Eikha 4:21-22
Following the capture of her leader, the community abruptly falls silent. In what appears to be a bid to fill the silence, the narrator turns directly to address Judah’s enemy.
While the book of Eikha laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BCE, early Jewish interpretation of the book takes place within a context of other national catastrophes. First, the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE left the nation dazed. Two unsuccessful uprisings followed, leaving a growing toll of death and suffering. Rabbinic exegesis of Eikha illustrates the manner in which the religious leadership utilized the biblical book to cope with their own calamities.
