וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ דִּבְרֵ֣י הַסֵּ֔פֶר אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁלַ֛ח יִרְמְיָ֥ה הַנָּבִ֖יא מִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם אֶל־יֶ֜תֶר זִקְנֵ֣י הַגּוֹלָ֗ה וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֤ים וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙ וְאֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶגְלָ֧ה נְבֽוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֛ר מִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בָּבֶֽלָה׃
Ora, são estas as palavras da carta que Jeremias, o profeta, enviou de Jerusalém, aos que restavam dos anciãos do cativeiro, como também aos sacerdotes, e aos profetas, e a todo o povo, que Nabucodonozor levara cativos de Jerusalém para Babilônia,
Rabbeinu Bahya
This is proof of the preference G’d accorded to the soil of the land of Israel and how dear it is to the Lord. We also have a quotation from the Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 1,2 where the words from Jeremiah 29,1 אל יתר זקני הגולה ordinarily translated as “to the remainder of the elders in the diaspora,” are understood to mean that “the prophet spoke to the most distinguished people of the diaspora (יתר=יותר); He said that a small band of Jews in the land of Israel is dearer to Me (G’d) than the elders of the Supreme Court (and their accumulated wisdom) in the diaspora, wherever that may be.” When the elders of the Sanhedrin used to assemble (in anticipation of the new moon) in the office near the Sanctuary called לשכת הגזית they used to intone the formula מקודש, “it has been sanctified” three times after the testimony of witnesses claiming they had seen the new moon had been accepted. This day then was accepted in the celestial regions as the new moon. G’d would sit in judgment of people on New Year (which was also new moon) in accordance with the determination made on earth. Concerning this acceptance by the heavenly court of calendar decisions made by the Sanhedrin on earth, Psalms 57,3 writes אקרא לאלוקים עליון לאל גומר עלי, “I call to G’d Most High, to G’d Who is good to me.” David acknowledged that G’d agreed with him.
Rashi
and after that At the end of forty years, as Ezekiel stated (29:1 3ff.).