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Midrash RabbahEikhah Rabbah 3

Midrash Rabbah

Eikhah Rabbah 3

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His fury” (Lamentations 3:1). “I am the man” – Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina began: “Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Barukh son of Neriyahu, the scribe, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book that Yehoyakim, king of Judah, had burned in the fire, and many more similar matters were also added to them” (Jeremiah 36:32). The verse need not have stated “similar.” Why does the verse state “similar”? Rav Kahana said: “Many more similar matters were also added to them”: “Matters” – “how does [the greatly crowded city] sit” (Lamentations 1:1), “how [the Lord] has clouded” (Lamentations 2:1), “how has [gold] tarnished” (Lamentations 4:1). “Many” – “remember, Lord” (Lamentations 5:1). “Similar” – “I am the man,” which is three verses each. That is what is written: “Did I not write it for you three times [shalishim]” (Proverbs 22:20) – words [organized] in a threefold manner. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: What is shalishim? It is mighty men, just as it says: “And shalishim over them all” (Exodus 14:7), and we translate it: “And mighty men were appointed over them all.” Alternatively: Shalishim – “I am the man” – as it is three verses each. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: “I am the man” – it is I who is well versed in suffering, what is pleasing to You is pleasing for me. This is analogous to a king who became angry at the queen and shoved her and expelled her from the palace. She went and concealed her face behind a pillar. The king was passing and saw her. He said to her: ‘You have been impudent.’ She said to him: ‘My lord the king, is this [treatment] appropriate for me, is this becoming for me, is this befitting of me? No woman accepted you other than me.’ He said to her: ‘It was I who disqualified all the women in favor of you.’ She said to him: ‘If so, why did you enter such and such alleyway, such and such courtyard, and such and such place? Was it not for such and such a woman, and she did not accept you?’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘You have been impudent.’ They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, is this appropriate for me, is this becoming for me, is this befitting of me? No other nation accepted Your Torah other than me.’ He said to them: ‘It is I who disqualified all the nations in favor of you.’ They said to Him: ‘If so, why did You offer the Torah to all the nations but they did not accept it?’ As it is taught: Initially, He revealed himself to the children of Esau; that is what is written: “He said: The Lord came from Sinai, and shone from Seir for them” (Deuteronomy 33:2), but they did not accept it. He offered it to the children of Ishmael, but they did not accept it; that is what is written: “He appeared from Mount Paran” (Deuteronomy 33:2). Ultimately, He offered it to Israel and they accepted it, as it is written: “And He came from the holy myriads, from His right, a fiery law to them” (Deuteronomy 33:2), and it is written: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7). Another matter: “I am the man [hagever]” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is I who is the man. I am Job, as it is stated: “Who is a man [gever] like Job, who drinks scoffing like water” (Job 34:7). “Who has seen affliction [ani]” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: The congregation of Israel said: Since He saw me impoverished of mitzvot, impoverished of good deeds, He brought “the rod of His fury” upon me. Rabbi Berekhya said: He fortified me to withstand them all. What do you find written after the ninety-eight rebukes in the book of Deuteronomy? “You are standing today, all of you” (Deuteronomy 29:9), and we translate it: “You exist this day, all of you,” mighty to withstand them all. “He conducted and led me in darkness and not light. Indeed, against me He will again turn His hand all day” (Lamentations 3:2–3). “He conducted [and led] me” in this world, which is called “darkness and not light.” “Indeed, against me He will again turn His hand all day” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: This teaches that the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, but then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “Indeed, against me He will again [turn His hand].”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“He wore away my flesh and my skin, broke my bones” (Lamentations 3:4). “He wore away my flesh” – this is the community. “And my skin” – this is the Sanhedrin; just as the skin protects the flesh, so the Sanhedrin protects the community. “Broke my bones [atzmotai]” – my mighty ones [itzumai], people who were like mighty warriors [benei haatzumim]. “He built against me and surrounded me with gall and hardship” (Lamentations 3:5). “He built against me and surrounded me with gall [rosh]” – this is Nebuchadnezzar, as it is written in his regard: “You are the head [reisha] of gold” (Daniel 2:38). “And hardship” – this is Nevuzaradan. Alternatively: “Gall” – this is Vespasian; “and hardship” – this is Trajan. “He settled me in darkness, like those long dead” (Lamentations 3:6). “He settled me in darkness, like those long dead” – Rabbi Shmuel said: Four are considered as dead: A blind person, as it is stated: “He settled me in darkness, like those long dead.” A leper, as it is stated: “Let her not be like a corpse” (Numbers 12:12). One who does not have children, as it is written regarding Rachel: “Give me children, and if not, I am dead” (Genesis 30:1). And one who has become impoverished, as it is stated: “All the men [seeking your life] have died” (Exodus 4:19). Were they, in fact, dead? Rather, they had become impoverished.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“He fenced me in that I will not emerge; He made my fetters heavy” (Lamentations 3:7). “He fenced me in that I will not emerge” – Rabbi Aivu said: This is the enclosure of the Arabs. Rabbi Berekhya said: This is the fortress of the Persians. The Rabbis say: This is the strip of land of the Cuthites. “He made my fetters heavy” – He burdened me with land tax, state tax, and poll tax. “Even when I cry and plead, He blocks my prayer” (Lamentations 3:8). “Even when I cry and plead” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Anyone who prays with the congregation, to what is he comparable? It is to people who crafted a crown for the king. A poor man comes and donates his portion of it. What does the king say? Shall I not accept it because of this poor person? Immediately, the king accepts it and places it on his head. Likewise, if there were ten righteous men standing in prayer and there is a wicked man standing in their midst, what does the Holy One blessed be He say? Shall I not accept their prayer because of this wicked person? The Rabbis said: One who comes after the congregation, his actions are scrutinized. To what is he comparable? It is to a king whose sharecroppers and the members of his household entered to honor him. One came late. The king said: ‘Let his barrel be sealed.’ What caused this for him? It is because he came late. So too, anyone who prays after the community, his actions are scrutinized. That is why it is stated: “Even when I cry and plead, He blocks [satam] my prayer.” Satam is written with a sin, because the prayer of the congregation has concluded. “He fenced my ways with hewn stone, distorted my paths” (Lamentations 3:9). “He fenced my ways with hewn stone” – the daughters of Lod would knead their doughs, ascend and pray [in Jerusalem], and descend before they leavened. The daughters of Tzippori would ascend and praise [God] in the Temple, and there was no one who harvested the fig tree before them. The scribe of Migdal would prepare his lamps every Friday, would ascend [to the Temple], praise, and descend and kindle them. Some say that every Friday the scribe would ascend, review his [Torah] portion in the Temple, descend, and observe Shabbat in his home. There was an incident involving a certain person who was standing and plowing. His ox fled. He went and told people what [had occurred]. They said to him: ‘On which thoroughfare did you come?’ He began showing them but could not find the way. They applied to him the verse: “He fenced my ways with hewn stone, distorted [iva] my paths.” He rendered [the paths] ruins, just as it says: “A ruin [ava], a ruin, a ruin I will render it” (Ezekiel 21:32).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“He is like a bear in ambush to me, a lion in hiding” (Lamentations 3:10). “He is like a bear in ambush to me” – this is Nebuchadnezzar. “A lion in hiding” – this is Nevuzaradan. Alternatively: “A bear in ambush” – this is Vespasian; “a lion in hiding” – this is Trajan. “He has twisted my ways and mauled me; He rendered me desolate” (Lamentations 3:11). “He has twisted my ways and mauled me [vaifashḥeni]” – split me, as we say: A tree that was split [nifshaḥ], one may tie it during the Sabbatical Year. “He drew His bow, and set me as the target for the arrow” (Lamentations 3:12). “He drew His bow, and set me as the target for the arrow” – there were two amora’im; one said: Like a shield for arrows, and one said: Like a beam for arrows that everyone fires at it but it remains standing. Rabbi Yudan said: He fortified me to withstand them all. What do you find written after the ninety-eight rebukes in the book of Deuteronomy? “You are standing today, all of you” (Deuteronomy 29:9), and we translate it: “You exist this day, all of you,” mighty to withstand them all.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“He brought the contents of His quiver into my kidneys” (Lamentations 3:13). “He brought the contents of His quiver [benei ashpato] into my kidneys” – Rav and Shmuel: Rav said: His prisoners and hostages; Shmuel said: He brought upon me people who eat much and excrete excrement [ashpot]. “I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their song all day” (Lamentations 3:14). “I have become a laughingstock to all my people” – it is written: “Those who sit at the gate talk about me” (Psalms 69:13) – these are the nations of the world who sit in theaters and circuses. “I am the subject of songs by ale drinkers” (Psalms 69:13) – after they sit, eat, drink, and become intoxicated, they sit, speak about me, mock me, and say: So that we will not need to eat carobs like the Jews. They would say to each other: ‘How many years do you want to live?’ They would say: ‘Like the Shabbat garment of the Jews.’ They would bring the camel into their theaters with its garments on it. They would say to each other: ‘Why is it mourning?’ They would say: ‘These Jews observe the Sabbatical Year. They do not have any vegetation and they eat its thorns, and it is mourning over them.’ They would bring the dead into their theater and its head was shaved. They would say to each other: ‘Why is this one’s head shaved?’ He would say: ‘These Jews are Shabbat observers, and everything for which they exert themselves all the days of the week, they eat on Shabbat. They do not have wood with which to cook, and they break their beds and cook with them. They sleep on the ground and become covered with dirt, and they smear themselves with oil. Therefore, the oil is expensive. Another matter: “Those who sit at the gate talk about me” – these are Israel, who sit in the synagogues and study halls. “I am the subject of songs by ale drinkers” – after they sit, eat, drink, and become intoxicated at the meal prior to the ninth of Av, they sit and recite lamentations, wailing, with eikha. “He filled me with bitterness, sated me with wormwood” (Lamentations 3:15). “He filled me with bitterness” – this is the first festival day of Passover, in whose regard it is written: “With unleavened bread and bitter herbs [they shall eat it]” (Numbers 9:11). “Sated me with wormwood” – with what He filled me on the evening of the first festival day of Passover, He sated me on the ninth of Av. That is why the evening of the first festival day of Passover coincides with the evening of the ninth of Av.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“He has broken my teeth with gravel, covered me in ashes” (Lamentations 3:16). “He has broken my teeth with gravel” – there was an incident involving the son of Rabbi Ḥananya ben Teradyon, who joined robbers and revealed their secret. They killed him and filled his mouth with dirt and pebbles. Three days later, [his body was found]. They placed him on a rope stretcher and sought to laud him in deference to his father, but he did not allow them to do so. He said to them: ‘Leave him, and I will speak about my son.’ He began and said: “I did not heed the voice of my instructors, and to my teachers I did not incline my ear. I was on the verge of complete degradation in the midst of an assembly and a congregation” (Proverbs 5:13–14). His mother read in his regard: “A foolish son is vexation to his father, and bitterness to the one who bore him” (Proverbs 17:25). His sister read in his regard: “Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel” (Proverbs 20:17). We learned: Whenever it is the meal of the ninth of Av, it is prohibited to eat meat, to drink wine, to eat two cooked items, to wash, and to anoint oneself. Whenever it is not the meal of the ninth of Av, it is permitted to eat meat, to drink wine, and to eat two cooked items. Rav, after he would eat his fill of food, would take one small piece of bread, place ashes on it, and say: This is the meal of the ninth of Av, to fulfill what is stated: “He has broken my teeth with gravel, covered me in ashes.” “My soul has forsaken peace; I have forgotten goodness” (Lamentations 3:17). “My soul has forsaken peace; I have forgotten goodness” – Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yosei said in the name of Rabbi Ḥananya son of Rabbi Abbahu: There was an incident involving a woman who took her son to a baker in Caesarea. She said to him: ‘Teach my son a craft.’ He said to her: ‘Let him stay with me for five years, and I will teach him five hundred species of wheat.’ How many species of wheat are there? Rabbi Aḥa said: With Minit wheat they are unquantifiable. The Rabbis say: There are five hundred species of wheat, equivalent to the numerical value of Minit. Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yonatan were sitting and counting them, and they got to sixty. In addition, Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Yosei said: There was an incident involving a certain woman who took her son to a certain chef. She said to him: ‘Teach my son a craft.’ He said to her: ‘Let him stay with me for five years, and I will teach him one hundred types of eggs.’ Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] heard and said: We have not seen that there is such goodness in the world. Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta heard and said: We have not heard that there is such goodness in the world. Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira went to Netzivin on the day before the great fast. He ate and finished. The Exilarch heard and came to him. He said to him: ‘Heed my request, my Master.’ He said to him: ‘I have already eaten and finished.’ He said to him: ‘Heed my request, my Master, so they will not say that he did not regard him at all to expend any effort on his behalf.’ He went with him. When he went, he said to his servant: ‘My son, a dish that you bring us once, do not bring it to us another time.’ While they were eating, he brought before them eighty cooked dishes. He ate one loaf with each dish and one cup from each barrel. [The Exilarch] said to him: ‘My Master, after you ate and finished, we brought eighty dishes before you; with each dish, my Master ate one loaf, and from each barrel, my Master drank one cup.’ [Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira] said: ‘Why do they call it nafsha? Because the more it is given, the more it expands [nefisha].’ Rabbi Abbahu went to Basra and was received by Yosei “the head.” They brought before him eighty types of birds’ brains. He said to him: ‘Do not be angry, my Master, as the hunt was insufficient.’ They called him Yosei “the head” because all of his food was only birds’ brains. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great went to the south and was received by Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. They brought before him twenty-four cooked dishes. [Rabbi Ḥiyya] said to him: ‘What do you do on Shabbat?’ He said to him: ‘We double them.’ Sometime later, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi came to Tiberias and was received by Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great. He gave drachmas to the disciples of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and said to them: ‘Go provide for your Master as he is accustomed.’ Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Rabbi Eliezer knew how to prepare meals according to the number of days in the solar year. When he had the means, he would do so. When he did not have the means, he would take seeds and count them, so that he would not forget them. “I have forgotten goodness” – Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: This is washing one’s hands and feet after the bathhouse. “I said: My strength and my expectation have perished from the Lord” (Lamentations 3:18). “I said: My strength and my expectation have perished from the Lord” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: After the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, He then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “I said: My strength [and my expectation] have perished.”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Remember my affliction and my anguish, wormwood and gall” (Lamentations 3:19). “Remember my affliction and my anguish [umrudi]” – the congregation of Israel says before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, remember the afflictions with which I was afflicted, the rebellion [umrudi] that I carried out against You, and the suffering with which You sated me, “wormwood and gall.” These are expiated by those. “You will remember, and my soul is despondent within me” (Lamentations 3:20). “You will remember” – Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: This is analogous to a king who went out to war. His sons were with him and were provoking him. The next day, the king went out alone and his sons were not with him. The king said: If only my sons were with me, even if they would be provoking me. So too, the king is the Holy One blessed be He, and His sons are Israel. When Israel would go out to war, the Holy One blessed be He would go out with them. When they angered Him, He did not go out with them. But when Israel was no longer in the Land [of Israel], He said: If only Israel was with Me, even if they would be angering Me. We have three verses: “Would that I would be in the wilderness, in a wayfarers’ lodging place” (Jeremiah 9:1); would that My people be with Me as they were at the outset, when they were in the wilderness. And it is written: “Son of man, the house of Israel dwelled in their land…” (Ezekiel 36:17). And this, “You will remember, and My soul is despondent within Me.” Rabbi Yudan said: “You will remember” – I know that You remember the nations of the world. But what can I do, “my soul is despondent within me.” The parable says: Until the fat one grows lean, the soul of the lean one expires. “This I will reply to my heart; therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:21). “This I will reply to my heart; therefore I have hope” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: To what is this matter analogous? To a king who married a noblewoman and wrote for her a very substantial marriage contract, saying to her: ‘I will prepare for you such and such number of wedding canopies, and I am giving you such and such number of gowns of purple wool.’ The king left her and went to a country overseas, and he was delayed there. Her neighbors came to her and were teasing her and saying to her: ‘The king left you, went to a country overseas, and he is not going to return to you.’ She was crying and sighing. When she would enter her house, she would take her marriage contract and read it. She would see in her marriage contract: I will prepare such and such number of wedding canopies, and I am giving you such and such number of gowns of purple wool, and she would be immediately comforted. Ultimately, the king came. He said to her: ‘My daughter, I am astonished, how did you wait for me all those years?’ She said to him: ‘My lord, the king, were it not for the substantial marriage contract that you wrote and gave to me, my neighbors would have caused my demise.’ So too, idolaters provoke Israel and say to them: ‘Your God has concealed His face from You and caused His Divine Presence to depart from you. He will never return to you.’ They cry and sigh. When they enter the synagogues and study halls, read the Torah, and find that it is written: “I will turn to you, and make you fruitful.… I will place My Sanctuary in your midst.… I will walk in your midst” (Leviticus 26:9, 11–12), they are comforted. Tomorrow, when the end of the redemption comes, the Holy One blessed be He will say to Israel: ‘My children, I am astonished over you, how did you wait for Me all those years?’ They will say before Him: ‘Master of the universe, were it not for Your Torah that You gave us, the nations would have caused our demise.’ That is why it is stated: “This (zot) I will reply to my heart,” and zot is nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “And this [vezot] is the Torah” (Deuteronomy 4:44). Likewise, David said: “Had Your Torah not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalms 119:92). “Therefore I have hope” in Him, and we proclaim the unity of His name twice daily and say: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased, for His mercies have not ended” (Lamentations 3:22). “It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: After the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, He then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased.” “They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). “They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” – Rabbi Alexandri said: Because You renew us each and every morning, we know that “great is Your faithfulness” regarding the revival of the dead. Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said: Because You renew us on the mornings of the kingdoms, we know that “great is Your faithfulness” to redeem us. Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Each and every day, the Holy One blessed be He creates a band of new angels and they recite a new song and go on their way. Rabbi Berekhya said: I responded to Rabbi Ḥelbo: ‘But is it not written: “Release me, as dawn is breaking”’ (Genesis 32:27)? He said to me: ‘Strangler, did you think you could strangle me? Gavriel and Mikhael are the supernal princes. All of them are replaced, but they are not replaced.’ Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, he said to him: ‘Do you say that each and every day the Holy One blessed be He creates a band of new angels and they recite a new song and go on their way?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘And where do they go?’ He said to him: ‘To where they were created from.’ He said to him: ‘Where are they created from?’ He said to him: ‘From the river of fire.’ He said to him: ‘How does the river of fire function?’ He said: ‘Like the Jordan, which does not stop at night and does not stop during the day.’ He said to him: ‘But the Jordan flows during the day and stops at night.’ He said to him: ‘I was watching at Beit Peor, and that Jordan, just as it flows during the day, so it flows at night.’ He said to him: ‘From where does that river of fire emerge?’ He said to him: ‘From the perspiration of the creatures that bear the Throne.’ “The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:24). “The Lord is my portion, says my soul” – Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: [This is analogous] to a king who entered a province, and there were generals, captains, and commanders with him. The prominent leaders of the province resided in the middle of the province. One said: ‘I will take the generals to me.’ One said: ‘I will take the captains to me.’ One said: ‘I will take the commanders to me.’ There was one clever one there. He said: ‘I will take the king, as all the others are replaced and the king is not replaced.’ Likewise, idolaters, some worship the sun, some worship the moon, some worship wood and stone. But Israel worships only the Holy One blessed be He. That is what is written: “The Lord is my portion, says my soul,” as I proclaim His unity twice daily, and say: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“The Lord is good to those who trust in Him, to the soul that seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:25). “The Lord is good to those who trust in Him” – is it, perhaps, to everyone? The verse states: “To the soul that seeks Him.” Similarly, “Truly, God is good to Israel” (Psalms 73:1) – is it, perhaps, to everyone? The verse states: “To those pure of heart” (Psalms 73:1), to those whose heart is pure, who have no iniquity. Similarly, “Happy is the man whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6) – is it, perhaps, for everyone? The verse states: “Whose heart follows Your path” (Psalms 84:6), those in whose hearts the path of the Torah is paved. Similarly, “Be good, Lord, to those who are good” (Psalms 125:4) – is it, perhaps, for everyone? The verse states: “And to the upright of heart” (Psalms 125:4). Similarly, “The Lord is close to all who call Him” (Psalms 145:18) – is it, perhaps, for everyone? The verse states: “To all who call Him in truth” (Psalms 145:18). Similarly, “Who is God like You, bearing iniquity and overlooking transgression?” (Micah 7:18) – is it, perhaps, for everyone? The verse states: “For the remnant of His inheritance” (Micah 7:18). “It is good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:26). “It is good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: After the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, He then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “It is good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord.” “It is good for a man that he bear a yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27). “It is good for a man that he bear a yoke in his youth” – the yoke of Torah, the yoke of a wife, the yoke of labor.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Let him sit alone and be silent, because He has laid it upon him” (Lamentations 3:28). “Let him sit alone and be silent” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: The Holy One blessed be He summoned the ministering angels and said to them: ‘A mourning king of flesh and blood, what does he do?’ They said to Him: ‘He dons black and covers his head with sackcloth.’ He said: ‘I, too, will do so.’ That is what is written: “I clothe heavens with blackness and I make sackcloth their garment” (Isaiah 50:3). Moreover, He asked them: ‘A mourning king of flesh and blood, what [else] does he do?’ They said to him: ‘He extinguishes the lights.’ He said to them: ‘I, too, will do so.’ That is what is written: “The sun and the moon darkened, and the stars withdrew their shine” (Joel 2:10). Moreover, He asked them: ‘A mourning king of flesh and blood, what [else] does he do?’ They said to him: ‘He walks barefoot.’ He said to them: ‘I, too, will do so.’ That is what is written: “The Lord, in a tempest and in a storm is His way, and clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). Moreover, He asked them: ‘A mourning king of flesh and blood, what [else] does he do?’ They said to him: ‘He sits and is silent.’ He said to them: ‘I, too, will do so.’ That is what is written: “Let him sit alone and be silent, because He has laid it upon him.” “Let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there is hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who strikes him; let him be filled with disgrace” (Lamentations 3:29–30). “Let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there is hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who strikes him; let him be filled with disgrace” – Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] was interpreting verses and when he reached the following verses, he would weep: “Samuel said to Saul: Why did you disturb me to bring me up?” (I Samuel 28:15). And it is written: “For behold, He forms mountains and creates winds; He recounts to a person what were his deeds [seḥo]” (Amos 4:13) – even matters lacking substance are written for a person in his ledger. Who writes them? “He who turns dawn into darkness…[the Lord, the God of hosts, is His name]” (Amos 4:13). “Seek the Lord all you humble of the earth…” (Zephaniah 2:3). And it is written: “Hate evil, and love good, [and display justice at the gate; perhaps the Lord, God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph]” (Amos 5:15). Why? “For every action God will bring to judgment [for every unknown]” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). And this, “let him put his mouth in the dust [perhaps there is hope].” And it is written: “Let him offer his cheek to one who strikes him; let him be filled with disgrace.”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“For the Lord will not forsake forever. For, if He torments, He will have compassion according to His abundant grace. For He does not afflict willingly and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:31–33). “For the Lord will not forsake forever” – as it were, He has not forsaken and He will not forsake. “For, if He torments, He will have compassion according to His abundant grace” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: After the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, He then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “For, if He torments, He will have compassion.” “For He does not afflict willingly” – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: In two places Israel acted. In one, they acted with their mouths but not with their hearts, and in one, they acted with their hearts but did not act with their mouths. These are Sinai and Babylon. In Sinai, they acted with their mouths but not with their hearts. That is what is written: “But they beguiled Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue…” (Psalms 78:36). In Babylon, they acted with their hearts and not with their mouths. That is what is written: “For He does not afflict willingly.” The Holy One blessed be He said: Let the mouth at Sinai come and atone for the mouth in Babylon, and let the heart in Babylon come and atone for the heart at Sinai. Nevertheless, “and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33) – He placed over them “a man who is an adversary and an enemy,” this is Haman” (Esther 7:6); and He and made their wound more painful.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“To subdue under his feet all the prisoners of the earth” (Lamentations 3:34). “To subdue under his feet…” – this is Nebuchadnezzar, in whose regard it is written: “[And everywhere] the sons of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens dwell, He has given them into your hand and set your rule over all of them; you are the head of gold” (Daniel 2:38).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37). “Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” – who did command? Haman commanded, but the Holy One blessed be He did not command. Haman commanded “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). But the Holy One blessed be He did not command it, but rather, “the plot [that he devised]…return [upon his head]” (Esther 9:25). “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” (Lamentations 3:38). “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” – Rabbi Elazar said: From the moment that the Holy One blessed be He said: “See, I have placed before you today: life and good, and death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15), no good has emerged for a performer of evil nor evil for a performer of good, but rather good for a performer of good and evil for a performer of evil, just as it says: “The Lord will reward the performer of evil in accordance with his wickedness” (II Samuel 3:39). “Of what shall a living man complain, each man for his sins?” (Lamentations 3:39). “Of what shall a living man complain?” – it is sufficient for him that he is alive. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said: Your life is in My hands, yet you complain? Rabbi Huna said: Let him stand like a mighty one, confess his sins, and not complain. Rabbi Berekhya said: Of what shall he complain about the One who gives life to the worlds? If he seeks to complain, it should be each man for his sins. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: Descendants of bearers of grievance; Adam, the first man, after all the good that I bestowed upon him, he expresses a grievance before Me and says: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, [she gave me from the tree, and I ate]” (Genesis 3:12). Jacob, too, did so. I am engaged in crowning his son king in Egypt, and he expresses a grievance before Me: “[Why do you say, Jacob…] my way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27). His children, too, I am engaged in providing them with easily digestible bread so that no one among them will be afflicted with indigestion or diarrhea, and they express a grievance before Me: “Our soul loathes this insubstantial bread” (Numbers 21:5). Zion, too, is similar: “Zion said: The Lord has forsaken Me and the Lord has forgotten Me” (Isaiah 49:14).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens” (Lamentations 3:40–41). “Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens” – Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai, Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai, and Rabbi Yoshiya went out for a fast. Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai expounded and said: Is it possible that a person’s heart is taken from him and returns to him? Rather, we should focus our hearts on our hands, and only thereafter to God in the heavens. If there is a swarming creature in a person’s hand, even if he immerses himself in all of the primordial waters, he will never be purified. If he casts the swarming creature from his hand, his immersion is effective for him [even] in forty se’a. Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded: “The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said: The Lord is righteous” (II Chronicles 12:6). And it is written: “When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord was with Shemaya, saying: They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and I will grant them a small measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured upon Jerusalem by means of Shishak” (II Chronicles 12:7). It is not written here, “when the Lord saw that they had fasted,” but rather, “that they had humbled themselves.” Rabbi Yoshiya expounded: “Gather yourselves, gather [hitkosheshu vakoshu]” (Zephaniah 2:1) – let us adorn [nekashet] ourselves and thereafter adorn others. Because there is a person who is here who slandered me before Rabbi Yoḥanan; let the entire people stand for judgment. They said: Rabbi Ḥiyya, Rabbi Ami, and Rabbi Yosei were there. They stood and went out. “We have transgressed and defied; You have not forgiven” (Lamentations 3:42). “We have transgressed and defied [umarinu]” – the Rabbis there said: When the endives are bitter [meriran], the vinegar is sour. The Rabbis here said: If actions are evil, they are harsh for the one who performs them. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rav Yosef: “We have transgressed and defied” – as is our wont. “You have not forgiven” – is that Your wont? Rabbi Levi said: “We have transgressed and defied” – and You destroyed Your Temple.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“You are covered with wrath and have pursued us; You have killed, did not have compassion. You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass. You have rendered us filth and refuse in the midst of the peoples” (Lamentations 3:43–45). “You are covered with wrath and have pursued us; You have killed, did not have compassion. You have covered Yourself with a cloud” – Rabbi Ḥelbo asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, he said to him: ‘Because I heard about you that you are a master of aggada, what is this that is written: “You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass”?’ He said: ‘Prayer is likened to a ritual bath, and repentance is likened to the sea. Just as the ritual bath is at times open and at times locked, so the gates of prayer are at times locked and at times open. However, the sea is always open. Rav Anan said: ‘The gates of prayer, too, are never locked. That is what is written: “Like the Lord our God whenever we call to Him” (Deuteronomy 4:7). Call is nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “It will be that before they call I will answer”’ (Isaiah 65:24). Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta said: There are times for prayer, as so said David before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, when I pray before You, let my prayer be at a time of favor. That is what is written: “For me, let my prayer come to You, Lord, at a time of favor” (Psalms 69:14). Rabbi Akiva was standing and being judged by Turnus Rufus, and Yehoshua HaGarsi was standing in prayer with him. A cloud descended and surrounded them. He said: It appears to me that this cloud descended and surrounded only so the prayer of my Master would not be heard. That is what is written: “You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass.” “You have rendered us filth and refuse [seḥi umaos] in the midst of the peoples” – despicable [masaya] and lowly [pesilaya].

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“All our enemies have opened their mouth against us” (Lamentations 3:46). “[All our enemies] have opened [patzu] their mouth against us” – why does peh come before ayin? Because they would say with their mouths what they had not seen with their eyes.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“My eye will flow and will not cease, without respite. Until the Lord looks out and sees from Heaven” (Lamentations 3:49–50). “My eye will flow and will not cease.… until the Lord looks out and sees from Heaven” – Rabbi Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: In three places we found the Divine Presence connected with the redemption. What is the source? “A stomping ground for wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks” (Isaiah 32:14). What is written thereafter? “Until a spirit will be poured upon us from on high and wilderness will become fertile land and fertile land will be considered as forest” (Isaiah 32:15). Similarly, “The smallest will become a thousand, and the youngest [a mighty nation; I am the Lord, at its time, I will hasten it]” (Isaiah 60:22), and it is written thereafter: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me” (Isaiah 61:1). And this, “My eye will flow,” and it is written thereafter: “Until the Lord looks out and sees from Heaven.” “My eye distressed my soul over all the daughters of my city” (Lamentations 3:51). “My eye distressed my soul” – Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were five hundred primary schools in Beitar, and the smallest among them had no fewer than three hundred children. They would say: If our enemies come against us, we will emerge and stab them with these quills. When the iniquities were the cause and the enemies came, they wrapped each and every one of them in his scroll and they burned them, and I am the only one of them who survived. I applied to myself the verse: “My eye distressed my soul over all the daughters of my city.”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“My enemies hunted me like a bird, without cause. They bound my life in the pit, and cast stones at me” (Lamentations 3:52–53). “My enemies hunted me like a bird, without cause. They bound my life in the pit” – this is Joseph, this is Jeremiah, this is Daniel. “Waters rose over my head; I said: I am doomed” (Lamentations 3:54). “Waters rose over my head…” – these are the nations of the world in whose regard it is written: “Woe, the tumult of many peoples, like the roar of the seas they will roar; the din of nations like the din of great waters” (Isaiah 17:12).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“I called Your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit” (Lamentations 3:55). “I called Your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit” – this is Joseph, this is Jeremiah, this is Daniel. “You heard my voice; let Your ear not disregard my cry for my comfort. You approached on the day that I called You; You said: Do not fear” (Lamentations 3:56–57). “You heard my voice.… You approached on the day that I called You.”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Lord, You have fought the battles of my soul; You redeemed my life. Lord, You have seen the wrongs committed against me; judge my case. You have seen all their vengeance, all their thoughts against me” (Lamentations 3:58–60). “Lord, You have fought the battles of my soul; You redeemed my life. Lord, You have seen the wrongs committed against me; judge my case” – A certain Jew passed before Hadrian and greeted him. He said to him: ‘Who are you?’ He said to him: ‘A Jew.’ He said to him: ‘Is there a Jew who passes before Hadrian and greets him?’ [Hadrian] said [to his men]: ‘Go and behead him.’ Another passed, he saw what had befallen the one who preceded him, and he did not greet him. [Hadrian] said to him: ‘Who are you?’ He said to him: ‘A Jew.’ He said to him: ‘Is there a Jew who passes before Hadrian and does not greet him?’ [Hadrian] said to [his men]: ‘Go and behead him.’ His advisers said to him: ‘We do not understand these actions that you are performing. One who greets you is executed and one who does not greet you is executed?’ He said to them: ‘Do you seek to advise me how I am supposed to execute my enemies?’ The Divine Presence was screaming and saying: “Lord, You have seen the wrongs committed against me.… You have seen all their vengeance…”

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“You heard their taunt, Lord, all their thoughts about me. The lips of those who rise against me and their thoughts are against me all day. Look at their sitting and their rising; I am their song” (Lamentations 3:61–63). “You heard their taunt, Lord.… the lips of those who rise against me and their thoughts.… Look at their sitting and their rising; I am their song” – I am their song of derision.

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“Pay them retribution, Lord, according to their handiwork” (Lamentations 3:64). “Pay them retribution” – Jeremiah said: “Pay them retribution.” Asaf said: “Pay our neighbors retribution sevenfold to their bosom [ḥeikam]” (Psalms 79:12). What is “to their bosom [ḥeikam]”? Rabbi Yehuda ben Gadya said: Pay them retribution for what they did to the Temple that is situated in the foundation [ḥeiko] of the world, just as it says: “From the foundation in the ground to the [lower] ledge” (Ezekiel 43:14). The Rabbis say: What they did regarding circumcision, which is positioned in man’s bosom, as Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: They would take the circumcised organs of the Israelites and cast them upward, saying: This You chose; here is what You chose! Until Samuel arose and exacted retribution from them. That is what is written: “Samuel said: "Bring me Agag, king of Amalek” (I Samuel 15:32), and it is written: “Samuel slashed Agag…” (I Samuel 15:33). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He began chopping his flesh into numerous pieces and fed it to the ostriches. That is what is written: “It will consume the branches of his skin” (Job 18:13). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He brought four posts and stretched him upon them. “Agag said: Indeed, the bitterness of death is at hand [sar]” (I Samuel 15:32). Is this the way one kills princes, with bitter deaths? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He castrated him, because he would take the circumcised organs and cast them upward. For this, retribution was exacted from him. That is what is written: “Samuel said: Just as your sword made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women” (I Samuel 15:33). “He slashed” – it teaches that he sliced him into four pieces. “May you give them hardness of heart, Your curse upon them” (Lamentations 3:65). “May you give them hardness of [meginat] heart” – two amora’im: One said: Heartbreak, and one said: Strength of heart. The one who said heartbreak, it is as it is stated: “Who delivered [migen] your enemies into your hand” (Genesis 14:20). The one who said: Strength of heart, as it is written: “The shield [magen] of your protection” (Deuteronomy 33:29). “Your curse [taalatekha] upon them” – suspend [teli] them in suffering. Bring upon them all the curses [alot] in the Torah, just as it says: “The Lord your God will place all these curses [alot] on your enemies, and on those who hate you…” (Deuteronomy 30:7).

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English · The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022)

“May You pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:66). “May You pursue them in wrath and destroy them” – Jeremiah said: “May you pursue them in wrath and destroy them.” Moses said: “For I will erase [maḥo emḥe] the memory of Amalek from under the heavens” (Exodus 17:14). Shmuel said: “Amalek” – in its plain sense; “memory” – this is Haman; maḥo – in this world; emḥe – in the World to Come; “from under the heavens” – for him and for all the members of that generation [and] until the end of all generations. Rabbi Yehoshua said: So that there will not be a son and a grandson for Amalek under the heavens, so [people] will not say: This tree is Amalek’s, this camel is Amalek’s, this sheep is Amalek’s. Rabbi Eliezer said: Because it sought to eliminate Israel from under the wings of the heavens, Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: This wicked one seeks to eliminate Israel from under Your wings. The Torah scroll that You gave them, who will read it? Another matter: Because it sought to eliminate Israel, who are destined to be scattered from one end of the world to the other, as it is stated: “From the end of the earth to the end of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:64). Rabbi Eliezer says: When will the name of these be eliminated from the world, and idolatry and its worshippers will be eliminated from the world, and the Holy One blessed be He will be one in the world, like the matter that is stated: “The Lord will be King over all the land; on that day the Lord will be one and His name one” (Zechariah 14:9)? At the time when, “may you pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.” Rabbi Natan said: Haman came only to provide a remembrance for Israel. That is what is written: “These days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews, and their memory will not cease from their descendants” (Esther 9:28). End of the Third Alphabetical Acrostic

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English: The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022), CC BY. Hebrew: Torat Emet text, public domain. From Sefaria (sefaria.org). · Source ↗

English: The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022), CC BY. Hebrew: Torat Emet text, public domain. From Sefaria (sefaria.org). · Source ↗

English translation: The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah, 2022, via Sefaria (sefaria.org). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Changes: footnotes and HTML formatting removed.

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