The origin of the book of
Lamentations is given in the book of Jeremiah. In the hope that it will bring
the nation to repentance, the Holy One Blessed be He tells Jeremiah to write a
scroll detailing the evil He is about to bring on Israel and Judah. To add
emphasis the book is written in the past tense, as a lamentation, as if the
tragedy had already occurred. Yirmiyahu is in jail; therefore he dictates the
words of rebuke to a comrade, who then reads the megillah in the Temple. The
people become alarmed by the words of the prophet and ask that the scroll be
read to the king. When it is read to King Yehoyakim, after hearing a few
sections, he cuts up the scroll and throws it in the fire. In response G-d has
Jeremiah rewrite the scroll with four additional chapters. This is book of
Lamentations, which we have today, that is read on the fast of the Ninth of Av.
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Jeremiah Lamenting - Rembrandt |
To this so to speak the
prophet responds, look around, look at yourself. He begins by saying feel the
pain. Feel the fire in one’s bones that has been sent down from heaven. Feel
the pain of being crushed in a wine press. Feel the humiliation and scorn. Feel
the yoke of the transgressions and cry. He builds up to questions of national
importance. Our enemies may be taunting us about the miserable state of
Jerusalem, but the question is a good one, “Is this the city they called the
perfection of beauty, the joy of the entire world?”(Lamentations 2:15).
The second theme seems to be
the pain the prophet has suffered because of the sins of the nation. There is
an aspect of this pain when he cries out in horror that it was from the sins of
the prophets and the iniquities of the priests that the blood of the righteous
was shed. Likewise he laments the killing of the prophets and priests in the
sanctuary. With sad resignation he mourns those that he cherished and brought
up, his enemy has consumed. The idea seems to be to arouse feelings of
repentance based on the misery that one’s sins have brought to good people.
The third theme seems to be there
can be a lost generation but even so the kindnesses of Hashem do not cease and
his compassion never fails. Therefore there is reason for hope. Our fathers
indeed have sinned and we bear their iniquities. Therefore it is up to us to
make the rectification.
Yoseph sings link:
לע"נ בן דוד שמואל בן נח ז"ל
נלב"ע טו באב תשס"ט.
http://dyschreiber.blogspot.co.ilניתן בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר
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