כָּל֨וּ בַדְּמָע֤וֹת עֵינַי֙ חֳמַרְמְר֣וּ מֵעַ֔י נִשְׁפַּ֤ךְ לָאָ֙רֶץ֙ כְּבֵדִ֔י עַל־שֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־עַמִּ֑י בֵּֽעָטֵ֤ף עוֹלֵל֙ וְיוֹנֵ֔ק בִּרְחֹב֖וֹת קִרְיָֽה׃ (ס)
Mataku habis oleh air mata, isi perutku mengerut, hatiku tercurah ke tanah karena kehancuran putri bangsaku, ketika bayi dan anak yang menyusu jatuh lemas di lapangan-lapangan kota.
Eikhah Rabbah
“My eyes fail from tears; my innards burn; my liver is poured on the earth over the disaster of the daughter of my people, as the infants and the sucklings faint in the city squares” (Lamentations 2:11).
“My eyes fail from tears.” Rabbi Elazar said: Limitations were imposed on the eye.111There is a limit to the functional abilities of the eye; if one cries too much, it will affect his vision (Etz Yosef). [There are tears that are beneficial:] The tear caused by a drug, the tear caused by mustard, and the tear caused by eye balm; and the tear of laughter is the best of all. There are three harmful tears: The tear caused by smoke, the tear caused by weeping, and the tear caused by the lavatory;112This is when one suffers from an intestinal malady. and the tear over a young person is the worst of all. There was an incident involving a certain woman who had a young son who died. She cried over him at nights until her eyelashes fell out. She went to a doctor. He said to her: ‘Apply some of this eye paste and you will feel relief.’
“My liver is poured on the earth.” There was an incident involving a certain man who had a young son who died. He cried over him at nights until his liver dropped. He said: ‘The liver of this man has already dropped, who will cry over him? But it was to no avail for me.’113The man said: I am going to die because of the medical damage caused by my crying, but my crying did not accomplish anything. Similarly, the verse bemoans the effects of the crying in the aftermath of the destruction, which did not accomplish anything, as salvation did not arrive and the Temple remained destroyed.
“My eyes fail from tears.” Rabbi Elazar said: Limitations were imposed on the eye.111There is a limit to the functional abilities of the eye; if one cries too much, it will affect his vision (Etz Yosef). [There are tears that are beneficial:] The tear caused by a drug, the tear caused by mustard, and the tear caused by eye balm; and the tear of laughter is the best of all. There are three harmful tears: The tear caused by smoke, the tear caused by weeping, and the tear caused by the lavatory;112This is when one suffers from an intestinal malady. and the tear over a young person is the worst of all. There was an incident involving a certain woman who had a young son who died. She cried over him at nights until her eyelashes fell out. She went to a doctor. He said to her: ‘Apply some of this eye paste and you will feel relief.’
“My liver is poured on the earth.” There was an incident involving a certain man who had a young son who died. He cried over him at nights until his liver dropped. He said: ‘The liver of this man has already dropped, who will cry over him? But it was to no avail for me.’113The man said: I am going to die because of the medical damage caused by my crying, but my crying did not accomplish anything. Similarly, the verse bemoans the effects of the crying in the aftermath of the destruction, which did not accomplish anything, as salvation did not arrive and the Temple remained destroyed.
Bereshit Rabbah
“Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons: Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” (Genesis 42:1).
“Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt” – “Happy is he whose help is from the God of Jacob, whose hope [sivro] is in the Lord his God” (Psalms 146:5). “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt” – “Behold, He demolishes, and it will not be rebuilt” (Job 12:14) – once the Holy One blessed be He stymied the intention of the tribes,1The plan of Joseph’s brothers to kill him. it was not restored. “He shuts a man in, and it will not be opened” (Job 12:14) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive. But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive, as it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was shever in Egypt” – “that there was disaster [shever]”2The word shever, generally translated in Genesis 42:1 to mean grain, can also mean disaster; see, e.g., Lamentations 2:11. – this is the famine; “that there was hope [sever]”3The midrash interprets the verse as though it said “hope [sever],” because the letters shin and sin are interchangeable. – this is the plenty. “That there was disaster [shever]” – “Joseph was taken down to Egypt” (Genesis 39:1); “that there was hope [sever]” – “Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6). “That there was disaster [shever]” – “they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them” (Genesis 15:13); “that there was hope [sever]” – “then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). “Who says to the sun and it does not shine” (Job 9:7) – this is Jacob; “and seals the stars” (Job 9:7) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive.4The verse in Job is thus understood to mean that God withheld the full “shine” of the divine spirit from Jacob, and although he had a sense that Joseph was alive, he did not have clear knowledge of the matter. On the other hand, God withheld this sense entirely from Joseph’s brothers (Etz Yosef). But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive.
“Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt” – “Happy is he whose help is from the God of Jacob, whose hope [sivro] is in the Lord his God” (Psalms 146:5). “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt” – “Behold, He demolishes, and it will not be rebuilt” (Job 12:14) – once the Holy One blessed be He stymied the intention of the tribes,1The plan of Joseph’s brothers to kill him. it was not restored. “He shuts a man in, and it will not be opened” (Job 12:14) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive. But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive, as it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was shever in Egypt” – “that there was disaster [shever]”2The word shever, generally translated in Genesis 42:1 to mean grain, can also mean disaster; see, e.g., Lamentations 2:11. – this is the famine; “that there was hope [sever]”3The midrash interprets the verse as though it said “hope [sever],” because the letters shin and sin are interchangeable. – this is the plenty. “That there was disaster [shever]” – “Joseph was taken down to Egypt” (Genesis 39:1); “that there was hope [sever]” – “Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6). “That there was disaster [shever]” – “they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them” (Genesis 15:13); “that there was hope [sever]” – “then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). “Who says to the sun and it does not shine” (Job 9:7) – this is Jacob; “and seals the stars” (Job 9:7) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive.4The verse in Job is thus understood to mean that God withheld the full “shine” of the divine spirit from Jacob, and although he had a sense that Joseph was alive, he did not have clear knowledge of the matter. On the other hand, God withheld this sense entirely from Joseph’s brothers (Etz Yosef). But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive.