Haftarah · Expert – Beit Midrash Analysis · Standard
Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
Sugya Map
The opening of Sefer Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah 1:1-2:3) introduces a profound theological and halakhic sugya: the mechanics of divine agency (shlichut), the ontological shift from human speech to divine dictation, and the legal parameters of covenantal memory.
[The Call of Jeremiah]
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[Metaphysical Dialectic] [Halakhic Mechanics]
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Divrei Yirmiyahu The Law of Agency
vs. (Shlichut) in a Minor
Dvar Hashem (Na'ar: Katan vs. Gadol)
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Nafka Mina: Nafka Mina:
Do biographical narratives Does divine selection
possess the status of bypass the standard
Torah She-bi-chtav? halakhic barriers of Da'at?
The Core Issues
- The Metaphysical Dialectic of Prophetic Speech: The tension between the human agent (
דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ) and the divine source (דְּבַר-ה'). - The Halakhic Mechanics of Divine Agency (Shlichut): How a prophet’s protest of youth (na'ar) interacts with the legal requirements of cognitive maturity (da'at) required for agency.
- The Jurisprudence of Covenantal Memory: The legal invocation of Israel's early devotion (chesed ne'urayikh) as a defense brief in the cosmic courtroom of Rosh Hashanah.
Primary Nafka Minas (Practical/Conceptual Ramifications)
- The Halakhic Status of Prophetic Biography: If the book is defined as Divrei Yirmiyahu (the personal words and historical experiences of the prophet), do these narrative portions possess the formal status of Torah She-bi-chtav (Written Torah) regarding the daily blessing over Torah study (Bircat HaTorah)? Or do they require the overarching divine designation of Dvar Hashem to acquire this sanctity?
- The Disqualification of a Minor (Katan) in Shlichut: If Jeremiah’s protest "I am a youth" (na'ar) is taken as a literal halakhic assertion of minority, does God’s insistence that he serve as a prophet establish a precedent that divine agency bypasses the standard halakhic barriers of da'at (legal capacity)?
- The Liturgical Structure of Zichronot: Does the legal efficacy of invoking Israel's wilderness journey (
Jeremiah 2:2) on Rosh Hashanah stem from the objective status of the covenant (Berit), or does it operate as an subjective plea of zechut (merit) that reframes Israel’s current spiritual delinquency?
Primary Sources
- Talmudic:
Bava Kamma 2b,Megillah 14b,Rosh Hashanah 32a,Bava Metzia 96a,Makkot 24a. - Commentaries:
Radak on Jeremiah 1:1:1,Malbim on Jeremiah 1:1:1,Rashi on Jeremiah 1:1:1,Minchat Shai on Jeremiah 1:1:1.
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Text Snapshot
To appreciate the linguistic nuance of Jeremiah's consecration, we must analyze the opening verses with a grammarian's scalpel:
דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ בֶּן-חִלְקִיָּהוּ... אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר-ה' אֵלָיו... (ירמיהו א:א-ב)
Lexical and Syntactic Analysis
דִּבְרֵי(Divrei) vs.דְּבַר(Dvar): Verse 1 begins with the plural constructדִּבְרֵי("the words of"), associating the book's contents with the human persona of Jeremiah. Verse 2 immediately pivots to the singular constructדְּבַר("the word of"), attributing the source to the Tetragrammaton.Syntactically, verse 1 lacks a main verb; it is a hanging nominative. The sentence is only completed by the relative clause in verse 2,
אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר-ה' אֵלָיו("to whom the word of God came"). This syntactic friction indicates that the "words of Jeremiah" are grammatically and ontologically dependent upon the "word of God." The human biography is the vessel; the divine speech is the light.מִן-הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת("of the priests who were in Anathoth" -Jeremiah 1:1): The prepositionמִן("from" or "of") is partitive. Jeremiah was not just any priest; he was from the specific priestly family of Anathoth.As noted in
I Kings 2:26, Anathoth was the estate to which King Solomon banished Abiathar, the High Priest descended from Eli, thereby stripping him of the active priesthood. Jeremiah's lineage is thus marked by historical trauma and marginalization. His prophetic voice emerges from a deposed, exiled priestly dynasty.בְּטֶרֶם אֶצָּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" -Jeremiah 1:5): The verbאֶצָּרְךָ(from the root yod-tzade-resh, to form) is written with a single yod in the Masoretic text (the Kethib isאצורך), contrasting with the double yod of human creation inGenesis 2:7(וַיִּיצֶר).This orthographic deficit signifies a specialized, streamlined creation. Jeremiah’s physical formation was teleologically subordinate to his prophetic function.
The term
יְדַעְתִּיךָ("I knew you") here does not denote mere cognitive awareness; in Biblical Hebrew, yada frequently carries a legal sense of election or covenantal designation, similar toAmos 3:2(רַק אֶתְכֶם יָדַעְתִּי).כִּי-נַעַר אָנֹכִי("for I am a youth" -Jeremiah 1:6): The wordנַעַר(na'ar) is highly plastic. It can refer to an infant (Exodus 2:6), a young boy (I Samuel 1:24), or an active servant/soldier (II Kings 4:12).Jeremiah uses it here not merely to describe his biological age, but to declare his lack of legal and rhetorical standing. In a society governed by elders (zekenim), a na'ar is a non-entity in the public square.
Readings
To understand how the classical and modern commentators navigate these opening verses, we must analyze their interpretations through a conceptual framework.
[Prophetic Authority & Lineage]
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[The Radak's Model] [The Malbim's Model]
- Hilkiah is the High Priest - Tripartite boundaries of text
- Jeremiah's call predates Josiah's reform - "Benjamin" geography = objective distance
- Prophesied to an unrepentant nation - "Divrei" indicates multiple genres
1. Radak (R. David Kimhi): The Historical-Biographical Axis
Radak begins by addressing the genealogical identity of Jeremiah’s father, Hilkiah. Citing his father, R. Joseph Kimhi, Radak asserts:
"This Hilkiah is indeed Hilkiah the High Priest who found the Torah scroll in the House of God during the reign of Josiah." (Radak on
Jeremiah 1:1:1)
This identification is not merely a genealogical footnote; it is a critical interpretative key to the chronology of the book.
If Jeremiah’s father was the High Priest who initiated the Josianic reformation (II Kings 22:8), then Jeremiah’s prophetic call in the thirteenth year of Josiah (Jeremiah 1:2) actually predates the discovery of the Torah scroll in the eighteenth year of Josiah (II Kings 22:3) by five years.
This chronological gap is crucial. For his first five years, Jeremiah was prophesying to a nation that had not yet experienced the radical, state-sponsored repentance sparked by the discovery of the scroll. He was speaking into a spiritual vacuum, which explains the raw, uncompromising bitterness of his early prophecies.
Radak further addresses why Jeremiah's book is titled "The Words of (Divrei) Jeremiah" rather than "The Vision of (Chazon) Jeremiah" (as in Isaiah) or "The Word of God to..." (as in Hosea). He explains that the book contains a high concentration of the prophet’s personal biography, his physical sufferings, and his dialogues with his persecutors:
"And the reason it begins with 'The Words' is because it includes all the words of prophecy... and also his own words, what happened to him in his interactions with Israel... And our Sages expounded that three prophets had their prophecies attributed to their own 'words' because their prophecies consisted of words of rebuke: Kohelet, Amos, and Jeremiah." (Radak on
Jeremiah 1:1:3)
For Radak, the term Divrei signals that the prophet's personal narrative is an integral part of the revelation. The biography of the prophet is itself a form of Torah.
2. Malbim (Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser): The Tripartite Epistemology of the Text
Malbim, operating with his characteristic analytical precision, views the first three verses of Jeremiah as a systematic definition of the book's boundaries (gvulot). Every book, Malbim argues, is limited by three parameters: its form/subject matter (tzurah), its author/agent (po'el), and its historical timeframe (zman).
[Malbim's Tripartite Model]
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[Subject/Form] [Author] [Time]
- "Divrei" - "Priest of Anathoth" - "Thirteenth year of Josiah..."
- Multi-generic (Visions, - Benjamin pedigree - Adaptability of divine voice
Rebukes, Narratives) = sociological distance across changing political eras
Subject and Form (Tzurah)
Malbim explains that the word דִּבְרֵי (Divrei) indicates a multi-generic work:
"The first three verses bring out the boundaries of the essence of the book in all its details... On this it says, 'Divrei'—the words—to show that Sefer Yirmiyahu includes many types of literary output. In it, you can find visions, prophecies, narratives, rebukes, and laments." (Malbim on
Jeremiah 1:1:1)
Unlike other prophetic books that are limited to pure nevuah (prophetic oracle), Jeremiah's book is a composite literary work where the historical prose is just as inspired as the poetic oracles.
The Author (Po'el)
Why does the text specify that Jeremiah was "of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin"? Malbim introduces a profound sociological insight:
"He was from the land of Benjamin, not from the people who lived in Jerusalem. The person who rebukes, if he is from a different city, the people he is addressing will not recognize him, and he will not hold back from giving them rebuke out of social awkwardness or local patriotism. Furthermore, his words will be heard better because he is seen as objective." (Malbim on
Jeremiah 1:1:1)
By placing Jeremiah in Anathoth of Benjamin, the text establishes his sociological distance from the Jerusalemite aristocracy. Jeremiah is an outsider, a country priest from a deposed lineage. This geographical and social alienation is what grants him the moral authority and objective distance required to deliver his devastating critiques of the Jerusalem establishment. He has no political skin in the game.
The Time (Zman)
Malbim notes that the timeframe of Jeremiah's prophecy—spanning from the thirteenth year of Josiah, through Jehoiakim, to the eleventh year of Zedekiah—encompasses three radically different political and spiritual epochs:
"He prophesied in three changing time periods, where the spiritual stance of the nation and the kings was constantly shifting." (Malbim on
Jeremiah 1:1:1)
The divine word did not operate in a historical vacuum; it was highly adaptive, responding to the shifting geopolitical realities of the Neo-Babylonian expansion and the internal moral collapse of the Judean monarchy.
3. Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki): The Midrashic Dialectic of Lineage
Rashi, drawing upon classical Rabbinic midrash, focuses on the genealogical contrast presented in the opening verse:
"The words of Jeremiah... Let the son of the harlot (or the woman of proper deeds who descended from her) come and rebuke the son of the righteous woman whose deeds are corrupt. Jeremiah was descended from Rahab the harlot, and let him come and reprove Israel, who are descended from legitimate, noble seed but corrupted their deeds." (Rashi on
Jeremiah 1:1:1, citingPesikta de-Rav Kahana 13)
This midrashic reading, preserved by Rashi, introduces an incredible dialectic of lineage (yichus) and moral responsibility. Rahab, the Canaanite harlot of Jericho, possessed the lowest possible genealogical and moral starting point. Yet, through her recognition of the God of Israel (Joshua 2:11), she converted, entered the covenant, and became the maternal ancestor of a noble prophetic line.
Conversely, Israel, possessing the ultimate pedigree as the descendants of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, abused their inherited privilege and descended into idolatry.
[The Rashi/Midrashic Contrast]
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[The Ancestor: Rahab] [The Nation: Israel]
- Lowest moral/genealogical start - Highest genealogical pedigree
- Rose to sanctity through faith - Descended to idolatry
- Progenitor of Jeremiah - Deserving of rebuke
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[The Moral: Pedigree does not
guarantee righteousness]
Lomdisch, this midrash dismantles the concept of inherited spiritual immunity. The "son of Rahab" possesses the moral authority to rebuke the "sons of Sarah" because his very existence proves that spiritual status is earned through action, not inherited through blood. The pedigree of the patriarchs cannot shield a generation that acts like the inhabitants of Canaan.
Friction
Kushya: The Metaphysical Paradox of Pre-Natal Consecration vs. Free Will
The most glaring conceptual difficulty in the opening chapter of Jeremiah lies in the tension between God's declaration of pre-natal election and Jeremiah's subsequent protest.
[The Metaphysical Friction]
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[Premise A: Divine Determinism] [Premise B: Human Agency]
"Before I formed you in the womb "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do
I knew you... I consecrated you" not know how to speak, for
(Jeremiah 1:5) I am a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6)
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[How can a pre-ordained
messenger protest his
very capacity to speak?]
If Jeremiah’s prophetic identity was hardwired into his soul before his physical formation, his protest "I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6) seems highly problematic. If God has already consecrated (hikdashticha) and appointed (netaticha) him, then his human limitations are irrelevant.
How can a pre-ordained messenger protest his very capacity to speak? If the consecration is an absolute, ontological reality, then Jeremiah's protest is a theological impossibility or a farce. If, on the other hand, Jeremiah can legitimately refuse, then what is the meaning of "before you were born, I consecrated you"?
Terutz A: The Ontological vs. Epistemic Distinction (The Metaphysical Resolution)
To resolve this friction, we must distinguish between the cheftza (the objective object) of the prophetic soul and the gavra (the subjective subject) of the human personality.
When God says, "Before I formed you... I consecrated you," He is speaking of the cheftza—the metaphysical capacity of Jeremiah's soul. The potential to receive the highest levels of prophecy was indeed embedded in his spiritual DNA from conception.
However, the actualization of this potential (b'poel) requires the cooperation of the gavra—the conscious, human intellect of Jeremiah.
[The Metaphysical Resolution]
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[The Cheftza (Object)] [The Gavra (Subject)]
- The Prophetic Soul - The Human Intellect
- Ontologically consecrated - Epistemically limited
- God's domain ("I formed you") - Jeremiah's domain ("I am a youth")
Jeremiah's protest is not a rebellion against the divine decree; it is an honest epistemic evaluation of his human instrument. He is saying:
"My soul (cheftza) may be consecrated for prophecy, but my physical intellect and speech organs (gavra) are still unformed; I am a na'ar. The human vessel is currently too narrow to channel the infinite light of the divine word."
God's response in verse 9 resolves this mismatch not by dismissing Jeremiah’s protest, but by upgrading his physical vessel:
"Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'" (
Jeremiah 1:9)
The divine touch is the bridge between the ontological potentiality (koach) and the physical actuality (poel). It transforms Jeremiah's speech organs into a direct extension of the divine will.
Terutz B: The Brisker Analysis of Shlichut (The Halakhic Resolution)
A second, highly rigorous resolution can be formulated using the halakhic categories of shlichut (agency).
In the laws of agency, there is a fundamental rule: "A minor cannot appoint an agent, nor can he act as an agent" (Bava Metzia 96a). The reason is that agency requires da'at (legal competence and intellectual maturity).
When Jeremiah protests, "I cannot speak, for I am a na'ar," he is raising a formal halakhic objection. He is arguing that as a na'ar (which can denote a minor), he lacks the requisite da'at to serve as a shaliach (agent) for the Sovereign of the Universe.
[The Halakhic Resolution]
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[Standard Human Shlichut] [Divine Shlichut]
- Requires independent Da'at - Messenger's Da'at is nullified
- Agent represents the Sender - Sender's Da'at replaces the Agent's
- Minor is disqualified - Minor can serve as a conduit
To resolve this, we must analyze the underlying mechanism of divine shlichut. In human law, the agent must possess independent da'at because he acts on behalf of the sender, using his own mind to execute the transaction.
However, in divine prophecy, the prophet does not act as an independent representative. Rather, his personal intellect is completely nullified (bitul) and subsumed by the divine mind. As Maimonides writes:
"When any prophet prophesies, his physical faculties tremble, his body becomes weak, and his thoughts are cleared of everything except the vision he sees..." (Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah
Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 7:2)
Therefore, the prophet's own da'at is not a prerequisite for the shlichut to take effect. In this unique model of agency, the Sender (Meshaleach) supplies the da'at for the agent (shaliach).
God's response to Jeremiah, "Do not say 'I am a youth'... for wherever I send you, you shall go" (Jeremiah 1:7), is a divine decree that redefines the legal category of his mission. It is not a shlichut of representation, but a shlichut of pure transmission, where the divine mind entirely supplants the human mind. Jeremiah's lack of personal da'at is therefore no barrier.
Intertext
1. Moses vs. Jeremiah: The Evolution of Prophetic Speech
A direct comparative analysis between the call of Moses (Exodus 4:10-12) and the call of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-9) reveals a significant development in the nature of prophetic agency.
| Feature | Moses (Exodus 4) |
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1) |
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| The Protest | "I am not a man of words... heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue." | "I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth." |
| Nature of Impediment | Physical/structural (speech impediment). | Developmental/existential (youth, lack of status). |
| Divine Response | Cosmic appeal: "Who gave man a mouth? ... Is it not I, the Lord?" | Intimate physical contact: God reaches out and touches his mouth. |
| Prophetic Medium | The external Written Law (Stone Tablets). | The internalized word; the prophet's body is the medium. |
This comparison highlights a transition in the medium of revelation. Moses, the lawgiver, receives a message that remains objective and external to him—written on stone tablets. His physical speech impediment is bypassed by appointing Aaron as his spokesman (Exodus 4:16).
Jeremiah, however, is called to be a prophet of destruction and exile, where the message cannot be separated from the messenger. His very body, his tears, and his suffering must become the medium of the prophecy.
Therefore, God does not appoint a spokesman for Jeremiah. Instead, He physically touches his mouth, internalizing the divine word: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth" (Jeremiah 1:9). The word is no longer external; it is integrated into the prophet's physiology.
2. The Almond Branch (Shaqed) and the Staff of Aaron
In Jeremiah 1:11-12, Jeremiah experiences his first vision:
"The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' And I said: 'I see an almond branch (makel shaqed).' Then the Lord said to me: 'You have seen well; for I am watchful (shoqed) to perform My word.'"
This vision directly connects to Numbers 17:23, where Aaron's staff miraculously buds and produces almonds (shkedim) to validate his priestly authority.
[The Almond (Shaqed) Connection]
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[Numbers 17:23] [Jeremiah 1:11-12]
- Aaron's staff buds almonds - Jeremiah sees an almond branch
- Validates priestly authority - Signifies speed of divine judgment
- Sign of life from a dead branch - 21 days from blossom to fruit
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[Temporal Blueprint]
- 17th of Tammuz to 9th of Av
- Exactly 21 days of catastrophe
While in Numbers the almond represents life emerging from a dead branch (validating the choosing of Aaron), in Jeremiah it represents the speed of divine judgment.
As Rashi notes, the almond tree is the fastest of all fruit trees to blossom and produce fruit, taking exactly 21 days from the initial blossom to the ripe fruit:
"Why an almond? Because it is the quickest to blossom... so too, I am hastening to perform My word. And the Midrash says: From the seventeenth of Tammuz until the ninth of Av is twenty-one days, matching the time it takes for the almond to ripen." (Rashi on
Jeremiah 1:12:1)
The almond branch is a precise botanical-temporal blueprint. It calibrates the speed of the impending catastrophe. The 21 days required for the almond to mature correspond to the 21 days of national tragedy between the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem on the 17th of Tammuz (Mishnah Taanit 4:6) and the destruction of the Temple on the 9th of Av.
Psak/Practice
1. The Liturgical Jurisprudence of Rosh Hashanah: Zichronot
The closing verse of our text, Jeremiah 2:2, plays a critical role in the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah:
"Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: 'Thus saith the Lord: I remember for thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.'"
In the Musaf service of Rosh Hashanah, the middle blessing is divided into three sections: Malchuyot (Kingship), Zichronot (Remembrances), and Shofarot (Blasts). The Mishnah in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 4:6 outlines the requirement to recite ten verses for each section, including verses from the Prophets (Nevi'im).
The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah 32a discusses which verses are acceptable for Zichronot. We require verses that express a memory of redemption, covenant, and divine favor, rather than memories of punishment.
[Zichronot Liturgical Flow]
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[The Accusation (Satan)] [The Defense (Israel)]
- Cites current sins and - Invokes Jeremiah 2:2
spiritual failures. - Reminds the Court of the
original wilderness betrothal.
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[The Legal Result]
- The original contract (Ketubah)
prevents unilateral divorce.
From a halakhic perspective, the invocation of Jeremiah 2:2 serves as a primary defense brief in the cosmic courtroom. When the prosecuting angel (Satan) accuses Israel of spiritual delinquency based on their current actions, the defense counsel (Israel) introduces this verse as a binding legal precedent.
The wilderness journey was not merely a historical event; it was the act of Kiddushin (betrothal) between God and Israel. In halakha, a husband who betroths a woman under difficult conditions ("in a land not sown") cannot easily divorce her for subsequent waywardness without accounting for her initial devotion.
By reciting this verse, we legally bind the Almighty to remember the original terms of the contract (Ketubah), effectively neutralizing the prosecution's case.
2. The Halakhic Cycle of the Haftarot: Trei de-Paranuta
The Shulchan Aruch codifies the mandatory reading of this text as the Haftarah for the first of the "Three Weeks" of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av:
"And we read three Haftarot of affliction (Trei de-Paranuta): the first is 'The words of Jeremiah' (Jeremiah 1:1)..." (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 428:8)
[Trei de-Paranuta Halakhic Cycle]
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[The Timing] [The Conceptual Purpose]
- First Sabbath of the Three Weeks - The rebuke is itself an act of love
- Initiates the mourning period - The medicine is delivered before
the blow lands
The choice to begin the three weeks of mourning with the call of Jeremiah, rather than his later prophecies of explicit destruction, is halakhically significant. It establishes that the prophetic rebuke is itself an act of divine love and relationship.
Before the blow lands, God establishes the agency of the prophet, showing that the ultimate goal of the exile is not destruction, but the restoration of the relationship described in Jeremiah 2:2. The medicine of teshuvah (repentance) is prepared and offered before the wound is inflicted.
Takeaway
The call of Jeremiah reveals that human inadequacy does not invalidate divine agency; rather, it is the very vessel through which the divine word is sharpened, transforming our deepest vulnerabilities into fortified walls of truth.
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