예레미야애가 3:13의 미드라쉬

“…who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces.” Rabbi Eliezer in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: Are there not two hundred and fifty-two provinces in the world? David ruled over them all; that is what is written: “David’s renown went out to all the lands” (I Chronicles 14:17). Solomon ruled over them all; that is what is written: “Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms...” (I Kings 5:1). Aḥav ruled over them all; that is what is written: “As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom [to where my lord did not send to seek you]” (I Kings 18:10). Does a person take an oath about a place that he does not rule? Additionally, from here: “He counted the young princes of the dominions, and they were two hundred and thirty-two…” (I Kings 20:15). Where were the rest?⁸Earlier it was said that there were two hundred and fifty-two provinces, and here there are representatives of only two hundred and thirty-two dominions. Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis: Rabbi Levi said: They ceased to exist in the famine during the days of Eliyahu. The Rabbis said that Ben Haddad came and took them. That is what is written: “Ben Haddad king of Aram gathered his entire army, and thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots; he went and besieged Samaria, and waged war against it” (I Kings 20:1). We need twenty, and you say thirty-two? Rather, there were provinces that were intractable, and he would take two [young princes] from them as hostages in his charge.
Rabbi Berekhya and the Rabbis [related to the verse: “He pierced my kidneys with the contents of his quiver [benei ashpato]” (Lamentations 3:13)]. Rabbi Berekhya said: These were the captives [benei ukaifi] and the hostages [benei emuryai].⁹These were the “contents of his quiver,” with which God pierced Israel’s kidneys. The Rabbis said: Benei ukaifi – as they were subjugated with manacles [arkof], and benei emuryai – as they were substitutes [temurot] for their fathers. And so it says: “And the hostages [benei hataaruvot]” (II Kings 14:14), they were guarantees [me’uravot] for their fathers.
Nebuchadnezzar ruled over them all; that is what is written: “Everywhere the sons of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens dwell, [He has given into your hand and set your rule over them all]” (Daniel 2:38). Cyrus ruled over them all; that is what is written: “The Lord…has given me all the kingdoms of the earth” (Ezra 1:2). Darius ruled over them all; that is what is written: “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, [the nations, and the [speakers of different] languages that reside in the entire earth]” (Daniel 6:26). Aḥashverosh ruled over half of them. Why over half of them? Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Aḥa and the Rabbis, Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: The Holy One blessed be He said to him: You divided my kingdom, as you said: “He is the God, who is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:3); by your life, I am going to divide your kingdom. The Rabbis say: The Holy One blessed be He said to him: You split My house, as you said: “Its height shall be sixty cubits¹⁰The height of the Sanctuary in Solomon’s Temple was one hundred and twenty cubits. and its width sixty cubits” (Ezra 6:3); by your life, I am going to split your kingdom.
Let it say one hundred and twenty-six, for what reason does the verse state “one hundred and twenty-seven provinces”? Rather, this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You added one ascent [aliya]¹¹Aliya means both second floor and ascent. to My house from your own, as you said: “Any among you from His entire people, may his God be with him, and he may ascend” (Ezra 1:3); I, too, will provide you with an additional ascent from my own, so he added one province to the tally; that is what is written: “One hundred and twenty-seven provinces.”

“He brought the contents of His quiver into my kidneys” (Lamentations 3:13).
“He brought the contents of His quiver [benei ashpato] into my kidneys” – Rav and Shmuel: Rav said: His prisoners and hostages;²¹The word benei generally is used in reference to people. Rav expounds that prisoners and hostages were appointed as guards over the Jewish prisoners. These individuals were bitter and cruel (Midrash HaMevo’ar). Shmuel said: He brought upon me people who eat much and excrete excrement [ashpot].²²The reference is to the Persians (see Megilla 11a).
“I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their song all day” (Lamentations 3:14).
“I have become a laughingstock to all my people” – it is written: “Those who sit at the gate talk about me” (Psalms 69:13) – these are the nations of the world who sit in theaters and circuses. “I am the subject of songs by ale drinkers” (Psalms 69:13) – after they sit, eat, drink, and become intoxicated, they sit, speak about me, mock me, and say: So that we will not need to eat carobs like the Jews.²³We have eaten as much as we like, unlike the Jews who are poor and must carobs [ḥarovim]. Alternatively, this sentence can be translated to mean: We will not be destroyed [ḥaruvim] like the Jews (Matnot Kehuna). They would say to each other: ‘How many years do you want to live?’ They would say: ‘Like the Shabbat garment of the Jews.’²⁴The Jews would wear their Shabbat clothes for many years. The gentiles mocked them for this as well. They would bring the camel into their theaters with its garments²⁵Sackcloth was used as a covering for camels and as clothes for mourners (Etz Yosef). on it. They would say to each other: ‘Why is it mourning?’ They would say: ‘These Jews observe the Sabbatical Year. They do not have any vegetation and they eat its thorns, and it is mourning over them.’ They would bring the dead into their theater and its head was shaved. They would say to each other: ‘Why is this one’s head shaved?’ He would say: ‘These Jews are Shabbat observers, and everything for which they exert themselves all the days of the week, they eat on Shabbat. They do not have wood with which to cook, and they break their beds and cook with them. They sleep on the ground and become covered with dirt, and they smear themselves with oil. Therefore, the oil is expensive.²⁶They cannot afford oil to shampoo their hair, so they shave it.
Another matter: “Those who sit at the gate talk about me” – these are Israel, who sit in the synagogues and study halls. “I am the subject of songs by ale drinkers” – after they sit, eat, drink, and become intoxicated at the meal prior to the ninth of Av, they sit and recite lamentations, wailing, with eikha.
“He filled me with bitterness, sated me with wormwood” (Lamentations 3:15).
“He filled me with bitterness” – this is the first festival day of Passover, in whose regard it is written: “With unleavened bread and bitter herbs [they shall eat it]” (Numbers 9:11). “Sated me with wormwood” – with what He filled me on the evening of the first festival day of Passover, He sated me on the ninth of Av. That is why the evening of the first festival day of Passover coincides with the evening of the ninth of Av.²⁷They occur on the same day of the week each year.