예레미야애가 4:1의 인용 해설

How can it be that she sits in isolation. Yirmiyahu wrote the book of Lamentations. ¹Because Chapter 3 of Eichah begins with Yirmiyahu writing, “I am the man,” one might mistakenly think that is the beginning of Yirmiyahu’s writing, therefore Rashi states that he wrote the entire Book of Lamentations [=Eichah]. (Sifsei Chachomim) This is the scroll that Yehoyakim burned on the hearth.²See Yirmiyahu 36:23. It contained three³The three acrostics respond to the three tragedies that occurred: the physical exile of the Bnei Yisroel, the departure of the Shchinah and the loss of Eretz Yisroel. (Yalkut Me’am Lo’ez) alphabetical acrostics:⁴The alphabetical acrostic symbolizes the Bnei Yisroel’s transgression of the Torah which was written with the letters of the Aleph Beis. (Sifsei Chachomim) “Oh how can it be that she sits [in isolation],”⁵Eichah 1:1. “How can it be [that God] has cast a gloom,”⁶Ibid., 2:1. [and] “How dim can it be [that the golden glow] has paled.”⁷Ibid., 4:1. He added to it, “I am the man...”,⁸Ibid., 3:1. which contains three sets of alphabetical acrostics, as it is stated, “and many more words were added similar to those [of the original scroll],”⁹Yirmiyahu 36:32. three corresponding to three.¹⁰He also added Chapter 5. See Eichah Rabbah, Pesichta 28.

The Righteous - Meaning, he should constantly envision in his mind how he is standing before Hashem Blessed be He, because The Holy One's glory fills all the land. And it is written in the name of the Arizal, that he should constantly envision the Name YHV'H before his eyes with the vowelization of the word "Yir'ah" ("Fear"), and this is the secret of "I shall set the Lord before me always" and this greatly benefits one's Fear of Heaven. There are those who were accustomed because of this, to have parchments with a Menorah drawn on it to place in their prayer books, and they write on it "I shall set the Lord..." Etc..., [spelled out] with the Four Letters and other Names, and this Menorah is called "I have set" ["Shiviti"]. And the purpose [of this] is so that it should be remembered not to speak in idle chatter during prayer -out of Fear of God. And it is written in the Gates of Repentance [Sha'arei Teshuvah] in the name of the Tevuas Shor, "It is proper to set out with force to abolish this custom[of writing this parchment of Divine Names] because in general they (the people) don't protect this parchment properly, and they "are spilled at the head of every street" (Lamentations 4:1), and also many times it (the parchment) comes to erasure of The [Divine] Name. And it seems that the large Menorahs which are drawn on parchment and are affixed in the Shul in front of the podium [of the Chazzan/Prayer Leader] under a surface of glass - this is not subject to the reasoning which was mentioned previously, and there is no issue with that" - end quote. [However,] those who affix [parchments] in [front of] the podium without a surface, there is [grounds] to protest against them, because due to the candles which are [customarily] affixed on the podium (hence being under the parchment melting the ink with the heat of the candle), after many times [of lighting these candles], it will lead to erasure of The [Divine] Name, Heaven Forbid.

And he said “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob.” He saw that their openings were not aligned facing each other, so that no one would look into their fellow’s tent and they would not be harmed by the evil eye. He said, “How is it possible that they would be harmed by the evil eye, since it is something they themselves are careful about?” Rather, like streams stretched out — he is saying that the tents of Jacob and his dwellings are compared to streams that cover the fish so that the evil eye has no power over them. Similarly, the tents in which they sit and engage in Torah study protect from the [evil] eye, for the evil eye has no power over those who dwell in tents who are not seen at the head of all streets. Nevertheless, their Torah proclaims them in the streets, giving its voice, and their wellsprings spread outward in the streets [like] streams of water. Therefore it says, like streams stretched out, like gardens planted by the Lord, for the tents and the streams have the same property.

A time to cast away stones. The youths of Yisroel scattered during the destruction of the Beis [Hamikdosh], as it is stated, “sacred gems are scattered.”⁹Eichah 4:1.

My beloved is pure white. White, as in, “they were whiter צַחוּ than milk.”³⁷Eichah 4:1.

His head. Shines like the finest gold. ‘כֶּתֶם’³⁹‘ם‘ת‘כ is an acronym representing the three crowns: תורה [=Torah], כהונה [=priesthood], and מלכות [=kingship], mentioned in Avos 4:13. (Gra) is a term referring to the treasures of kings which they store in their treasure houses, and similarly, “the finest gold כֶּתֶם has changed,”⁴⁰Eichah 4:1. and similarly, “and fine gold וְלַכֶּתֶם I called my security,”⁴¹Iyov 31:24. and similarly, “and an ornament of fine gold כֶּתֶם.”⁴²Mishlei 25:12.

many words like those At first, there were three alphabetical acrostics: (Lam. ch. 1) “O how... remained,” (2) “How...brought darkness,” (4) “How dim...has become.” And he added to it, (3) “I am the man,” in which every letter is tripled.