Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 122:4

"How does the city sit solitary?" To understand the word "Eichah" (how), we first need to examine what is stated in the Midrash: three people said "Eichah"—Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Moses said, "How can I bear alone" (Deuteronomy 1:12). Isaiah said, "How has the faithful city become a harlot" (Isaiah 1:21). Jeremiah said, "How does the city sit solitary" (Lamentations 1:1).
To understand this, it seems that it is already known that when Israel is not in a state of complete perfection, the Divine Name of God is not whole. When there is no justice in Israel, the Name of God is incomplete, and the letters Vav (ו) and Heh (ה) are missing, leaving only Yod (י) and Heh (ה). This is what David said: "The tribes of Yah are a testimony to Israel" (Psalms 122:4-5), and "there the thrones of judgment were set" (Psalms 122:5). Similarly, if sexual immorality, God forbid, increases in Israel, the Divine Name of God is not complete. Likewise, during the exile, the Divine Name is not whole, as it is written: "For the hand is upon the throne of Yah" (Exodus 17:16), and our Sages said, "From the day the Temple was destroyed, the world suffices with only two letters [Yod-Heh].
It is known that the word "Ach" (but) implies diminution, as the words "Ach" and "Rak" always indicate limitation. Therefore, Moses, who judged all of Israel by himself and found it difficult, said, "How can I bear alone" (Eichah: Ach Yah), meaning the Name of God is incomplete, leaving only Yod-Heh. Similarly, Isaiah, who saw the increase of immorality in Israel, as it is written: "Moreover the Lord said, because the daughters of Zion are haughty" (Isaiah 3:16), said, "How has the faithful city become a harlot" (Eichah: Ach Yah). And Jeremiah saw the noble lady (Jerusalem) in her degradation during the bitter exile, and since the world was content with just two letters, he said, "How does the city sit solitary" (Eichah: Ach Yah).
Similarly, when Adam sinned and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, the Divine Name was diminished, and therefore the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him, "Where are you?" (Eichah: Ach Yah). It is known that the Torah is a "medicine of life" for those who uphold it, and it is pleasant. But for those who transgress it, it becomes a "poison of death," which causes "woe after woe." Therefore, at the giving of the Torah, God appeared with the Name spelled with a Mem and a Gimel, as it is said, "I am" (Anochi) with a pleasant utterance. However, during the exile, the Name was changed to one spelled with a Nun and a Heh, and it is said "How" (Eichah) instead of "I am" (Anochi), as the letter Heh implies "woe after woe." This is the meaning of the word "Eichah." Understand this well."

בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל “When Israel's went out of Egypt.” When Beit Ya’akov and Beit Yisrael are mentioned together, Beit Yisrael refers to the Jewish men and Beit Ya’akov refers to the Jewish women, as Scripture states, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel…” (Ex. 19:3) as Rashi writes.³⁰⁴Exodus 19:3 Rashi - “To the house of Jacob:” This denotes the women — to them you shall speak in gentle language “And tell the children (sons) of Israel:” explain to the men the punishments and the details of the commandments in words that are as hard (distasteful) as wormwood.” In Rabbinic literature Bayit, house, is often used to refer to one’s wife. When the Israelites left Egypt the other nations said, “Are the offspring really related to the house of Jacob? If the Egyptians ruled over the men, how much more so (did they rule over) the women? It was as if, God needed to prove the Israelites were of proper lineage, as is stated, “the tribes of Yah gave testimony for Israel,” (Ps. 122:4) Yah, God, testified about them that they were the children of (Israelite) fathers, as is written, “Enochites…. Pelluites…” (Nu. 26:5) That which is stated, “When Israel left Egypt…” The House of Jacob, the women, left Egypt when the non-Jews were spreading rumors that they were the illegitimate children of a foreign nation. The women of Israel were righteous and closed their door (to everyone but) their husbands, as is written, “ A garden locked is my own, my bride, a fountain locked, a sealed-up spring.” (Song 4:12) There was but one among them and Scripture publicized it!³⁰⁵See Lev. 23:10-12 The (faithfulness of the Israelite women) caused the elevation of the Divine Presence, so to speak, because all the commandments which Israel performs adds to the power of might above, as is written, “With God we shall create might.” (Ps. 60:14) Thus the Psalm continues, “Judah became His holy one.” (Psalm 114:2) If it was speaking about the tribe of Judah it should have said, “Judah was…” Rather, Judah is a combination of the two names of God: the tetragrammaton (Havayah) and Adonai. The letter dalet alludes to the four letters of Adonai. It is called dalet because it is needy and has no powers of its own, like the moon which has no light of its own except for the light it receives from the sun.³⁰⁶This expression is commonly used in Kabbalah to describe Malchut or Shechinah. “When Israel left Egypt,” then the Shechinah also left with them and She was their holy place for she was sanctified.

משפחת החנכי THE FAMILY OF THE HANOCHITES — Because the heathen nations spoke slightingly of Israel, saying, “How can these trace their descent by their tribes? Do they think that the Egyptians did not overmaster their mothers? If they showed themselves master of their bodies, it is quite certain that they did so over those of their wives!”. On this account the Holy One, blessed be He, set His name upon them: the letter ה on one side of their name and the letter י on the other side (חנכיה), to intimate: I bear testimony for them that they are the sons of their reputed fathers (and not of the Egyptians) (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:12). This it is that is expressed by David, (Psalms 122:4) שבטי יה עדות לישראל: “that the tribes bear the name of the Lord (יה) is a testimony regarding Israel” — this Divine Name (יה) bears testimony regarding their tribes (i.e. that they rightly attach themselves to those tribes to which they claim to belong). On this account in the case of all of them it is written החנכי and הפלואי but in the case of ימנה (v. 44) it was not felt necessary to state “of the family of הימני”, because the Divine Name is already attached to it — the י at the beginning and the ה at the end (ימנה) (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 773).