בס"ד
The haftorahs for the beginning of the book of Exodus deal with Nebuchadnezzar because of his conquest of Egypt. The havoc that he raked on them makes a useful companion to the Ten Plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. The religious literature about him is in severe contradiction. For the Talmud and modern commentaries it is visceral hatred for destroying the Temple. Curiously, thousands of years later he still strikes fear in the hearts of the Jewish people.
The Book of Jeremiah paints Nebuchadnezzar as the rod of HaKadosh Baruch Hu against the sinful nations, especially the Kingdom of Judah, a cruel conqueror, and God's appointed ruler of the world. Curiously, thousands of years later he still strikes fear in the hearts of the Jewish people. He was far bloodier than the kings of Judah and Israel. Nevertheless the prophet Daniel was a prominent member of his court and his interpretation of dreams particularly important. This is in contrast to Tzidkiyahu, King of Judah, who not only did not accept the prophecies of Jeremiah, but threw him in jail as well. The sin of Nebuchadnezzar was pride for which he greatly repented, and after a severe ordeal, he was proud to have perceived the pervasive, deep, omnipotence of G-d, the most high.
The book of Daniel deals with the interpretation of some of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams. In the first one (Daniel 2) he is severely troubled. He is not able to recall the dream, and demands that his mystics not only interpret it, but tell him what the dream was to begin with. When they reply that such a thing is impossible, the king then resolves to execute them all. The secret is then revealed to Daniel in a night vision.
The dream is of a statue that is struck by a stone hewn from it that causes it to crumble. The stone then becomes a mountain that fills the world. The statue has four parts. The head is gold and the feet are iron and clay mixed. These represent the four fundamental empires. The stone is a fifth kingdom which is the kingdom of heaven on earth. The golden head represents the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar which is the head of all the empires.
Nebuchadnezzar has another frightening prophetic dream whose story he recounts in a letter to the world. The content of the dream is symbolic. Daniel interprets it saying the king will have a terrible ordeal after which he will truly know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He pleases (ibid 22). Also that the ordeal will end and his kingdom will become an enduring one, when he knows that the heavens do in fact rule (ibid 23).
Twelve months later Nebuchadnezzar takes pride saying, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”, (ibid 27). At that point Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind. “He was driven away from people and ate grass like an ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird”, (ibid 30).
At the end of seven years, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. I blessed the Most High, and praised and glorified the Ever-Living One, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion And whose kingdom endures throughout the generations. All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account. He does as He wishes with the host of heaven, And with the inhabitants of the earth. There is none to stay His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ There and then my reason was restored to me, and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My companions and nobles sought me out, and I was reestablished over my kingdom, and added greatness was given me. So now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of Heaven, all of whose works are just and whose ways are right, and who is able to bring down those who behave arrogantly”,(ibid 31-35).
This seems to be the conclusion not only concerning Nebuchadnezzar but the experience of the nation of Israel from the period starting with the conquest of Israel under Joshua until slightly after the destruction of the first Temple. In essence they really did not accept that the words of the prophets had to be taken seriously especially the social criticism and threats of destruction with pride being a fundamental poison.
