Ekhah
Introduction
The Book of Lamentations, especially 1:21; 2:2f speak of two phases of the Day of the L-rd, the first already past in the fall of Jerusalem and the dissolution of the people of Judah, and a second in store for the gloating enemies of G-dʼs people. Therefore those who speak of “Israelʼs Final Holocaust” had better be reminded that it will also be a holocaust for all the nations of the world. Jeremiah is the traditional author of Lamentations in the closing days of Judahʼs conflict with Babylon around 586, the date of Jerusalemʼs final capitulation to Nebuchadnezzar. The ninth of Av (August) is the Jewish commemoration of this disaster, and on that day, a full fast day, this scroll is read in the synagogue following the evening services. The other days associated in some way with this event are the Tenth of Tevet (marking the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem), the Seventeenth of Tammuz (which marks the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege), and the Fast of Gedaliah (the third day of Tishri, the day following Rosh HaShanah, Tzom Gedaliah commemorating his assassination after he was appointed Governor of the Jewish people by Nebuchadnezzar). In this book of Ekhah (Lamentations), Jerusalem is personified and she weeps bitterly (1:2) because Judah has gone into the Golus (Exile) — see 1:3-5. The prodigal city remembers the wonderful days of old when her festivals brought rejoicing multitudes to her Beis Hamikdash. Now those days are gone, and she is mocked and despised, and enemies have invaded her sanctuary (1:10). Like the Moshiach, hanged on the etz, the city is naked and humiliated and left to be seen by passers-by. “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Consider, and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith Hashem hath afflicted me in the Yom Charon Af (day of His fierce anger)” (Lam 1:12). See Lam 2:22. Jerusalem remembers her false prophets with their false and misleading visions (2:14) and her prophets who obtain no vision from the L-rd (2:9) and she remembers her own rebellion against G-dʼs word (1:18), and sees that all this desolation of altar and sanctuary, all this abolition of festival and Shabbos, is just punishment from Hashem Himself. The Gentile enemies gloat over her when they see Jerusalemʼs destruction in the Babylonian Exile, but she calls on G-d to bring on the Day of the L-rd when all the Gentile nations of the world will become as Jerusalem is (1:21). Judgment only begins at the household of G-d. See 3:64 and Zech 1:15; 2:8. A terrible picture of Gehinnom is seen in 3:7-8, for here we view a people (pre-Exilic Jerusalem) who refused to know G-d and we see them frozen in Gehinnom-like divine judgment. We are reminded again of the pierced Moshiach surrounded by mockers when we read 3:14. See also 3:30,52-57. The burden of proof today is still on Judahʼs religious leaders as to whether or not they rebel against G-dʼs word (1:18), since it was their sins which caused the destruction of Jerusalem (4:13-16). They were as unreliable as that ally Egypt, a nation that could not save (4:17). Jewish religious leaders must prove that they rightly interpret the word of G-d, because that desolate Jerusalem is still a rebuke and a challenge against them. Note for street ministry: homelessness is mentioned in 5:2. Jerusalemʼs survivors are homeless after G-dʼs judgment falls on them. But see the song of hope in 3:22-23. We see that to be thus humbled is good (3:27-29). There is hope in 3:31-32. If we don't grow bitter toward G-d but instead test and examine our ways and return to the L-rd, then there is indeed good in being humbled by Hashem (3:39-40). The hope of Israelʼs ultimate return to G-d is stated in 4:22 and 5:21. This is still the great hope of all Biblically defined believers. When one reads this book one needs to revisit the material in Lv 26 and Dt 27—28. See. Lam 2:17. This book is a vindication of Jeremiahʼs ministry and many of the prophetic themes of his preaching. Immediately in Jeremiahʼs ministry G-d shows him the coming crisis that we see has played out in Lamentations, represented by a “boiling pot, tilted away from the north” (Jer 1:13). This pot was going to boil over and pour its hot lava of destruction as foreign soldiers came down on Jerusalem from the north. This threat from the north (Jer 1:14; 4:6; 6:1,22; 10:22; 13:20; 16:15; 25:9,26; 31:8) became concrete in the persons of King Nebuchadnezzarʼs Babylonian soldiers. G-d is telling Jeremiah to preach that there is no escape from these soldiers. The people have broken G-dʼs Law and now Hashem is sending His divine marshalls to put the people under arrest and take them off to Babylon to serve a Seventy Year Exile prison sentence (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). Go peaceably, Jeremiah preaches, and you will live. If the nation humbles itself and waits on Hashem, the nation will return. But whoever attempts to resist the divine arrest will be put to death. They will be like bad figs (Jer 24:8), and because of their disobedience G-d will not give them a heart to know Him (Jer 24:7). This was Jeremiahʼs hard message, which cost him dearly, and brought great persecution down on his head. But, ironically, weak, isolated Jeremiah, the maggid with the dangerous and wrath-provoking message, is in much safer hands than the sonerous-voiced false prophets and power-wielding political leaders, who stir up violence against Jeremiah as a traitor. For Hashem promises to protect Jeremiah but to put to death these enemies of his, both Jews and Gentiles, with judgment beginning at the household of G-d (see Jer 1:18-19; 25:8-9,29) and climaxing in the Day of the L-rd (Jer 25:33; 46:10). “Flight shall fail the shepherds” (Jer 25:35), a prophecy that proved true for fleeing King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (Jer 52:1-11). All the wicked must drink the lethal cup of judgment that is coming (Jer 25:28), even ultimately that anti-Moshiach King of Babylon (Jer 25:26). The reason for the coming Babylonian Exile is given in Jer 5:18-19, the land of Israel was full of elilim (idols). See also Jer 9:12-16; 10:5,18,21; 16:11-13. The sin of Manasseh (Jer 15:4; 2Kgs 21:6), especially child sacrifice (Jer 7:30-34) brought great national disaster on Judah, just as the abortion holocaust will bring great grief on any country. Consequently, G-dʼs wrath burns against her, and G-d is going to turn Jerusalem into an abortion and it will be no place to marry or to bear children (Jer 16:3-4). Jerusalem will be like a rejected prostitute (Jer 3:2-3; 4:29-31) because she has stubbornly rejected Hashem, her true husband, and has given herself in spiritual adultery to false g-ds, the Baals and all the worthless foreign idols that have taken over her land. Nothing short of the Babylonian exile would cure her of this sin of changing her g-ds (Jer 2:11). What is amazing is that the kingdom of Judah does not learn her lesson by seeing the idolatrous northern kingdom of Israel go off (722 B.C.E.) into captivity because of this very sin (Jer 3:6-10); Judah has to undergo a similar punishment herself to get cured of idolatry. But, to put it simply, the main fault that brought all this punishment on G-dʼs people was refusal to listen to the prophetic Word of the Scriptures (Jer 25:4-7; 32:33-35; 35:15-17). Jeremiah did not have a popular message to preach (look at it — Jer 13:19; also 15:10), and many people opposed him. Who wanted to hear someone prophesy massacre and national desolation (see, for example Jer 9:22)? But all Jeremiah was preaching was Deuteronomy 28 and its covenant reprisals and curses (see Jer 11:2-4; 34:18). Nevertheless, some men from Jeremiahʼs hometown (Anatot near Jerusalem) were so embarrassed and infuriated by his preaching that they started a conspiracy to kill him (Jer 11:8-23). The political leaders were stupid, because they did not inquire of the L-rd (Jer 10:21) but had rejected the Word of G-d (Jer 8:9).
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1 How doth HaIr (the city, Yerushalayim) sit solitary,
that was full of people!
How is she become like an almanah (widow)!
She that was great among the Goyim,
and sarah (princess) among the provinces,
how is she become a forced laborer!
2 She weepeth bitterly in the lailah (night),
and her tears are on her cheeks;
among all her lovers she hath no Menachem (comforter);
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
3 Yehudah is gone into the Golus (Exile) under affliction,
and under great avodah (servitude);
she dwelleth among the Goyim;
she findeth no manoach (rest);
all her rodefim (persecutors)
overtook her in dire straits.
4 The darkhei Tziyon (approaches to Tziyon) do mourn,
because none come to mo'ed (set feasts);
all her she'arim (gates) are desolate;
her kohanim sigh,
her betulot (virgins) are afflicted,
and she is in bitterness.
5 Her adversaries are now the rosh (supreme, master);
her enemies prosper;
for Hashem hath afflicted her
because of the multitude of her peysha'im (transgressions);
her olalim (little children) are gone
into captivity before the enemy.
6 And from Bat Tziyon
all her beauty has departed;
her sarim (princes) are become like deer
that find no pasture,
and they are gone without strength
before the rodef (persecutor, pursuer).
7 In the yamim (days) of her affliction
and of her persecutions,
Yerushalayim remembers all her pleasant things
that she had miymei kedem (in the days of old).
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
and there was no ozer (helper) for her,
the adversaries saw her,
and did mock at her downfall.
8 Yerushalayim hath grievously sinned;
therefore she is niddah*(unclean, Jewish womanʼs untouchability during menstruation);
all that honored her despise her,
because they have seen her erom (nakedness);
yea, she sigheth, and turneth away for shame.
9 Her filthiness is in her skirts;
she remembereth not her latter end;
therefore she sank appallingly;
she had no Menachem (comforter).
O Hashem, behold my affliction;
for the enemy hath triumphed.
10 The adversary hath spread out his hand
upon all her precious things;
for she hath seen how the Goyim
entered into her [Beis] Hamikdash,
whom Thou didst command that
they should not enter into Thy Kahal (congregation, community).
11 All her people sigh, they seek lechem;
they have given their precious things
for bread to revive the nefesh;
see, O Hashem, and consider
that I am become despised.
12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?
Consider, and see
if there be any sorrow like my sorrow,
which is done unto me,
wherewith Hashem hath afflicted me
in the Yom Charon Af (day of His fierce anger).
13 From above hath He sent eish
into my atzamot (bones), and it prevaileth against them;
He hath spread a net for my feet,
He hath turned me back;
He hath made me desolate and kol hayom (ever) languishing.
14 The yoke of my peysha'im hath been fastened by His hand;
they† intertwine themselves and set upon my tzavar (neck);
He hath made my strength to fall;
Adonoi hath delivered me into their hands,
from whom I am not able to rise up.
15 Adonoi hath taken away
all my strong ones in my midst;
He hath proclaimed a mo'ed (set time) against me
to crush my young men;
Adonoi hath trodden the winepress
for the Betulat Bat Yehudah.
16 For these things I weep;
mine eye, mine eye runneth down with mayim,
because the Menachem (comforter)
that should refresh my nefesh is far from me;
my children are desolate,
because the enemy hath prevailed.
17 Tziyon stretcheth forth her hands,
yet there is no Menachem (comforter) for her;
Hashem hath commanded concerning Ya'akov,
that his adversaries should be round about him;
Yerushalayim is as a niddah (menstruous woman) among them.
18 Tzaddik is Hashem;
for I have rebelled against His mouth;
hear, I pray you, kol amim (all people),
and behold my sorrow;
my betulot and my bochurim
are gone into captivity.
19 I called for my lovers,
but they have deceived me;
my kohanim and my zekenim
gave up the ghost‡ in HaIr (the City),
while they sought okhel (food)
to revive their nefashot.
20 Consider, O Hashem how I am in distress;
my bowels are troubled;
mine lev is turned within me;
for I have grievously rebelled;
without,§ the cherev (sword) bereaveth,
within* it is like mavet (death).
21 They have heard that I sigh;
there is no Menachem (comforter);
all mine enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that Thou hast done it;
Thou bringest the Yom Karata (the day that Thou has proclaimed),
that they† [all the peoples] may be like me.
22 Let all their wickedness come before Thee;
and do unto them,
as Thou hast done unto me for all my peysha'im;
for my sighs are many,
and my lev is faint.
* 1:8 Lv 15:19 † 1:14 i.e., my sins ‡ 1:19 i.e., expired § 1:20 i.e., outside * 1:20 i.e., babayit, at home † 1:21 see 1:18