Eikha

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A Fresh look at Eicha Chapter 5
Rabbi Chaim Brovender
תאריך פרסום: תשס"ט | |
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag provides a ten minute introduction concerning the book of Yirmiahu, and Yirmiahu's purpose as related to the Destruction of the Temple. Yirmiahu's purpose is not to predict the destruction, but to prevent it. This serves as important background to Megillat Eikha, which is ascribed by Chazal to Yirmiahu and which presents the Destruction in the past tense. Rabbi Brovender discusses the fifth chapter of Eikha and connects its ideas to other parts of Tanakh.
Eikha Chapter 3 (Part A)
Part 5
Dr. Yael Ziegler | 50 minutes
This shiur looks at the first part of Chapter 3 (Perek Gimmel). Chapter three is unique, with a tripartite division, and is the central chapter in Eikha. Unlike the first two chapters, the perspective portrated is that of an individual. Chapter 3 does not depict the churban, but does explore theological issues, perhaps from the personal perspective of Yirmiahu.
Mizmor 3
A Response to Suffering
Rabbi Avi Baumol
There are various ways of dealing with suffering. In Mizmor 3 David uses a three-pronged approach to suffering that was brought upon him by Avshalom’s rebellion. He describes his suffering, he declares his faith in God and he cries out to God for salvation.
Two -Person Drama of Eikhah Chapter 1
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman |
What is the book of Eikhah all about? What is its purpose? By closely examining Chapter 1 and viewing it in play form we notice that Eikhah is not a book of kinot, but rather a guide for Am Yisrael in the aftermath of the churban. It is meant to instruct the nation grappling with the social and psychological realities of rebuilding their lives, allowing them to realize that God is there and they can turn to Him during times of crisis.
Eikhah and Eikhah Rabbah: Different Responses to the Hurban
Dr. Yael Ziegler
תאריך פרסום: תש"ע | |
Focusing on the books of Eikhah and Eikhah Rabbah, this lecture highlights the differences between Megillat Eikhah and midashic work of Eikhah Rabbah - the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash as portrayed by Chazal. By examining the differences between the books we understand that Chazal's goal in Eikhah Rabbah is to help the nation contend with the destruction and with future tragedies as well.
Is God a Judge, an Enemy, or a Source of Faith?
Rabbi Alex Israel
תאריך פרסום: תשע"ב | | Hour and 10 minutes
Our aim is to look into the heart of the collection of laments in the book of Eikha and to seek Hashem. We embark on a daring study wherein we ask: Where is God in the midst of the terrible suffering of the destruction of Jerusalem? We compare the first three chapters of Eikha, and look at the kinna recited on the night of Tisha b'Av. We discover that God is personified in different ways. Each personification acts as another layer in the depiction of God’s involvement in the Hurban.
The Theology of Eikha
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Human Suffering in Eikha
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Shall Kohen and Prophet be Slain in the Sanctuary?!
Rabbi Moshe Taragin
Why is the story of the murder of a Kohen and Prophet in the Beit Hamikdash so dominant in the midrashim and in the prayers of Tisha be-Av? The connection between him and the tragedy of Tisha be-Av is quite indirect; why, then, is his murder presented as such a fundamental and important event?

The Sages pinpoint several sins that were themselves the cause of the destruction. Aside from these specific sins, the Sages regarded the nation's refusal to accept rebuke from the prophets as a fundamental factor leading to the great tragedy.

The people would ignore the prophets of God and wave off their warnings with stubbornness and a complacency born of illusion. They convinced themselves that God would not destroy His own Temple. They wished to continue making merry and living their worry-free lives, rejecting out of hand the concept of reward and punishment. Additionally, people of vulgar spirit who were living successful lives were incapable of accepting advice from dusty, wandering moralizers.

For this reason Yirmiyahu mourns for the destruction, which came about mostly because of the nation's inability to listen to the prophets and their messages. Every individual always has the ability to repent, thereby avoiding punishment and destruction. But the moment he shuts himself off and blocks his ears, the road to repentance is closed.
The Oral Law and the Secret of "Eikha"
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
Moshe in the Torah, Yishayahu in the Prophets, and Yirmiyahu in the Writings, all express their amazement at the situation and fate of the nation of Israel using the same expression - "eikha" - and our Sages teach that this is no coincidence. The three questions are connected to one another, and they share a single answer. By closely examining the qualities of Moshe as a leader and of Bnei Yisrael as a nation in the desert, we learn the importance of connecting the Written Law with the Oral Law, the Torah of speech, which are the threads that will join Moshe and Bnei Yisrael anew into a single entity.
'Eikha' and the Oral Law
HaTanakh.com Staff
Eikha: A Verbal Capsule of Jewish History
Rabbi Moshe Taragin
The word "Eikha" - an incredulous cry of "how?!" occurs three times in Tanakh. To underscore the succession between these three occurrences of the term "eikha," the Midrash comments that Moshe witnessed the Jews during their triumphant moments and recited, 'Eikha'; Yeshayahu saw them during their degenerate period and recited, 'Eikha'; and Yirmiyahu encountered them during their tragic torment and recited the same term. By building this sequencing, Chazal establish more than just historical or prophetic symmetry. Their message is that Jewish history – at every stage - can only be described with the term "eikha."
Introduction to Eikha
Shiur #01
Dr. Yael Ziegler
תאריך פרסום: 5778 |
In this series on Eikha, we will examine broad themes, such as theodicy, false prophets, national sinning, and human suffering, but we will also engage in a close reading of the text. While drawing on academic sources and methodology, my interpretative framework is rooted deeply in the world of Torah learning. I hope that this reading will yield a stimulating understanding of the book, and that it will illustrate how biblical poetry works and how it offers its readers spiritual insights and wisdom.

In this introductory class, I will raise some of the technical questions that arise with respect to the book of Eikha. The book’s title, its author, its unity, and its date of composition are all subject to dispute. After presenting a brief overview of various approaches to each of these issues, I will explain the approach that I will adopt in this series in addressing each of these subjects.
Historical Introduction: Part I – The Exile of the Northern Kingdom
Shiur #02
Dr. Yael Ziegler
תאריך פרסום: 5778 |
Eikha commemorates the climactic calamity of the Tanakh: the destruction of the First Temple and Jerusalem. Yet It does not attempt to relate a prose account of Jerusalem’s fall or Babylon’s conquest and cruelty. Eikha lacks narrative, dates, and identified persons. Nevertheless, to contextualize the book and understand its surface meaning, we must address its historical background.

I will briefly review the major historical events, as recorded both in the Tanakh and in external sources, pausing to examine three events that I believe most deeply impact upon Judah, Jerusalem, and the book of Eikha. The events that I will consider are the exile of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE, Sennacherib’s failed military campaign to conquer Jerusalem in 701 BCE, and King Josiah’s shocking death in 609 BCE. Each of these events impacts significantly upon biblical history and the Judean kingdom and in some way constitutes the theological backdrop of the book of Eikha.
Historical Introduction, Part II – Sennacherib’s Campaign and the Failed Siege of Jerusalem
Shiur #03
Dr. Yael Ziegler
תאריך פרסום: 5778 |
The extraordinary deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian army forms an important historical backdrop to the book of Eikha. An episode that began as an inspiring manifestation of God’s miraculous intervention to save Jerusalem developed in a catastrophic direction. Drawing the wrong conclusions in the aftermath of this astounding incident, the nation became complacent in their overconfidence in the city’s sacred status. A stark contrast to their assumptions and belief, the destruction of Jerusalem left a shocked populace in its wake, their physical and ideological world in tatters.
Eikha: Theology and Human Suffering (Part II)
Shiur #06
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Eikha’s presentation of this complexity produces a jarring but magnificent portrait of humans who struggle mightily to balance fidelity to God with recognition of a cruel and unjust world. To the extent that Eikha provides a theodicy, we can discern it in the literary artistry of the book. Eikha incorporates numerous linguistic parallels to Devarim 28, a chapter commonly termed a “tokhacha,” which establishes a covenant between God and His nation.

By entwining expressions from the covenant into Eikha’s literary construct, the book imposes responsibility upon Israel for these events, in her failure to uphold her end of the bargain.
Eikha: Theology and Human Suffering (Part I)
Shiur #05
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Eikha views God in a variety of ways, at times going so far as to depict God as either indifferent or hostile to Israel – even as Israel’s enemy. Before examining Eikha’s view of God, we must ask: To what extent does Jewish tradition regard such extreme depictions as legitimate? After all, is not reverence a prerequisite for and a central element of the relationship with God? And if so, does reverence preclude the ability to react negatively to God’s deeds, to question bitterly God’s inscrutable designs?
Eikha: Chapter 1
Shiur #09
Dr. Yael Ziegler
The opening of the book of Eikha reveals a melancholic scene. Formerly a bustling metropolis, Jerusalem is desolate; the sound of the priests mourning and the young women grieving eerily echo in the abandoned city.

Eikha’s initial chapter attempts to grasp the reason for this calamity.

Erratic movement between one notion and its opposite illustrates the chapter’s frenzied churn of emotions. Jerusalem is shattered. It is no wonder that this chapter fluctuates wildly between perceptions, experiences, and emotions.

Nevertheless, the acrostic structure allows for a measure of order and even progression in this chapter. Indeed, we will see that the chapter moves steadily towards assuming responsibility for the events, towards admission of sin, which will allow Jerusalem to make sense of the roiling madness that has engulfed her.
Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)
Shiur #10
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Although Eikha lacks actual comfort, in recalling the greatness of this city, the initial verse makes the present situation slightly more bearable. It allows the inhabitants to retain a sense of self-worth and may even provide the reader with a flash of hope, however miniscule.

This opening verse does not consciously foster optimism. Its primary intention is to utilize the contrast between past and present to magnify Jerusalem’s improbable plummet. Nevertheless, by recalling Jerusalem’s past, the book offers a snippet of dignity – miniscule, but perhaps sufficient to allow biblical readers to glimpse a modicum of hope in the undercurrents of the book.
Eikha: Chapter 1 (Continued 1)
Shiur #11
Dr. Yael Ziegler
Picking up the theme of loneliness from the previous verse, this verse emphasizes the haunting absence of comforters. Tears remain undried on Jerusalem’s face; emptied of her inhabitants, the city lacks community or consolers. Loved ones have abandoned her; friends betray her.

Throughout these two verses we pick up on the themes of friends, betrayals, exile, and hints at the slavery in Egypt. In requesting that God see her afflictions, Jerusalem endeavors to enlist the compassionate God who redeemed His nation from Egypt and returned them to the land of their forefathers. The echoes of Egypt may sound ominous, but they also allude to God’s eternal promise, His assurance of divine commitment. Evoking the Egyptian exile at this early stage of the Babylonian exile hints to the possibility of redemption and offers a quiet message of hope.
Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)
Shiur #13
Dr. Yael Ziegler
For the second time (see also verse 3), Eikha turns its attention to the sights outside of Jerusalem, to the far-flung places where her inhabitants have gone. Bemoaning the depletion of the city’s glory, the verse does not specify what exactly constituted the city’s former glory.
Crying at Night: An Analysis of Megillat Eikhah
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein | Hour and 10 minutes
This shiur will focus on the structure of Megillat Eikhah and its two major themes.

The Megilla's five chapters are similar in terms of their structure and outline, all of the verses in every chapter are organized alphabetically in sequence. The exception to the rule is

the fifth chapter which isn't organized alphabetically in contrast to the structure of the rest of the megilla.

We will attempt to explore this anomaly and explain why the megilla is structured in this manner.

Sponsored by The Gontownik Family in memory of Abraham and Zina Gontownik, Chaya Gontownik, and Sidney Gontownik