Megillas Eichoh was Written before the Churban
Yirmiyohu Hanovi wrote Megillas Eichoh at the time
that
Jerusalem was still vibrant, bustling with people and all
roads still led to the royal capital. Its streets hummed with
lively activity, as Yirmiyohu Hanovi describes.
Furthermore, the Beis Hamikdosh was standing intact,
with the kohanim busy at their holy service, and the
leviim serving at their posts and positions. In the
midst of this scenario did Yirmiyohu receive the Heavenly
instruction to, "Take a scroll and write upon it all the
words which I have spoken to you about Israel and about
Yehuda and about all the nations, from the day I spoke to you
in the times of Yoshiya and up to this very day, about all
the evil which I contemplate doing to them so that they
repent, each one from his evil way, and then shall I forgive
them their sin and transgression."
When King Yehoyokim heard this, he flung the scroll into the
fire, as is written (Yirmiyohu 36:23), "And it was
that
when Yehudi read three or four leaves, he would cut it with a
penknife and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier,
until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the
brazier."
The king thought that if he burned the scroll, the episode of
the Eichoh lamentation and all that was contained
therein would be likewise consumed and completed. But this,
of course, was not to be. This is not the way to repeal a
harsh decree, as is written (Ibid. 27,28), "Then the
word of Hashem came to Yirmiyohu, after the king had burned
the scroll with the words which Boruch wrote from the mouth
of Yirmiyahu, saying: Take you again another scroll, and
write in it all the former words that were in the first
scroll, which Yehoyokim the King of Yehuda has burned."
And there it is further written (Ibid. 32), "Then
Yirmiyohu took another scroll and gave it to Boruch the
scribe, the son of Neriya, who wrote in it from the mouth of
Yirmiyohu all the words of the book which Yehoyokim, king of
Yehuda, had burned in the fire, and there were added to them
besides, many similar words."
In Midrash Eichoh Rabboh, perek Gimmel, we find, "What
are those `many similar words'? In the beginning,
Eichoh consisted only of three chapters arranged
according to the Alef-beis. Afterwards, Yirmiyohu
added
the chapter of, `I am the man," which is a triple Alef-
beis.
We thus see that Megillas Eichoh was written when all
was still thriving and bustling; its purpose was to forewarn
and to try to head off the Destruction through repentance.
Indeed, this was so stated even before this prophecy, back in
Parshas Bechukosai and in Ki Sovo.
The Purpose of the Fasts — to Elevate and Strengthen
our
Values and Attitudes Towards Keeping the Torah
One who contemplates the fasts which were established in
connection with the Churban, sees that they came in
four stages: First the beginning of the siege, then the
capture of the city, then the burning of the Mikdosh, and
finally, the destruction of the surviving remnant in Eretz
Yisroel through the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikom.
One might think that fasting and lamenting is necessary for a
nation that was accustomed to revelry, feasting and a sense
of exaggerated self-importance. Thus, the counterpart would
be a mien of submission and somberness. The fasting would
then highlight the pain and mourning so that the people would
know how to conduct themselves with more restraint in the
future.
The truth is that the Churban did not come upon us because we
had lived a life of indulgence and ostentation. Nor because
we were lightheaded and made merry. Rather, it was because we
considered ourselves too lowly and insignificant as compared
to the mighty, proud nations of the world. We lacked a sense
of self esteem, of inner serenity, of self-confidence to
stand up to those who mocked and abused us. This is exactly
what the Torah predicted: "Instead of your having served
Hashem your G-d with joy and happy heart from all your bounty
. . . "
The Churban came about because we were not satisfied with our
lot, nor sufficiently proud of our Torah. We did not feel joy
and power in our Judaism as we should have. We should have
revelled in our goodly lot as Jews. Instead we showed fear,
sadness and effacement towards the other nations.
The very hour that was decreed for the eve of the Churban was
not, in fact, a night of carousing and revelry. It was the
night of the return of the meraglim, a night of
despair. The entire nation bewailed the news they heard from
the spies, instead of placing their trust in Hashem and
faithfully rejoicing in their lot. Instead they wept, which
is why they were slated to remain in the desert.
Only Yehoshua and Colev announced, "If Hashem has chosen us .
. . " — then all we must be concerned with is finding
favor
in His eyes, that He continue to want us as His children.
This is the only concern a person must have at all times.
It came to such a state that they made treaties with Egypt
and Assyria and then with Rome, and abolished the ancient
covenant whereby they could have continued to live on in joy
and with a happy heart from sheer bounty. They refused to
acknowledge that the people of the Torah can be mightier and
more powerful than any and every nation. They, themselves,
did not appreciate their strength and had no faith in their
power; they thought that were like grasshoppers, "and thus
were we in their eyes."
How can it be different if this people, itself, does not
value its Judaism, if it does not live according to the will
of Heaven, and does not feel that it is elevated above all
other nations and acknowledge that it is a Chosen People? How
can the gentiles hold them in esteem, if they do not do so
themselves? The result that begs itself is "and thus were we
in their eyes."
So long as we are not satisfied with, "Whether Hashem wants
us," so long as we require additional power to insure our
future, so long as we do not suffice with the goodly lot that
is ours and rejoice in our fortune — we forfeit that
power.
Thus, the purpose of the fast days, of the remembrance days,
is not necessarily sadness and a depressing despair. On the
contrary, these fasts are meant to reassure us, to infuse us
with courage, to uplift us and to bolster our special
strength in Torah, to banish petty concerns and enstate
before our mind's eye only one concern: What must we do to
find favor in His eyes?
We have learned that a book of lamentations can be written
even at a time when all is good and well — in order to
teach
us that one can repent, return to Hashem, and prevent the
actualization of that dire prophecy. This is what Hoshea
tells us (Chap. 9), "Do not rejoice, do not exult like the
nations." The world's nations live only in the present; they
do not look into the future; they are happy with what they
have, now. But you, Israel, do not rejoice like those
nations. Economic development or political power are not the
values which insure a happy and secure future.
This can be understood in the words of Eichoh,
"Yerushalayim remembered the days of her scarcity and
downtroddenness, all of the treasures she possessed in
ancient times." Midrash Rabboh says that this refers
to
the Torah treasure, the synagogues and houses of study.
At a time when one is full of agony, fear, hunger and thirst,
he cannot bemoan the lack of some musical instrument or other
luxury item. Even in their times of woe and poverty, the
Jewish people were still concerned about their treasures
—
the ancient treasures — for they knew that these were
the
very causing factor. The fact that they did not treasure the
ancient prize, the Torah, was the reason why they now lacked
goodness. Had they realized this before the Destruction, they
could have prevented its coming altogether . . .
(These words were delivered by HaRav Avrohom Tzvi
Yisraelzon from a message spoken in the name of Maran HaRav
Eliashiv, shlita.)
