We are in chapter 2 of Megillat Eicha, at verse 21. Until now, the lamenter described the catastrophe that struck the compassionate women who ate their offspring, the "tender infants," and the "priest and prophet" murdered in the Sanctuary of Hashem. Now, writes the author of Lechem Dimah, he continues and describes how the rest of the general populace was not spared from the calamity either.
שָׁכְבוּ לָאָרֶץ חוּצוֹת נַעַר וְזָקֵן, בְּתוּלֹתַי וּבַחוּרַי נָפְלוּ בֶחָרֶב, הָרַגְתָּ בְּיוֹם אַפֶּךָ, טָבַחְתָּ לֹא חָמָלְתָּ׃ - Youth and elder lay on the ground in the streets, my maidens and my young men fell by the sword; You slew on the day of Your wrath, You slaughtered without pity.
After women ate their offspring, the tender infants, and after those children lay on the ground faint with hunger - know that youth and elder also lay on the ground in the streets. The emphasis here is that it is customary for youths and elders to sleep on beds, as they are the frail ones - the youth is a young child, and the elders are exhausted people who need a comfortable bed. Yet despite this, they lay on the ground. Meanwhile, "my maidens and my young men," who are stronger, "fell by the sword."
The distinction in the verse is precise: regarding the youths and the elders, who do not take part in battle, it says, "Youth and elder lay on the ground in the streets" - they perished from famine, and "lay on the ground" was the result of death by starvation. In contrast, regarding the young men and the maidens - where the young men were the combatants and the maidens provided support, what is known today as combat support, providing them with food and the like - of them it is said that they fell by the sword.
In the sefer Alon Bachut, "lay on the ground in the streets" is explained as a description of those slain by Nevuzaradan to appease the blood of Zechariah. This is a direct continuation of the previous verse, "Should priest and prophet be slain in the Sanctuary of the Lord?" - and in consequence, "they lay on the ground in the streets." How so? He brought the Great Sanhedrin and the Minor Sanhedrin, and slaughtered them. This is the meaning of "youth and elder": the elders are the Torah scholars, and even young men who were wise and knowledgeable in Torah were appointed to the Sanhedrin - and he killed them all.
Afterward, he brought the young men and the maidens and slaughtered them as well, which is "my maidens and my young men fell by the sword" - at the hands of Nevuzaradan, because a priest and prophet was slain in the Sanctuary of Hashem. Then he brought sixty thousand young priests and slaughtered them too, which is "You slew on the day of Your wrath." Finally, he brought young school children and slaughtered them as well, and concerning this it is said, "You slaughtered without pity" - for even according to strict justice, and certainly according to the attribute of mercy, it was appropriate to have pity on little children, yet here, "You slaughtered without pity."
The author of Lechem Dimah notes the emphasis in the words "You slew on the day of Your wrath." What is "the day of Your wrath"? There is a day designated for tragedy, a day of fury and wrath - namely, the day of Tisha B'Av, a day of fierce anger. On it, it was decreed that our ancestors would die in the wilderness; on it, the First Temple was destroyed; and on it, the Second Temple was destroyed. And because this occurred "on the day of Your wrath," therefore "You slaughtered without pity": since the day itself is predisposed to calamity, the catastrophe that struck was extraordinarily severe.
The book 'Leha'ir' brings a story told by Rabbi Yechiel Tzuker. Let me say beforehand that this is a difficult story, but it comes to show the greatness of Israel, heights that we cannot imagine or describe. It was told by a student who studied in the Gur yeshiva 'Chiddushei HaRim', who was very close to the mashgiach, Rabbi Gedaliah Eisner, a holy and lofty man, who gave shiurim to the students on the sefer 'Sefat Emet'.
During one of the shiurim, a student let out a great and heavy sigh. When the mashgiach heard it, he was displeased and rebuked him: What is this sigh? Are you lacking something? Do you not have a bed to sleep on? Do you not have three meals a day? Do you have the burden of a household, worries, livelihood? What are you sighing about? And do you not know that the sigh of a Jew causes pain to the Shechinah? For the Holy One, blessed be He, promised "I am with him in trouble," and when a Jew sighs, the Shechinah sighs.
At the end of the shiur, that student came in to the mashgiach, and with a certain puzzlement asked: Does the Rav not know that this young man has been in shidduchim for a long time already and it is not easy for him, and that is why he let out a sigh? Perhaps the Rav judged him too harshly. Rabbi Gedaliah Eisner answered him: I will tell you a story that I have never told anyone.
"I was in the death camps at Auschwitz. The Nazis, may their name be blotted out, murdered my wife and all the members of my family, and only a single daughter remained to me, the last remnant of the family, and I have no other descendants. The Holy One, blessed be He, had graced this girl with a special beauty, something that led me sevenfold to be careful and to guard her with utmost care. Wherever I went I took her with me, and I did not take my eyes off her even for a moment.
After several months they forcibly separated us, and fortunately for me they transferred her to the women's camp that was adjacent to our camp. I would regularly go and stand by the fence and look toward the women's camp, to see how my daughter was doing, keeping a close watch. People sometimes wondered why I was looking toward the women's camp, and it seemed strange to them, but I did not care. I saw in it a lofty matter, to guard her with utmost care.
One day a German officer, may his name be blotted out, passed by there, saw my daughter and wanted to take her over to the other side of the fence, because of her beauty. And she held onto the fence with all her strength and began to scream. I stood on the other side, and it was clear for what purpose he was taking her. She began to shout: Abba, Abba, what do I do? The German drew a knife and said to her: If you do not let go of the fence, I will slaughter you now. And she shouts: Abba, what do I do? I said to her: This is one of the three sins about which it is written that one must be killed and not transgress. And she did not let go of the fence. And before my eyes he slaughtered my only daughter, the one who remained to me from my entire family."
And the mashgiach concluded to him: And even then I did not let out a sigh from my mouth. And even then I did not let out a sigh from my mouth. And you come and tell me about a young man in shidduchim who sighed? Do you have something to sigh about? Is the pain of the Shechinah so small in your eyes?
The matter is terrible to one who contemplates it. "See, O Lord, and behold" - Master of the World, see: my maidens and my young men have fallen by the sword. Who can believe with such faith, with such devotion? And this is what is said in Shir HaShirim: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is harsh as the grave, its flashes are flashes of fire, the flame of God. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers wash it away, if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love" - the thing most precious to him he gave out of love, from the great love of Israel for the Holy One, blessed be He.
And a person complains and bemoans, he has difficulties and he has questions: why this way, and why cannot it be better, and here they did such and such to me, and here they took from me, and here I did not receive. And he does not pay attention to what he is complaining about - about trivialities. This is what bothers you? This is what troubles you?
I read an article brought on 'Hidabroot', written by an eighth grade homeroom teacher in the 'Kalman' middle school in Ramat HaSharon: an imaginary conversation between Chaya Erlich, a girl from Berlin of the year 1940 - in the very midst of the days of the Nazi decrees - and Itai Naor from Tel Aviv of the year 2015. It is clear that this is an imaginary conversation, but listen to it.
Chaya: Hi, you look very down. Itai: Yes, I am going through difficult days. Chaya: Maybe I can help? Itai: How? Do you have connections in the El Al offices? Chaya: What is El Al? Itai: A large Israeli airline. Chaya: There is an Israeli airline? Itai: Of course, every country has at least one airline, so the State of Israel does too. Chaya: The State of Israel? There is a state for the Jewish people? Where is it? Itai: Between Egypt and Syria, between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Chaya: Is that not the land of the Tanach? The land of dreams? Itai: Pipe dreams, everything there is run terribly.
Chaya: Like what, for example? Itai: What not? In the police there are tons of scandals, don't ask. Chaya: Police? Who are the police officers? Jewish policemen? Itai: Of course, who else? Chaya: What do you mean, who else? The Nazis, the Poles, the Hungarians, the Romanians, the SS units - are they lacking policemen? Itai: No way, what are you talking about? This is our land. What can I tell you - the tax system here is annoying, National Insurance doesn't listen to you. Chaya: What do they build with your taxes? Labor camps? Itai: What? They build new cities, roads, streetlights, parks, they settle the Land. Chaya: So what is bad about that?
Itai: That it's very expensive to live here. Everything in the State of Israel is expensive - apartments, cars, groceries, even parking a car in the city costs money. Chaya: You have a personal car? Itai: Of course, two cars, one for me and one for my wife, so we can take the kids to after-school activities and plays. Chaya: Wow, sounds like Gan Eden. I love plays in Yiddish the most. Itai: Yiddish? That's long passé, only Hebrew. Chaya: People speak in our language over there? Hebrew? I literally have goosebumps.
Itai: Goosebumps? Just wait and see what goosebumps you'll feel when they call you up for reserve duty right during the busy months at work, when the boss is stressed - it's a nightmare. Chaya: Reserve duty? Explain. Itai: A draft of several weeks into the army. Chaya: You have an army? They permit you to fight? Itai: You're kidding, who needs to permit us? Chaya: Then it must be an army with clubs, like the Jewish police here, the Kapos. Itai: Clubs? What world are you living in? There are tanks, airplanes, ships, tons of soldiers, we have everything. But it isn't easy here; in the end, the government does whatever it wants.
Chaya: A government? You have a parliament of your own? Itai: A parliament? You make me laugh - people who sit and warm their seats for four years, at best, until they are re-elected. Chaya: Re-elected? You have the ability to elect leadership? It's not a dictatorship? Itai: Democracy, madam, democracy, and that is precisely the problem - that the majority imposes its view on the righteous minority. Chaya: Wow, so you have a biblical land, a state, police, an army, a parliament, democracy, an economy, and a private car too. If I had just one thing out of all that, I would thank God every day. Itai: Forget it, you don't understand anything. In short, I want to leave, emigrate from the country, change the scenery, go somewhere else, open and welcoming, without stress, something sterile, without enemies at every corner. Chaya: Where will you go? Itai: I was thinking about Berlin, Germany. After all, Milky pudding is cheaper there.
Do you understand? So what are you sighing about? What are you crying over? You do not need to go back two thousand years - go back seventy years, see what people went through, and realize that all your troubles and all your problems and everything you are going through - it is all nothing, it all pales in comparison, it amounts to nothing. Wake up every morning and say: Thank You, Master of the Universe. Thank You that I live in a place where I can do as I please, that I leave my home without fear, that I can go learn, and pray, and serve the Holy One, blessed be He, and I have a livelihood, and a home, and a wife, and children, and I have everything. And true, there is a problem here and a problem there - but is that the whole story? Is that what you are sighing about?
In the sefer Alei Marorot by the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Yehoshua Moshe Aaronson, ztz"l, a harrowing story is recorded, describing the agonizing and terrible days that the Jewish people endured, and serving as a reminder of "My maidens and my young men have fallen by the sword."
Around the time of the Shavuot festival, in the spring, the Nazis were marching Jews from place to place, and fruit was already growing along their route. While leaving the camp, a young boy climbed one of the trees and picked two small, unripe apples. The boy's name was Podembsky. When a German noticed this, without a second thought, without questions or arguments, he simply shot him - as was standard practice there.
The boy lay wallowing in his blood, dying, but still alive. They carried him back to the camp. When the camp commander heard about this, he ordered that he be placed in the washroom and that no one approach him at all: neither to do anything for him nor to offer him any aid. And there, if you disobeyed the commander's orders, you too took a bullet to the head - there were no courts, no law, and no recourse.
For an entire twenty-four hours, terrible, agonizing cries echoed from the washroom, sounds that shook the heart. In the dead of night, people risked their lives, crept over, took a little water, and gave it to him. The next day, when the commander saw that the boy refused to die, he ordered another shot fired into him - and the astounding thing is that the boy remained alive.
The commander, seeing the boy still twitching and clinging to life, was astonished, and he summoned dozens of German women from the city, inviting them into the camp to witness this curious spectacle: a boy who took two bullets and was still alive and twitching. And it is unbelievable - with what callous indifference those respectable, refined, and intelligent German women gazed upon a sixteen-year-old boy wallowing in his blood and fighting for his life, without it causing even the slightest ripple of emotion in them. As if to say: Well, just another dying Jew, like watching a cockroach on its back, writhing.
That very same day, four more Jews were murdered for similar "crimes," having tried to take fruit along the way in the labor camp. The five bodies were loaded onto a wagon, and they were sent to bury them in the Christian cemetery. At first, they dug graves for all five, thinking the boy was already dead. They buried four bodies, and then they noticed that the boy was still twitching, and even cried out to them: "What are you doing? Mother, look what they are doing to me!"
They knew that according to Halachah, burying him would be murder and is strictly forbidden, for one may not even close the eyes of a dying person, and doing so is considered shedding blood. They agreed among themselves: come what may, even if they tell us that if we do not bury him each of us will take a bullet to the head, we will take a bullet to the head and not bury him. It is a matter of *yehareg ve'al ya'avor* - let oneself be killed rather than transgress.
And what happened there? At that moment, a senior officer passed by, heard what was happening, drew his rifle, ripped open the youth's shirt, and shot him straight through the heart. At the very moment he ripped open the shirt, they saw that he was wearing *tzitzit*. Then they also understood a part of the protection that had shielded him so fiercely. That youth was a student of Rabbi Leventhal of Univ. With that the story ended, and only then could they bring him to a Jewish grave.
Verse 21 describes the calamity that engulfed every stratum of the nation: youth and elder, the weak whose natural place is to lie in bed, lay prostrate on the ground dying of hunger, while young men and maidens - the fighters and their supporters - fell by the sword. According to the *Elon Bachut*, this describes the execution of the Great and Small Sanhedrin, the young men and maidens, sixty thousand young *kohanim*, and school children by the hand of Nevuzaradan to appease the blood of Zechariah. "You killed in the day of Your wrath" - on the day predisposed to calamity, Tisha B'Av, upon which the death of the generation of the wilderness was decreed and both Batei HaMikdash were destroyed; therefore, "You slaughtered and showed no mercy." About this we cry: "Look, Hashem, and behold" - Master of the Universe, look at what Your people Israel have endured, see their unfathomable courage and devotion, and spare them and have mercy upon them. Even if harsh decrees and the war of Gog and Magog and whatever else lies ahead were decreed upon us - the Jewish people have already drained the cup of venom to its dregs. We have drunk it dry, and all that remains now is the complete Redemption. Until then, let us learn from all of this to stop sighing over petty trivialities, and to rise every morning thanking the Master of the Universe for everything.