ירמיהו, פרק ט׳, פסוק י״ג

The moral failure of the people stems from a dangerous combination of unchecked personal desires and negative traditions passed down through the generations. Internally, they were led astray by the wild, untamed tendencies of their own hearts [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Expanding on this internal failure, another perspective suggests it was driven primarily by sight, as the people simply chased after whatever their eyes saw and their hearts coveted [מצודות].

Beyond these internal urges, the people were heavily influenced by the idol worship of their ancestors. This pursuit of false gods was not a sudden trend, but a deeply entrenched tradition inherited from the past [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that the ancestors did not pass down this way of life through formal, intellectual instruction. Instead, the older, wicked generations taught through habit and daily example. Children watched their parents worship idols and naturally adopted the same practices, absorbing the behavior through conditioning rather than study [רד״ק, מצודות]. Ultimately, it is this unbroken, deeply rooted chain of generational sin that brings about the punishment of the Israelites [ביאור שטיינזלץ].