ירמיהו, פרק ו׳, פסוק ט״ו

A state of deep moral decline reveals itself when a nation completely loses its sensitivity to sin and its ability to feel regret. When the people committed forbidden and disgraceful acts [מצודת ציון], the natural expectation was that they should have felt ashamed [רש"י, שטיינזלץ]. In fact, the severity of their actions should have brought about an overwhelming sense of shame [מלבי"ם]. A different perspective frames this as a rhetorical question of pure disbelief: did they truly feel any shame at all while committing such terrible deeds? [רד"ק]. Instead of recognizing their wrongs, they refused to seek guidance from the wise to learn the proper path, as their corrupt behavior appeared perfectly right in their own eyes [מצודת דוד].

Their emotional numbness manifested in a complete absence of shame on two distinct levels. Commentators distinguish between internal shame and external disgrace [מצודת ציון, רש"י]. Internal shame is a personal feeling of regret that a person feels within themselves. The people had sunk so low [שטיינזלץ] that they did not possess even the slightest amount of internal remorse for their evil actions [רש"י, מלבי"ם]. Furthermore, they lacked the capacity to feel external disgrace, which is the shame caused by the judgment of others. Even when they were openly rebuked and confronted about their wickedness, they felt absolutely nothing and completely ignored the criticism [רד"ק, מלבי"ם].

As a direct result of this complete loss of shame and their refusal to correct their ways, severe punishment was inevitable. The false prophets and the priests of Baal, who actively led the nation into this corruption, are destined to fall alongside the rest of the slain Israelites [רד"ק, שטיינזלץ]. This downfall is set to occur during a designated time of accounting [מצודת ציון]. At that proper moment, God will remember their sins and deliver punishment, pointing specifically to the catastrophic day of the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem [רד"ק, שטיינזלץ].