Chapter 1 of Megillat Eicha is Zion's lament over her destruction: a city that was once populous now sits in solitude, weeping bitterly in the night with none to comfort her. Here, we focus on a single verse in this chapter, verse 17, which contains two parts: "Zion stretches out her hands, but there is none to comfort her," and "Hashem has commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries should surround him." We will examine several approaches to explaining this verse, and through them, a profound moral lesson regarding our place among the nations.
פֵּרְשָׂה צִיּוֹן בְּיָדֶיהָ אֵין מְנַחֵם לָהּ, צִוָּה יְהֹוָה לְיַעֲקֹב סְבִיבָיו צָרָיו, הָיְתָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לְנִדָּה בֵּינֵיהֶם׃ - Zion stretched out her hands, but there is none to comfort her; Hashem has commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries should surround him; Jerusalem has become like an outcast among them.
The Lechem Dimah explains: Zion did not merely weep, nor did tears merely stream from her eyes; she also wrung her hands in sheer anguish and frustration - "and there is none to comfort her." And why is there none to comfort her? Because if someone else harmed me, people can come and offer comfort. But when a person brings harm upon himself - how intensely painful it is, how it eats away at someone from within: "What a fool you were! How could you do such a thing to yourself?" In such a state, it is nearly impossible to comfort someone. There is no comforter when we ourselves caused our own downfall.
Some explain "Zion stretches out her hands" as holding out her hands and pleading: Who will save me? Who can help me? Others explain that she spread her palms in prayer, like one who lifts his hands toward Heaven: Master of the Universe! Yet, there was none to comfort her, for the decree had already been sealed.
Others explain that this refers to the se'udat havra'ah (the mourner's meal): even though she was in mourning, she held out her hands for someone to give her something to eat - "and there was none to comfort her," there was no one to give her food. From here, we can understand a well-known custom: when one breaks bread at home, he does not cut a piece and hand it directly into the guests' hands; rather, he places it on the table, and they take it themselves. Have you ever wondered why? Because handing bread directly into someone's hand is the practice of mourning - for mourners, one breaks bread and hands it right into their hands. Anyone who has attended a se'udat havra'ah has seen this practice: bread is sliced and placed directly into the mourner's hand. And what is the allusion to this? "Zion stretched out her hands" - for mourners, one breaks bread and places it into their hands. Yet here, even at the mourner's meal, even in her grief, there was no one to break bread, no one to hand us bread, and no one to come and comfort us.
The book Torat Chessed explains: What can this be compared to? To a mourner who has no visitors to comfort him. He waits an hour, two hours, for the comforters to arrive - to come and place a mattress on the ground, spread out a sheet or cloth, arrange bedding so he can sit, and bring him the mourner's meal. He waits and waits, but there is no comforter; no one comes. Having no choice, he must sit on the ground, so he spreads out the mattresses and sheets, the pillows and cushions, by himself in order to sit on them. This is "Zion stretched out [peresha] her hands" - with her own hands, she had to spread out bedding to sit upon during her mourning. And what was the reason? "There is none to comfort her" - because there was no comforter, she was forced to prepare it all herself.
Another explanation: we were like a drowning person who stretches his hands upward - "Help! Save me! Catch me before I drown!" "Zion stretched out her hands," but "there is none to comfort her" - there was no one to come and offer comfort, no one to grasp her hand and rescue her.
The Targum explains: Zion stretched out her hands out of distress, like a woman stretching out her hands upon the birthstool - lifting her hands and saying, Master of the Universe, save me, deliver me from this crisis, from this state in which I am unable to give birth. "And there is none to speak words of comfort to her heart." The Targum continues and explains, "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov": The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Yaakov to observe the Torah and mitzvot, yet they transgressed Hashem's commandments and did not fulfill what they were commanded - "Moses commanded us the Torah," yet we did not observe it. Therefore, "his adversaries are all around him," the enemies surround us. And is it any wonder? After all, it was written in advance that when the Jewish people rebel and stray from the path, Hashem will exact retribution from them. Therefore, "Jerusalem has become an impurity among them."
The Lechem Dim'ah explains: In the ordinary course of the world, when a person has neighbors, they come to comfort him in a time of trouble. Here, however, not only did they not come to comfort Zion, but rather "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him": the neighbors, instead of coming to console, even pursued us and became our oppressors. May trouble not rise up twice, but anyone who knows - that is exactly what happened in Europe. When the Nazi oppressor arrived, there was hope that perhaps our neighbors, those among whom we had lived for years, would protect us and help us. Then it became clear that the neighbors were the very first to run to the oppressor and tell him: Jews live here. They ran to hand over names and details. And that is the most terrible thing of all: your neighbor, instead of helping you, turns into your enemy. "Zion stretched out her hands; there is none to comfort her" - perhaps the neighbors will comfort us? "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him": not only did they not come to comfort us, but those who were all around him were the very ones who turned into adversaries and enemies against us.
Another explanation: Chazal explain along the lines of the Targum - "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov," meaning Hashem commanded the Torah to Yaakov and they did not fulfill it, and therefore "his adversaries are all around him," the neighbors turned into oppressors. According to this, the beginning of the verse is understood: therefore, "Zion stretched out her hands." When Zion hears these words, she spreads her hands as if asking: Master of the Universe, if Yaakov sinned, what was the sin of Zion and Jerusalem? Why has "Jerusalem become an impurity among them"? It is they who bear the guilt, so why are we held accountable and paying the penalty?
The Sha'arei Chaim explains: "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him" - those who were closest to Yaakov, those surrounding him, were precisely the ones who turned into his adversaries. He cites an example of this: Yosef was viceroy of Egypt; Yosef saved Egypt from the famine. Without Yosef, Egypt would long ago have been wiped from the pages of history - and not just in our generation, but already in Pharaoh's time we would never have heard of it, as the famine would have destroyed it. Who saved you? Who brought you to the point where you became an empire, and people came from all over the world to buy grain from you? Yosef! You should have raised him on a pedestal, glorified him, and remembered his family, his children, and his people. Yet behold, specifically "his adversaries are all around him" - precisely those who received the most from us became our oppressors, haters of Yosef's children and Yosef's brothers. Naturally, the Children of Israel should have been loyal to Pharaoh like any other Egyptian citizens, but the Holy One, blessed be He, turned their hearts to hate His people, until Pharaoh himself came and plotted against his loyal servants. And if something is done to us that defies human nature - who can endure it? "Zion stretched out her hands; there is none to comfort her": Zion spreads her hands and cries out, Master of the Universe, in such a situation, I have no comfort.
In Torat Chessed, it is explained: "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him" - Hashem commanded them only to distress Israel, and nothing more. But "Jerusalem has become an impurity among them" - as usual, when the Holy One, blessed be He, loosens the leash on the nations, they do whatever they please, far beyond what was decreed. Hashem only said "his adversaries are all around him," meaning cause them distress, but they were not satisfied with this; instead, they made the decree far harsher, treating us with the most humiliating and disgraceful degradation imaginable.
The Alon Bachut explains: In order to protect the Jewish people from assimilating among the nations, what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He ensured that the gentile would hate us, keep us at a distance, and refuse to associate with us. It is told that once the Baal Shem Tov was walking with his disciples, and a priest passed by them with his young seminarians. The priest said to them: Let us move away from here, away from these Jews, for while they speak, saliva might come out of their mouths, and their impure saliva will touch us. These words reached the ears of the Baal Shem Tov, and he said to his disciples: See how much kindness Hashem has done for us, that the gentile distances himself from you! He spared you the discomfort of having to pull away - the gentile distances himself on his own initiative, so that you will not become defiled and will not contract all the illnesses he carries with him, meaning the spiritual ailments and character blemishes. Through this you are protected, and through this you remain like oil floating above all the waters of the world. "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov" - for Yaakov's benefit - "his adversaries are all around him," that our enemies should oppress us and hate us, and through this we gain, because we will not assimilate among them.
In the sefer Binyan David, he explains based on what is written in the holy sefarim: Why were the people of Israel scattered among the nations? Each nation possesses a specific root in evil. As we see with Esav, who refused to accept the Torah because it says, "Do not murder" - the root of the nations of Edom within the forces of evil is murder. With Yishmael, their root is theft, as well as illicit relations, and so on. When the people of Israel are exiled among the nations, they cause that evil force to weaken: the power of murder in Edom, the power of immorality and theft in Yishmael. But on the other hand, they are also exposed to being harmed by that very same force, for within that nation, this trait holds sway. While we weaken it, one must be extremely careful, because one is far more exposed to it - you are now standing right beside it, beside the nation in which this force is actively operating.
And this is what is written, "And you will take it to heart among all the nations where Hashem your God has driven you" - pay attention to why Hashem scattered you there: so that you act in opposition to those corrupt character traits, prevailing against the murder found in Edom and against the theft found in Yishmael. This is the meaning of what is stated here: "Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov" - and what did Hashem command Yaakov? The Binyan David explains: Cling to the mitzvot, keep far from evil. Why? Because "his adversaries surround him" - those surrounding you are his adversaries specifically in these traits; with these corrupt tendencies they seek to swallow you up, and with these natures they want to infect you. On the contrary, you must overpower this all the more, so as to weaken the evil force of that nation, and by doing so you nullify the power of evil in the world.
As we explained at length based on the teachings of the Leshem: The reason the Jewish people wandered for forty years in the wilderness was to nullify all the kelipot and forces of impurity, whose source and main dwelling place are in deserts and desolate regions. That is why there were places where they wished to remain, because they had already succeeded in overcoming the kelipah, but they were told: No, gentlemen, it is time to pack up and move. And there were places where they arrived and found it exceedingly difficult, because the kelipah was at full strength, so they said: Let us flee from here - yet the Shechinah told them: No, specifically here you must encamp, here you must rectify. And after they rectified it: Well, can we stay a little longer? No, no, pack up and move. There was tremendous hardship in the wilderness, the author of the Leshem explains. In the same way, we must understand our situation among the nations: the struggle is not to become tainted by the corrupt traits and natures of the nations, for it was precisely for this purpose that we were placed there.
The Rav of Worms explains: "Jerusalem has become like a niddah" - this is actually a favorable promise for us. For a niddah is not inherently impure; rather, it is a state of impurity that arrives and moves on (nadah), ultimately departing and shifting away. Had we been told that we possess absolute, permanent impurity, it would have led to utter despair; we would have been shattered. But the verse says: No, you were "like a niddah" - and a niddah counts seven days and becomes pure. We, too, have purification, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will ultimately bring us back as well.
The Maggid of Dubno says: To what can this be compared? To a man who betrothed his daughter to a young man distinguished by exceptional virtues and noble character traits. The bride's father said to him: "Know that I am overjoyed with you, and grateful that the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged such a wonderful match for me. However, I am deeply concerned, for you are about to come with us to our town, and our town - what can I say? The young men there are hardly a great prize. They are empty-headed, rowdy, and reckless fellows. I worry that you will associate with them, deteriorate, and learn from their ways." The young man replied: "You have nothing to worry about; I am strong." Yet when they brought him to their town, that which he feared came upon him: slowly but surely, that young man began associating with them; step by step, he adopted their mindset and became corrupted, until people began saying, "Do not associate with that person!" Do you realize what happened? He, who had been a righteous young man and began mingling with them, fell so far that their own parents were telling their children not to associate with him! He deteriorated to such an extent that even by their standards he had become corrupt, someone not worth befriending.
And what is the lesson? The Holy One, blessed be He, chose us, separated us from those who err, gave us the Torah of truth, and gave us good decrees and mitzvot. Yet with all that, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells us: In order to preserve all of this, stay away from the nations. Do not learn from their deeds, beware of their bread, their wine, and their oil, do not worship idols as they do - distance yourselves from them. But we, to our sorrow, went and drew close to them. Not only did we draw close and become like the nations, but we became like the most corrupt among them! See what state of affairs has developed - "therefore she has become like a niddah." Do you hear what "she has become like a niddah" means? The non-Jew says: Stay away, he is a Jew. The Jew is harmful, the Jew is corrupt, the Jew lacks decency, the Jew lacks good character. How dreadful: the non-Jew corrupted us so thoroughly that we became worse than the non-Jew, and the non-Jew now feels he must distance himself from us so that we do not corrupt him.
There are hotels abroad that display signs reading, "No Entry for Israelis." It is easy for us to say: This is antisemitism, they hate us. But that is simply not the case. While there is certainly hatred toward Jews, they do not post "No Entry for Jews" - if you arrive from somewhere else, they will welcome you. Rather, the word "Israelis" has, unfortunately, become a byword for vulgarity, a synonym for coarseness, shouting, and utterly unacceptable behavior. There are hotels in Turkey that will not accept Israelis: a person arrives there, rents a room for the night, and thinks he has purchased the carpets, the curtains, the ashtrays, the towels, the bathroom fixtures, and the plasma screen on the wall. It is truly dreadful - Master of the Universe, what an embarrassment!
A Jewish traveler once recounted an incident from a trip abroad. A group stayed at a hotel, checked out, boarded the bus, and were just about to depart for the airport. Suddenly a police car pulled up, the officers ordered the doors opened, and they began demanding identification from each person. What had happened? It is painful even to recount - they were told: We just received a report from the hotel that a television, a flat-screen plasma monitor, was stolen. Gentlemen, they took down everyone's bags, inspected them one by one, and finally opened the suitcase of a specific individual. Who can imagine the shame, the humiliation! They were detained on the spot and missed their flight. Master of the Universe, like the most corrupt among the nations - and not even like the most corrupt among them; we have sunk ten levels lower.
On the contrary, this stems from our elevated status. As explained at length previously: the Jewish nation is a unique genus, a category unto itself. And when a unique category falls, it does not merely descend to the category beneath it; rather, it deteriorates completely. When an animal falls, it does not descend to the level of plant life, but rather becomes rotting, putrid flesh that no one can approach. A dead animal does not turn into plant life - it becomes far, far lower than that. So too with the Jewish people: when they descend, they do not merely sink to the state of 'we have become like the nations,' but rather become 'like the most corrupt among the nations.'
The State of Israel ranks number one in youth crime. And for this we have a Ministry of Education - to ensure that the charedim study the secular core curriculum. We have finished with all the problems, solved all the troubles, everything is fine, Baruch Hashem. On the standardized national exams - complete failure; in global comparisons, we look at third-world countries, and the State of Israel ranks right alongside them. But leave that, set everything aside: all problems will be solved if only the charedim study the core curriculum. Meanwhile, the charedi education system is one that people should kiss the feet of, an educational system unlike anything seen in the secular world or among the nations: what derech eretz, what morality, what values, what refined character traits! But no, you must study the core curriculum and then everything will be fine. 'Rachmana liba ba'i' - the Merciful One desires the heart; and so it is, when one abandons the heart (lev), all they search for is the secular core (libah).
And one must realize: when the Jewish people fall, they sink to the lowest depths. This is what the verse means: 'Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him' - Hashem commanded Yaakov: keep away from those around you, do not assimilate to the gentile. And when the Jewish people do not heed this command and go on to resemble the gentiles, do not think they will accept you as an equal among equals. For you will deteriorate to such an extent that the gentile will regard you with revulsion - 'Jerusalem has become as an outcast among them' - while viewing himself as cultured in comparison to Jewish vulgarity. Therefore, she has become an outcast.
The Brisker Rav said: When a Jew does not make Kiddush on Friday night because he strives to assimilate to the gentile, the stage will arrive when the gentile will make Havdalah for him. And so it was, to our great sorrow, in Europe: the Jew had already assimilated, made no Kiddush, went to the theater on Friday night - and then the gentile came and made Havdalah. The tyrant arrived and searched three generations back to see if there was a Jewish grandmother, making the separation himself. Had you possessed wisdom, you would have separated yourself, keeping your distance. But you, the Jew, lacked wisdom; you wished to become like the gentile - well, then the gentile will ensure you are set apart. And this is the meaning of 'therefore she has become an outcast': you seek to draw close to him, but the gentile pushes you away; the gentile will not accept you.
A single verse captures the entire plight of Zion: 'Zion spreads out her hands' - outstretching her palms in agony, in prayer, like a drowning person pleading to be grabbed, and like a mourner forced to spread out his own mourning bed, for 'she has no comforter.' And there is no grief more painful than when a person has brought the harm upon himself. 'Hashem commanded concerning Yaakov, his adversaries are all around him': Hashem commanded the Torah to Yaakov and they failed to uphold it; therefore, the neighbors who should have comforted turned into oppressors - and even intensified the decrees on their own initiative. Yet on the other hand, that very hatred is an act of chessed: it is the fence that shields us from assimilation, as the Baal Shem Tov taught. Our task in exile is to weaken the power of evil within the nations rather than clinging to it; and if, God forbid, we draw close to them, we find ourselves as the most corrupt among them, until the gentile himself pushes us away. Nevertheless, comfort is embedded in the wording of the verse: 'lenidah' (as an outcast / niddah) - an impurity that is temporary and passes, for a niddah waits seven days and is purified. We, too, are destined to be purified and redeemed.