who originally brought the scroll were actually struck with genuine fear, going so far as to beg the king not to burn the sacred text [רד״ק].