How the city sits solitary — Jerusalem, once great among the nations, weeps in the night with none to comfort her. Judah has gone into exile; the roads of Zion mourn; her adversaries have become the head, for Hashem has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions. Midway the city herself takes up the cry: 'Behold, O Hashem, my affliction' — and owns the justice of it: 'Hashem is righteous, for I have rebelled against His word.' An alef-bet acrostic, the first of four.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
How does the city sit solitary, That was full of people! How has she become as a widow! She who was great among the nations, And princess among the provinces, How has she become tributary!
verse value 4581
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "how" (אֵיכָ֣ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "people" (עָ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "among·the·provinces" (בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 612: great·of, great. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "people" (עָ֔ם), "like·a·widow" (כְּאַלְמָנָ֑ה), "princess" (שָׂרָ֙תִי֙). The root רב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "she·has·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root אי ("how") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root ישב ("sits") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·a·widow', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֵיכָ֣ה [how] (36) + יָשְׁבָ֣ה [sits] (317) + בָדָ֗ד [alone] (10) + הָעִיר֙ [the·city] (285) + רַבָּ֣תִי [great·of] (612) + עָ֔ם [people] (110) + הָיְתָ֖ה [she·has·become] (420) + כְּאַלְמָנָ֑ה [like·a·widow] (146) + רַבָּ֣תִי [great] (612) + בַגּוֹיִ֗ם [among·the·nations] (61) + שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ [princess] (910) + בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת [among·the·provinces] (512) + הָיְתָ֖ה [she·has·become] (420) + לָמַֽס [tributary] (130) = 4581.
Rashi
O how...remained lonely Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations. This is the scroll that Jehoiakim burned on the brazier that was on the fire (sic). It [originally] contained three alphabetical acrostics (Lam. ch. 1): “O how...remained,” (ch. 2) “How...brought darkness,” (ch. 4) “How dim...has become,” and he added to it, (ch. 3) “I am the man,” which contains three alphabetical acrostics, as it is said (Jer. 36:32): “and there were yet added to them many words like those,” three corresponding to three. lonely solitary, devoid of her inhabitants. populous Heb. רַבָּתִי עָם, great of people. The “yud” is superfluous, like רַבַּת עָם, for her people were many. There are many Aggadic midrashim [on this verse], but I have come to explain the language of the Scripture according to its literal meaning. She has become like a widow but not really a widow; rather, like a woman whose husband went abroad and intends to return to her.
Ibn Ezra
"badad" (alone) — a term that applies to both masculine and feminine, [used] with a lamed prefix or without it; and so too the word "betach" (securely). "rabbati, sarati" (great one, princess) — stressed mil'eil (penultimate stress), to distinguish between the added yod and the yods that mark the first person, as in "oyivti li" ("mine enemy," Micah 7:8), "ahavti ladush" ("that loves to tread out corn," Hosea 10:11). But the word "genuvti yom" ("stolen by day") is stressed milra (on the final syllable), because of a change in the bet. "rabbati vagoyim" (great among the nations) — this is not like the first [rabbati], but rather in the sense of "great, chief," as in "verabei hamelekh" ("and the chief officers of the king," Jeremiah 41:1), "al kol rav beito" ("over all the chief men of his house," Esther 1:8). And the lamed of "lamas" (become tributary) is vocalized with a patach to indicate the missing heh of definiteness (the definite article). And the mem is not doubled (no dagesh), to ease the pronunciation.
Alshich
"How does she sit solitary" — Here he mentions the trouble first, and afterward mentions the good she had before; and so too with "she has become as a widow." But at the end he reverses the order, saying "princess among the provinces, she has become tributary" — mentioning the greatness first and the trouble afterward. The reason for this is that, since he comes to intensify their trouble with the expression "How" (eichah) — an intensification the like of which is not found for anyone else — there are two kinds of intensification. The first is where the intensification is in the essential nature of the thing itself, such as when a person is described as so intensely wealthy that no one as rich as he can be found, or so intensely poor that no one so poor can be found, one who has neither bread nor clothing, not even enough to cover his flesh. And the second is intensification relative to what preceded, such as when a great and awesome king is brought down from his kingship and is left like just one of the rest of the people; there the trouble in itself is not extreme, but the intensification is only relative to what came before. Therefore, had it stated in reverse order, "the city that was full of people — how does she sit solitary," I would say that the intensification of the trouble was not intense in its own essence, but only relative to what preceded. Therefore it says "How does she sit solitary" — that the solitude, in its own essential nature, was of such intensity that such solitude had never before been found — for fifty-two years, from bird to beast, all wandered away. And afterward he mentions her previous good state, in which she was exalted above all, to hint that the second kind of intensification applies to her as well. And likewise with "she has become as a widow" — for the state of being a widow of a living husband, which we have endured for so long a time, is never found in any other woman; and afterward he mentions her previous good state and importance. This is not so, however, with "she has become tributary" — for the paying of tribute is not an intensification in itself, since many provinces pay tribute, and it is an intensification only relative to what preceded; therefore he mentions her greatness first, that she was a princess over all the provinces, so that against this the punishment of becoming tributary is reckoned as an intensification. And as for his saying "rabbati" with a yud at the end — this is because it is the statement of the Holy One, blessed be He, as if He said: '[she is] important to Me, for I bestowed of My glory only upon Israel.' And he laments over three things: over Jerusalem, which remained solitary, bereft of its inhabitants; over Israel, who remained as a widow, for the abundance of the spirit of holiness was withheld from them; and over the Land of Israel, whose sovereignty was turned into the paying of tribute.
She weeps sore in the night, And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her lovers; All her friends have dealt treacherously with her, They have become her enemies.
verse value 2063
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·her·lovers" (מִכׇּל־אֹהֲבֶ֑יהָ, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "bitterly" (בָּכ֨וֹ), "she·weeps" (תִבְכֶּ֜ה), "and·her·tears" (וְדִמְעָתָהּ֙). The root בכה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations); "upon" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root בכה ("bitterly") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root ליל ("in·the·night") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·all·her·lovers', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
She weeps, yea, she weeps weeping twice over the two destructions. in the night for the Temple was burned at night, as the master said (Ta’an. 29a): “At eventide, they ignited the fire upon it.” Another explanation: because of the night—the night of the weeping of the Spies on the ninth of Av caused it to happen to them (Lam. Rabbah ms. 1:178, Targum, Sanh. 104b, Ta’an. 29a). Another explanation: in the night—for whoever weeps at night, the one who hears his voice weeps along with him (Lam. Rabbah 1:24, Sanh. ad loc.). and her tears are on her cheek since she weeps constantly. all her friends those who love her.
Ibn Ezra
The vav of "bakho" (weeping) stands in place of a heh, for the letters alef, heh, vav, and yod (the "weak" letters) interchange with one another, as in "hiskalta asso" ("you have acted foolishly in so doing").
Alshich
"She weeps sore in the night" — The prophet states that the cause of the intensified punishment mentioned in the previous verse was because of the sin of weeping on the night of the spies' weeping. And so that one should not wonder why the last generation should be punished for the sin of the spies, which occurred many generations earlier, he therefore says: "and her tears are on her cheeks" — meaning, even the last generation still despised the desirable Land and fled from holiness, choosing the impurity of idolatry. It is as if he said that the tears of the spies, who despised the desirable Land, are still on the cheek of this generation as well. And therefore: "She has none to comfort her" — she had no comfort. "Among all her lovers" — meaning, among all the prophets, who at the time of the destruction all prophesied about her only for evil, as it is written (Jeremiah 38), "He does not seek the welfare of this city, only harm." "All her friends" — that is, the angels; even they became enemies to her, as our Sages said in the Midrash, that even Michael, who always pleads the merit of Israel, was turned into an enemy.
Judah has gone into exile because of affliction, And because of great servitude; She dwells among the nations, She finds no rest; All her pursuers overtook her within the straits.
verse value 2757
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·her·pursuers" (כׇּל־רֹדְפֶ֥יהָ, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "has·gone·into·exile" (גָּֽלְתָ֨ה), "from·affliction" (מֵעֹ֙נִי֙), "and·from·multitude·of" (וּמֵרֹ֣ב). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 29x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root גלה ("has·gone·into·exile") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root עני ("from·affliction") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'resting·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
Judah went into exile from her land. and great servitude with which the Chaldeans burdened her. she settled among the nations and in the place where she was exiled and settled she found no rest. between the boundaries where there is a high place on either side, and there is no place to flee. the boundaries Heb. הַמְצָרִים, the boundaries of fields and vineyards. The Midrash Aggadah (Lam. Rabbah 1:29) explains: between the seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av.
Ibn Ezra
"Yehudah" (Judah) — [used as] both masculine and feminine, like "Yisrael" and "Mitzrayim" (Egypt), [as in] "vatechezak Mitzrayim" ("and Egypt grew strong," a feminine verb applied to the name). And there are those who interpret "hametzarim" [here] in light of the words transmitted by the Sages, of blessed memory: "dina de-var metzara" (the law of the adjoining property [i.e., the neighbor's right of preemption]). But what is correct in my eyes is that it relates to [the same root as] "min hametzar" ("out of my distress"), even though it is somewhat irregular, for the resh ought properly to take a dagesh (be doubled). We find that words can follow the pattern of both masculine and feminine, like "bayit" (house) and "makom" (place).
Alshich
"Because of affliction and because of great servitude" — The prophet laments over Judah, who went into exile, whose troubles were doubled: for before she went into exile she had affliction and great servitude from the Chaldeans, and afterward she was exiled from her land as well. "She dwells among the nations, she finds no rest" — and afterward, even though she dwells among the nations in the midst of the exile, she finds no rest. "All her pursuers" — even the weakest of the weak was able to overtake her, to the point that "the sound of a driven leaf" (Leviticus 26:36) pursued them. "Within the straits" (bein ha-metzarim) — as if she were pursued between narrow straits where there is no place to flee and be saved.
The ways of Zion do mourn, Because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, Her priests sigh; Her virgins are afflicted, And she herself is in bitterness.
verse value 3989
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "coming·to" (בָּאֵ֣י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "coming·to" (בָּאֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·her·gates" (כׇּל־שְׁעָרֶ֙יהָ֙, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "mourning" (אֲבֵל֗וֹת), "for·lack·of" (מִבְּלִי֙), "coming·to" (בָּאֵ֣י). 14 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root דרך ("ways·of") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root ציון ("Zion") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sigh', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: דַּרְכֵ֨י [ways·of] (234) + צִיּ֜וֹן [Zion] (156) + אֲבֵל֗וֹת [mourning] (439) + מִבְּלִי֙ [for·lack·of] (82) + בָּאֵ֣י [coming·to] (13) + מוֹעֵ֔ד [solemn·assembly] (120) + כׇּל־שְׁעָרֶ֙יהָ֙ [all·her·gates] (635) + שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין [are·desolate] (446) + כֹּהֲנֶ֖יהָ [her·priests] (90) + נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים [sigh] (159) + בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥יהָ [her·virgins] (853) + נּוּג֖וֹת [are·afflicted] (465) + וְהִ֥יא [and·she] (22) + מַר־לָֽהּ [she·is·in·bitterness] (275) = 3989.
Rashi
because no one comes to the appointed season the pilgrims who went up for the festivals. her maidens grieve Heb. נוּגוֹת, an expression of grief (יָגוֹן), and there is no radical but the “gimmel” alone.
Ibn Ezra
"ba'ei mo'ed" (those coming to the appointed season) — that they used to come at the festivals. But what seems better to me is that this refers to the Temple, which is called "mo'ed" (an appointed meeting-place) because all of Israel would gather (na'ad) there, and so too: "bekerev mo'adekha" ("in the midst of Your appointed places"), "sarfu kol mo'adei El ba'aretz" ("they have burned up all the meeting-places of God in the land"). "shomemin" (desolate) — the nun stands in place of a mem, as in "kach lecha chitin" ("take for yourself wheat," instead of "chitim"), "leketz hayamin" ("at the end of the days," instead of "hayamim"). For the nun and the mem both serve at the end of a word as a sign of the plural, masculine and feminine. "nugot" (grieved) — from the nif'al construction (the passive/reflexive pattern), as in "nugei mimo'ed" ("those grieved for want of the appointed season"), which are of the same root as "tugah" (sorrow) and "yagon" (grief). The tav and the nun are added letters, not part of the root.
Alshich
"The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly" — he states the cause of this punishment: it is because they ceased going up for the pilgrimage festival. "Her gates are desolate" — for none come through her gates for the pilgrimage festival. "Her priests sigh" — for through the offerings, holiness increased among the priests who offered them; and when the offerings decreased, holiness decreased; therefore "her priests sigh." "Her virgins" — and the multitude of the people who are in Zion, called by the name "virgins, daughter of Zion," are grieved, for when the people increase, holiness increases upon the people. "And she" — Zion herself is embittered over the cessation of her holiness and over their having diminished the dwelling of holiness in Zion; and therefore they were punished to be exiled from her and to be pursued by every person.
Her adversaries have become the head, Her enemies are at ease; For Hashem has afflicted her For the multitude of her transgressions; Her young children have gone into captivity Before the adversary.
verse value 3047
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "for" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·multitude·of·her·transgressions" (רֹב־פְּשָׁעֶ֑יהָ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "her·adversaries" (צָרֶ֤יהָ), "her·enemies" (אֹיְבֶ֣יהָ), "are·at·ease" (שָׁל֔וּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations); "have·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations); "for" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root צר ("her·adversaries") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root ראש ("to·the·head") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·multitude·of·her·transgressions', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: הָי֨וּ [have·become] (21) + צָרֶ֤יהָ [her·adversaries] (305) + לְרֹאשׁ֙ [to·the·head] (531) + אֹיְבֶ֣יהָ [her·enemies] (28) + שָׁל֔וּ [are·at·ease] (336) + כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֥ה [for·Hashem] (56) + הוֹגָ֖הּ [has·afflicted·her] (19) + עַ֣ל [for] (100) + רֹב־פְּשָׁעֶ֑יהָ [the·multitude·of·her·transgressions] (667) + עוֹלָלֶ֛יהָ [her·children] (151) + הָלְכ֥וּ [have·gone] (61) + שְׁבִ֖י [into·captivity] (312) + לִפְנֵי־צָֽר [before·the·adversary] (460) = 3047.
Rashi
are at ease dwell in tranquility. has afflicted her caused her grief, and this is an expression of grief.
Ibn Ezra
"hayu tzareha lerosh" (her adversaries have become the head) — [meaning] each one of them individually [became] a head; similarly "banot tza'adah alei shur" ("branches run over the wall") means each one of them. "shalu" (are at ease) — from the same root as "shalvah" (tranquility). "hogah" (has afflicted) — from the heavy augmented construction (hif'il), from the root of "yagon" (grief), as in "tegyon nafshi" ("my soul grieves"). "halechu shevi" (have gone into captivity) — with the omission of a bet, as if it read "bashevi" ("into captivity"), similar to "hanimtza beit Hashem" ("that which was found [in] the house of Hashem," where the expected bet is likewise absent).
Alshich
"Her adversaries have become the head" — he laments over the greatness of their trouble, which shows that, Heaven forbid, the Holy One, blessed be He, rejected Israel; for whoever oppressed them became a leader. "Her enemies are at ease" — and anyone who did not oppress her, but was merely her enemy, dwelt at ease; and this shows that whoever oppressed them a great deal, the Holy One, blessed be He, increased his reward. And the prophet states the reason for this: "for Hashem has afflicted her" — [the word] hoga is an expression of removal, as in (Proverbs 25:4), "take away (hago) the dross from the silver"; meaning that Hashem, may He be blessed, removed His providence from them. "For the multitude of her transgressions" — and the removal of providence was because of the multitude of her transgressions, and as a result there was, of itself, a strengthening of the power of impurity; for when one falls the other rises, and since her oppressors oppressed her so greatly, the power of impurity was strengthened accordingly, for impurity is the enemy of holiness, and so it rose and grew stronger of its own accord. (This is the intent of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Midrash: "For Hashem has afflicted her" — one might think this was for no reason; the verse teaches, "for the multitude of her transgressions." This is difficult to understand, and the intent is that one should not think that the affliction, through which "her adversaries became the head," was not truly a punishment for the sinners, but merely happened of itself, that their fortune simply rose. To this the Midrash responds by teaching "for the multitude of her transgressions" — that this too happened only for the reason of punishment, for the multitude of her transgressions.) "Her young children have gone into captivity" — he brings this as proof that providence had departed from them, to the point that they fell under mere chance and not under providence. For behold, even young children, who are devoid of sin, and for whom providence would not have required punishment — nevertheless went into captivity before the adversary. And this shows that Hashem had departed from them.
And gone is from the daughter of Zion All her splendor; Her princes have become like harts That find no pasture, And they have gone without strength Before the pursuer.
verse value 3184
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "have·become" (הָי֣וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·daughter·of·Zion" (מִבַּת־צִיּ֖וֹן, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "and·departed" (וַיֵּצֵ֥א), "from·the·daughter·of·Zion" (מִבַּת־צִיּ֖וֹן), "all·her·splendor" (כׇּל־הֲדָרָ֑הּ). The root בת appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations); "from·the·daughter·of·Zion" (root בת, 22x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root יצא ("and·departed") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root בת ("from·the·daughter·of·Zion") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·her·splendor', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words.
Rashi
like harts who did not find pasture like harts who did not find pasture, who have no strength to flee, for their strength has been weakened by hunger. pursuer Heb. רוֹדֵף. Every רֹדֵף in Scripture is defective (רֹדֵף), but this one is full (רוֹדֵף), for they were pursued with a full pursuit. Therefore the paytan composed “I was fully pursued, but the year of my redemption is missing, (גְאֻלַי).” (Isa. 63: 4): “The year of my redemption (גְאֻלַי) has arrived” is spelled defectively.
Ibn Ezra
There is a missing "asher" (that, which) to be understood after "ke'ayalim" (like harts), similarly [in] "kamayim layam mekhasim" ("as the waters that cover the sea"), where "asher" is likewise omitted.
Alshich
"And gone out is..." — After her young children had gone [into captivity], "from the daughter of Zion" her splendor "went out," meaning that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) withdrew from her, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding this verse: "The schoolchildren went into exile, the Shechinah [went] with them." "Her princes have become like harts" — He says that the reason the Shechinah withdrew from them was that "her princes were like harts" who found no pasture. For just as a hart, when it finds no pasture, abandons its young, as it is written (Jeremiah 14:5), "Even the hind in the field, having calved, forsakes [her young], because there is no grass" — so too were her princes abandoning the masses, neither rebuking them nor teaching them. And therefore they "went without strength before the pursuer," as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Jerusalem was destroyed only because they did not rebuke one another."
Jerusalem remembers In the days of her affliction and of her anguish All her treasures that she had From the days of old; Now that her people fall by the hand of the adversary, And none does help her, The adversaries have seen her, They have mocked at her desolations.
verse value 4988
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 4988 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·her·anguish" (וּמְרוּדֶ֔יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: from·the·days·of, at. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "days·of" (יְמֵ֤י), "her·affliction" (עׇנְיָהּ֙), "and·her·anguish" (וּמְרוּדֶ֔יהָ). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations); "at" (root על, 21x in Lamentations); "days·of" (root יום, 20x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root זכר ("remembers") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root ירושלם ("Jerusalem") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'old', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 11 words.
Rashi
Jerusalem recalls in her exile. the days of her poverty the days of her destruction, which brought her to poverty. and her miseries Heb. וּמְרוּדֶיהָ. This is an expression of pain, like (Jud. 11:37): “and I wailed (וְיָרַדְתִּי) upon the mountains”; (Ps. 55:3): “I lament (אָרִיד) in my speech, and I moan.” all her precious things And she remembered all the good of her precious things that were from days of old. gloating on her desolation Heb. מִשְּׁבַּתֶיהָ. They rejoiced over the cessation of her festivals, her New Moons, and her Sabbaths; and the Midrash Aggadah (Lam. Rabbah) interprets it as a different expression, that they rested in exile on the Sabbaths and festivals and observed the seventh year, and the heathens ridiculed them and said, “Fools! In your land you did not keep the Sabbatical Year, and now in exile you keep it? In your land, you did not keep the Sabbath, and now in exile you keep it?”
Ibn Ezra
"yemei onyah" (the days of her affliction) — like the construct usage in "ki sheshet yamim asah Hashem" ("for in six days Hashem made"). "u-merudeha" (and her wanderings) — in exile. And the mem [of this word] is a root letter, not a prefix.
Alshich
"Jerusalem remembers... all her treasures" etc. — In her afflictions she remembers that all her treasures — namely, the Torah and the commandments, even the chukim (statutes without an apparent rationale) — were cherished by the whole world, as it is written (Deuteronomy 4:6), "...and they will say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people"; and it says (ibid. 33:19), "They shall call peoples to the mountain" — see Rashi there; and it says (ibid. 28:10), "...that all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you." But now, when her people fall by the hand of the adversary and there is none to help her — for the afflictions have already grown overwhelming. "They have mocked at her desolations [mishbateha]" — meaning, at her Sabbaths (as Rashi explains) — they mocked even at the commandments that are not chukim but rational ones, such as the Sabbaths and the festivals; these too are now a mockery in their eyes.
Jerusalem has grievously sinned, Therefore she has become as one unclean; All who honored her despise her, Because they have seen her nakedness; She herself also sighs, And turns backward.
verse value 3524
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "grievously" (חֵ֤טְא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "grievously" (חֵ֤טְא, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·who·honored·her" (כׇּֽל־מְכַבְּדֶ֤יהָ, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "grievously" (חֵ֤טְא), "has·sinned" (חָֽטְאָה֙), "as·one·unclean" (לְנִידָ֣ה). The root חטא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "she·has·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root חטא ("grievously") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root כן ("therefore") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'she·has·become', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: חֵ֤טְא [grievously] (18) + חָֽטְאָה֙ [has·sinned] (23) + יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [Jerusalem] (586) + עַל־כֵּ֖ן [therefore] (170) + לְנִידָ֣ה [as·one·unclean] (99) + הָיָ֑תָה [she·has·become] (420) + כׇּֽל־מְכַבְּדֶ֤יהָ [all·who·honored·her] (131) + הִזִּיל֙וּהָ֙ [despise·her] (63) + כִּי־רָא֣וּ [because·they·have·seen] (237) + עֶרְוָתָ֔הּ [her·nakedness] (681) + גַּם־הִ֥יא [also·she] (59) + נֶאֶנְחָ֖ה [sighs] (114) + וַתָּ֥שׇׁב [and·turns] (708) + אָחֽוֹר [backward] (215) = 3524.
Rashi
a wanderer Heb. לְנִידָה, an exile, an expression of moving and wandering (נָע וָנָד), esmo(u) vement in Old French, that which moves on. her shame Heb. עֶרְוָתָה, lit. her nakedness. she herself sighed Heb. נֶאֶנְחָה is in the passive past tense, sospirer in Old French, to sigh, [a verb]. “They heard that I am sighing (נֶאֶנָחָה) (verse 21) is a noun, sospirose in Old French, one who sighs.
Ibn Ezra
"leniddah" (as one unclean, an object of scorn) — meaning for mockery, like "manod rosh" ("a shaking of the head") and "nod sefatai" ("the moving of my lips"), and it is from the same root as "na vanad" ("wandering and fleeing"). "hezziluha" (they have despised her) — the opposite of honor, like "lehotzi yakar mizzolel" ("to bring forth the precious out of the vile"), though it is from a different root. Or its sense is: they brought her down; or, they caused her tears to flow.
Alshich
"Jerusalem has grievously sinned" etc. — He states the reason for the matter said above: just as, if one were to put embroidered garments and jewelry on the snout of a pig, there would be nothing more repulsive than this — so too, if a man defiled with filth were to adorn himself, or a woman from whom the flow of her blood issues, such that her whole body, face, and hands become soiled with the blood of her impurity, [and she adorns herself] — certainly the adornments become a disgrace and a shame to them, and there is no greater mockery and derision than this. For this same reason, the commandments too, which are like adornments — nevertheless, if a great sinner, soiled with sins and transgressions, engages in the commandments in public, this is a mockery and derision, as it is written (Jeremiah 4:3), "Break up for yourselves a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns" (see Rashi there); and it is explained in the Zohar and in the books of Kabbalah that a thoroughly wicked person who performs a commandment adds strength to the impurity. And this is what the prophet means to say here, stating the reason why the commandments have now become a mockery: he says, because "Jerusalem has grievously sinned," and therefore she became like a menstruant [niddah], soiled with sins, like a woman from whom the blood of impurity flows. "All who honored her" — the commandments, which formerly, when Israel were righteous, honored them; nevertheless, now that she has become defiled with sins like a niddah, [that honor is gone]. "Despise her" — she became disgraced in their performance, because "they saw her nakedness" — meaning, they saw the sins that she committed. "She herself also sighs" — because the nations disgrace the commandments in their own eyes, she has become as one who sighs. "And turns backward" — because of this she reconsiders with regret her former [good deeds] (Heb. tohah al ha-rishonot).
Her filthiness was in her skirts, She was not mindful of her end; Therefore she has come down wonderfully, She has no comforter. ‘Behold, O Hashem, My affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself.’
verse value 3574
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·her·skirts" (בְּשׁוּלֶ֗יהָ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "her·uncleanness" (טֻמְאָתָ֣הּ), "in·her·skirts" (בְּשׁוּלֶ֗יהָ), "her·end" (אַחֲרִיתָ֔הּ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations); "not" (root לא, 29x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root ירד ("and·came·down") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root כי ("for") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
Her uncleanliness is in her skirts This is an expression of disgrace. Her menstrual blood is visible in the skirts of her garments, i.e., her sins are conspicuous; she committed them flagrantly. she was not mindful of her end When they would sin, they were not mindful of what their end would be. Therefore, “she fell astonishingly.” Her descent was astonishing, bringing about much bewilderment, for everyone was bewildered that this happened to her, something that did not happen to any other city.
Ibn Ezra
"pela'im" (wondrously) — she has descended a great descent.
Alshich
"Her impurity was in her skirts; she was not mindful of her end" — He says, by way of parable: when a person walks through mud and mire, if, as soon as he notices the hems of his garments becoming soiled, he immediately returns home and washes and cleans the garments, he suffers no harm. But if he notices the dirt that is [only] on the hem of the garment and pays it no heed, and continues walking through the mud and mire, the entire garment becomes soiled until it can no longer be remedied by washing. And this is what the prophet means: because, when her impurity was [only] in her skirts, she was not mindful of her end — and therefore, "she came down wondrously" — she came down completely. "She has no comforter" — she descended so far that she has no comforter, which is an epithet for the Shechinah, as the Alshich explained — meaning that the Shechinah withdrew from her. "Behold, O Hashem, my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself" — Even though we have no merit of our own, nevertheless it is fitting for You to act because the enemy has magnified himself, as stated in the Song of Ha'azinu: "Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries misjudge, lest they say, Our hand is triumphant..." etc. (Deuteronomy 32:27).
The adversary has spread out his hand Upon all her treasures; For she has seen that the heathen Have entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom You did command That they should not enter into Your congregation.
verse value 3549
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 3549 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·adversary" (צָ֔ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·her·treasures" (כׇּל־מַחֲמַדֶּ֑יהָ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: should·not·enter, Yours. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "all·her·treasures" (כׇּל־מַחֲמַדֶּ֑יהָ), "for·she·has·seen" (כִּֽי־רָאֲתָ֤ה), "nations" (גוֹיִם֙). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root פרש ("has·spread·out") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root צוה ("You·commanded") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·her·treasures', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: יָדוֹ֙ [his·hand] (20) + פָּ֣רַשׂ [has·spread·out] (580) + צָ֔ר [the·adversary] (290) + עַ֖ל [upon] (100) + כׇּל־מַחֲמַדֶּ֑יהָ [all·her·treasures] (157) + כִּֽי־רָאֲתָ֤ה [for·she·has·seen] (636) + גוֹיִם֙ [nations] (59) + בָּ֣אוּ [have·entered] (9) + מִקְדָּשָׁ֔הּ [her·sanctuary] (449) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [whom] (501) + צִוִּ֔יתָה [You·commanded] (511) + לֹא־יָבֹ֥אוּ [should·not·enter] (50) + בַקָּהָ֖ל [into·the·assembly] (137) + לָֽךְ [Yours] (50) = 3549.
Rashi
The adversary stretched forth his hand Ammon and Moab. upon all her precious things the Siphrei Torah, which are spoken of as (Ps. 19: 11): “They are to he desired more than gold.” All turned to plunder silver and gold, and they turned upon the Siphrei Torah in order to burn them, because it is written in them, (Deut. 23:4): “An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter, etc.” whom You did command not to enter into Your assembly These are Ammon and Moab.
Ibn Ezra
"ki ra'atah goyim" (for she has seen nations) — [the subject] refers back to "Yerushalayim," mentioned in verse 8.
Alshich
"The adversary has spread out his hand" etc. — This refers back to the plea, "Behold, O Hashem, for the enemy has magnified himself"; and he magnified himself so greatly that "the adversary spread out his hand" over the Temple and the holy things, that is, the sacred vessels, which are called "her treasures." "For she has seen" etc. — meaning, after she saw that the nations had entered her sanctuary [and] her treasures, holiness flew away from them, and then the hand of the enemies was able to dominate them, since the holiness had been profaned. And this is like what they said in the Talmud: "...and ruffians entered it and profaned it" — when the nations entered the Sanctuary, it became mundane [chullin].
All her people sigh, They seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food To refresh the soul. ‘See, O Hashem, And behold, How abject I have become.’
verse value 3342
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·pleasant·things" (מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 78: bread, abject. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "all·her·people" (כׇּל־עַמָּ֤הּ), "seek" (מְבַקְשִׁ֣ים), "their·pleasant·things" (מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛ם). The root מחמד appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations); "I·have·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root לחם ("bread") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root נתן ("have·given") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
"zolelah" (abject) — like "zolel vesove" ("a glutton and a drunkard").
Alshich
"All her people sigh" — this too refers back to the plea; meaning, for this reason as well it is fitting for You to have mercy on the greatness of our decline, [seeing] that "all her people" [sigh]. And therefore: "See, O Hashem, and behold how abject I have become" — I have been disgraced in the eyes of all the nations, and it is fitting for You to be concerned for the disgrace of the honor of Your Name, for our disgrace is, as it were, Your disgrace, since Your Name is bound up with our name; and it is fitting for You to have compassion and mercy.
Let it not come to you, All you who pass by! Behold, And see If there be any pain like to my pain, Which is done to me, With which Hashem has afflicted me In the day of His fierce anger.
verse value 3084
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·who·pass·by" (כׇּל־עֹ֣בְרֵי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "not" (ל֣וֹא), "to·you" (אֲלֵיכֶם֮), "behold" (הַבִּ֣יטוּ). The root מכאב appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations); "not" (root לא, 29x in Lamentations); "in·the·day·of" (root יום, 20x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root אל ("to·you") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root עבר ("all·who·pass·by") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
let it not happen to you Such a calamity should no longer happen to all those who transgress the Law. Our Sages said (Sanh. 104b): It is derived from here that “kuvlana” has a basis in Scripture. See what He did to me; behold and see, etc. which has been dealt to me which has been done to me. [with] which the Lord saddened on the day of His fierce anger. This is an expression [denoting] grief, saddening.
Ibn Ezra
"lo" (let it not [befall you]) — some say it is from the same [root] as "alah" (imprecation, curse), but we do not find this word without an alef [elsewhere]. Its meaning is: may what has befallen me not reach you. "olal" (which is done) — [meaning] that has been done to me. It is from the heavy construction whose agent is not stated (i.e., the passive), since it is not vocalized with a qamatz qatan (a "short qamatz"), as in "konen ashurai" ("has established my steps"). "hogah" (has afflicted) — like "harah" (has conceived).
Alshich
"Let it not be unto you, all who pass by" — This verse is puzzling, for at the end it says, "and deal with them as You have dealt with me" (1:22) — [implying an address to Hashem]; and further, [if the meaning were that the calamity should fall] upon them, it should have been written with an ayin, "aleikhem" [עליכם, "upon you"]. It therefore appears that this is along the lines of what is written in the Song of Ha'azinu: "If they were wise, they would understand this, they would discern their end. How should one chase a thousand... were it not that their Rock had given them over" etc. (Deuteronomy 32:29-30) — from which it is clear that when one sees that the punishment is not in the way of nature, this is proof that it came from Hashem. And this is also his intent here: that after the plea to the Holy One, blessed be He, he turns his face toward the nations and speaks with "those who pass by the way" — [reading it as] those who transgress the way of Hashem and spurn His paths — and tells them that the evils and troubles done to me should not be attributed to you, nor should [they] say, "Our hand is triumphant" — for look and see whether there is any pain like my pain. For had this been a blow in the natural way, it would still, at times, befall [some other] persecuted nation at the hand of another kingdom, after "one chases a thousand." But since a pain like this has not been found and will not be found, this is proof that "their Rock has given them over," and it is not to be attributed to you. And there is a further proof that everything is from Him, blessed be He: for "that which He has inflicted on me, which Hashem has decreed [hoga] in the day of His fierce anger" — hoga is a term of speech, meaning that everything that was done to me was only that which Hashem spoke to me through His prophets, in the day of His fierce anger, through the prophets' warnings; and since everything done to me was entirely forewarned and spoken beforehand, it is certainly from Him, blessed be He, and is not to be attributed to you, but [comes] from on high, etc.
From on high has He sent fire into my bones, And it prevails against them; He has spread a net for my feet, He has turned me back; He has made me desolate And faint all the day.
verse value 5268
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "has·spread" (פָּרַ֨שׂ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·my·bones" (בְּעַצְמֹתַ֖י, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "from·on·high" (מִמָּר֛וֹם), "has·sent·fire" (שָֽׁלַח־אֵ֥שׁ), "in·my·bones" (בְּעַצְמֹתַ֖י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·the·day" (root יום, 20x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root עצם ("in·my·bones") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root רגל ("for·my·feet") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·it·prevails·against·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: מִמָּר֛וֹם [from·on·high] (326) + שָֽׁלַח־אֵ֥שׁ [has·sent·fire] (639) + בְּעַצְמֹתַ֖י [in·my·bones] (612) + וַיִּרְדֶּ֑נָּה [and·it·prevails·against·them] (275) + פָּרַ֨שׂ [has·spread] (580) + רֶ֤שֶׁת [net] (900) + לְרַגְלַי֙ [for·my·feet] (273) + הֱשִׁיבַ֣נִי [has·turned·me·back] (377) + אָח֔וֹר [backward] (215) + נְתָנַ֙נִי֙ [has·made·me] (560) + שֹֽׁמֵמָ֔ה [desolate] (385) + כׇּל־הַיּ֖וֹם [all·the·day] (111) + דָּוָֽה [faint] (15) = 5268.
Rashi
and it broke them Heb. וַיִרְדֶנָה, equivalent to וַיִרֶד אוֹתָה, and it broke it, [referring to each of his bones] through punishment and suffering. Therefore, the “nun” is punctuated with a “dagesh,” so that it is interpreted in the feminine singular, like יַעֲשֶׂנָה, he will do it; יְכַסְמֶנָה, he will gnaw at it; יִרְעֶנָה, will graze upon it; for עֶצֶם, bone, is in the feminine gender, as Scripture states (Ezek. 36:4): הָעֲצָמוֹת הַיְבֵשׁוֹת, the dry bones.” It broke each one. Another explanation: וַיִרְדֶנָה is like (Jud. 14:9): “and he separated it (וַיִרְדֵהוּ) into his hands.” It scrapes and separates the marrow from its midst.
Ibn Ezra
"vayirdenah" (and it prevails against them) — refers back to "the fire" [mentioned earlier], for [the word for fire] is also found in the masculine, as in "tokhelenu esh lo nupach" ("a fire not blown shall consume him"). And its sense is like "lo yirdenu befarekh" ("he shall not rule over him with harshness").
Alshich
"From on high He has sent fire into my bones, va-yirdenah (and it prevails against them)" — va-yirdenah is from the language of redayat ha-pat (drawing the bread out of the oven). He is saying that from this — from what he stated above ["from on high"] — it is recognizable to me that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself sent the fire from on high into my bones, and that He will withdraw it in His kindness. "He has spread a net for my feet, He has turned me back" — for there are two kinds of nets: one that is set for a harmful creature, to catch it and kill it therein, or to trip it up; and sometimes the net that is set is in order to catch [the creature] alive, to derive benefit from it. And with the Holy One, blessed be He, toward Israel, it is only in this latter sense, as it is written (Psalms 90:3), "You turn man back to contrition, and say: Return, you children of man." And this is what it says here, "He has spread a net for my feet, He has turned me back" — meaning, His spreading of His net over me is only in order to turn me back to Him, and this is [the meaning of] "He has turned me back." "He has made me desolate" — and also when He made me desolate, it is only [as follows]: "Faint all the day" — like a niddah woman who is separated from her husband only for all the days of her impurity, and when she becomes pure she returns to her husband; so too the Assembly of Israel (Knesset Yisrael) says: that which He made me desolate — that is, that I am separated from Him — is only "faint all the day," for as long as I am sullied with sins; and when I become pure, He will bring me back. (And "davah" [faint] is from the language of "ve-ha-davah be-niddatah" [and she that is faint in her impurity], Leviticus 15:33.)
The yoke of my transgressions is impressed by His hand; They are knit together, They have come up upon my neck; He has made my strength to fail; The Lord has delivered me into their hands, Against whom I am not able to stand.
verse value 3756
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "into·the·hands·of" (בִּידֵ֖י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "yoke" (עֹ֨ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·my·neck" (עַל־צַוָּארִ֖י, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "is·impressed" (נִשְׂקַד֩), "my·transgressions" (פְּשָׁעַ֜י), "by·His·hand" (בְּיָד֗וֹ). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "yoke" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root אדון ("Lord") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root קום ("to·stand") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: נִשְׂקַד֩ [is·impressed] (454) + עֹ֨ל [yoke] (100) + פְּשָׁעַ֜י [my·transgressions] (460) + בְּיָד֗וֹ [by·His·hand] (22) + יִשְׂתָּ֥רְג֛וּ [are·knit·together] (919) + עָל֥וּ [have·come·up] (106) + עַל־צַוָּארִ֖י [upon·my·neck] (407) + הִכְשִׁ֣יל [has·caused·to·fail] (365) + כֹּחִ֑י [my·strength] (38) + נְתָנַ֣נִי [has·delivered·me] (560) + אֲדֹנָ֔י [Lord] (65) + בִּידֵ֖י [into·the·hands·of] (26) + לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל [I·am·not·able] (88) + קֽוּם [to·stand] (146) = 3756.
Rashi
The yoke of my transgressions was marked Heb. נִשְׂקַד. This word has no likeness in Scripture, and in the Aramaic language of the Pesikta (d’Rav Kahana p. 153), they call a goad מַסְקְדָא, an ox goad, and I say that it is equivalent to pointurez in Old French. My transgressions were dotted, spotted, and marked in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, for a remembrance. Their number and their recompense were not forgotten. they have become interwoven Heb. יִשְּׂתָּרְגוּ. They became many plaits, and came up on my neck. This is the language of the Mishnah (See M.K. 1:8). We may not girth (מְסָרְגִין) the bedsteads.
Ibn Ezra
The word "nishqad" (is bound, pressed together) has no [comparable] "father or mother" [i.e., no parallel elsewhere in Scripture], and its meaning is like "nimshakh" ("drawn along"), like "nimhar" ("hastened"). "vehayah yishtaregu" (they are knit together) — from the hitpa'el construction, of the family [root] of "sarigim" (tendrils). "hikhshil" (has made to fail) — refers back to "the yoke of my transgressions." And there is an omitted "asher" (which) after "beyedei" ("into the hands of"). Also after "kum" ("to rise"), an omitted "immo" ("with him") or "mipanav" ("from before him").
Alshich
"The yoke of my transgressions is bound (nishkad)" — Rashi explains: the transgressions were made into dots/points in His hand, etc. But the wording is difficult for his interpretation, for it should have written "nishkad pisha'i be-yado" [i.e., without the word "yoke" (ol) — simply, "my transgressions are bound in His hand"]. Therefore it appears that "the yoke of my transgressions" means the punishment for the transgressions; for since He is a merciful God, He diminishes the punishment, until the punishment, relative to what the transgression deserves, is considered only like a small dot, like a drop from the sea. Thus the Assembly of Israel says: my sins are so numerous that even the yoke of the transgressions — that is, the punishments — which are only like dots, nevertheless became knit together and came up upon my neck. Or, one may say that "nishkad" is from the language of (Daniel 9:14), "For Hashem has watched (shakad) over the evil," and the intent is that with the nations, He waits until their measure [of sin] is full, and thereafter they have no recovery; but not so with Israel — He is intent (shoked) on punishing them before their measure becomes full, so that He may be able to cleanse them through the punishments, in order to draw them near to Him afterward. "He has made my strength to fail; the Lord has delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand" — this is like the matter of what He, may He be blessed, said (Zechariah 1:15), "I was but a little displeased, and they helped for the evil." Now, one might seemingly ask: how is it possible for them to add to the decree of the One who spoke and the world came into being? Rather, the intent is that they cause us to sin, and thereby they inadvertently help toward the evil. This is also what is said here: "He has made my strength to fail," in that "He has delivered me into their hands, I am not able to stand" — that is, into the hands of the nations who cause us to sin, so that I should not be able to stand — meaning, to justify my deeds and return to Him, may He be blessed.
The Lord has set at nought All my mighty men in the midst of me; He has called a solemn assembly against me To crush my young men; The Lord has trodden as in a winepress The virgin the daughter of Judah.’
verse value 4028
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "winepress" (גַּ֚ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·my·mighty·men" (כׇל־אַבִּירַ֤י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: Lord, Lord. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "has·rejected" (סִלָּ֨ה), "all·my·mighty·men" (כׇל־אַבִּירַ֤י), "has·called" (קָרָ֥א). The root אדון appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "daughter·of·Judah" (root בת, 22x in Lamentations); "against·me" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root קרב ("in·my·midst") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root קרא ("has·called") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·young·men', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: סִלָּ֨ה [has·rejected] (95) + כׇל־אַבִּירַ֤י [all·my·mighty·men] (273) + אֲדֹנָי֙ [Lord] (65) + בְּקִרְבִּ֔י [in·my·midst] (314) + קָרָ֥א [has·called] (301) + עָלַ֛י [against·me] (110) + מוֹעֵ֖ד [solemn·assembly] (120) + לִשְׁבֹּ֣ר [to·crush] (532) + בַּחוּרָ֑י [my·young·men] (226) + גַּ֚ת [winepress] (403) + דָּרַ֣ךְ [has·trodden] (224) + אֲדֹנָ֔י [Lord] (65) + לִבְתוּלַ֖ת [the·virgin] (868) + בַּת־יְהוּדָֽה [daughter·of·Judah] (432) = 4028.
Rashi
The Lord has trampled Heb. סִלָה. He trampled and trod, an expression of (Isa. 62:10): “pave, pave the highway (סֹלוּ סֹלוּ הַמְסִלָה),” [meaning to beat down the road]. He summoned an assembly against me Heb. מוֹעֵד, a gathering of troops to come against me. And our Sages expounded what they expounded (Pes. 77a, Ta’an. 29a, Sanh. 104b): Tammuz of that year was a full (thirty-day) month; [i. e., the Tammuz] of the second year from the Exodus from Egypt. Therefore, the return of the Spies occurred on the night of the ninth of Av, upon which their weeping was established for generations (Ta’an. ad loc., Sanh. ad loc., Sotah 35a). the Lord has trodden as in a wine press An expression of massacre, like (Isa. 63:3): “A wine press I trod alone.” As one treads grapes to extract their wine, so did He trample the women to extract their blood.
Ibn Ezra
"silah" (has set at nought, has trampled) — from the same root as "mesillah" (a highway); and similarly "gat darakh Hashem" ("Hashem has trodden the winepress") is from the root "darakh" (to tread). But "selah" [as used elsewhere, e.g. in the Psalms] is a different root. "gat" (winepress) — a pressing-vat (yekev). "betulat" (virgin of) — [this word] stands in construct with "bat" (daughter). And "bat Yehudah" (the daughter of Judah) [refers to] the entire tribe, while "the virgin" is Jerusalem in particular.
Alshich
"He has set at nought (silah) all my mighty men (abirai)" — the righteous are called "abirim," as it is written (Isaiah 46), "Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted [abirei lev], who are far from righteousness," and our Sages of blessed memory expounded that these are the righteous. And "silah" is from the language of "solu solu ha-mesillah, etc." [cast up, cast up the highway], and its meaning is "cleared away." And this is what it says: all my mighty men who were within me, the Holy One, blessed be He, cleared away from Jerusalem — for the craftsman and the smith went into exile first — and afterward, when my defenders had dwindled: "He has called a solemn assembly against me (mo'ed)" — this is the summoning/mustering of armies. "To crush my young men" — the righteous who remained; and afterward: "The Lord has trodden as in a winepress (gat) the virgin, the daughter of Judah" — that is, the entire nation of Israel; He trod them as one treads in a winepress.
For these things I weep; My eye, My eye runs down with water; Because the comforter is far from me, Even he who should refresh my soul; My children are desolate, Because the enemy has prevailed.’
verse value 3010
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 70 letters. Verse gematria: 3010 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "desolate" (שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: my·eye, my·eye, from·me. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "weeping" (בוֹכִיָּ֗ה), "runs·down" (יֹ֣רְדָה), "water" (מַּ֔יִם). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "are" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root אני ("I") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root עין ("my·eye") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
my eye, yea, my eye i.e., my eye constantly sheds tears. The double expression indicates that there was no letup.
Ibn Ezra
"bokhiyah" (weeping) — like "poriyah" (fruitful), a feminine participle form. "eini eini yordah mayim" (my eye, my eye runs down with water) — the eye of a person is comparable to "the spring [eye] of water," and the eye "goes down" [i.e., flows], similarly "yizzelu mayim" ("water shall flow"). Both are intransitive verbs.
Alshich
"I am weeping (bokhiyah)" — I weep so constantly that I have acquired for myself a name, so that everyone calls me "Bokhiyah" [the weeping one]. "My eye runs down with water" — the tears, as if they descend on their own. And he states the reason for this: "because the comforter is far from me" — that is, the coming of the Messiah, who is called "Menachem" [the comforter]. And I see that the cause of the delay of the Messiah's coming is because: "My children are desolate" — meaning, there is no one to teach them Torah and mitzvot (just as the land is called "desolate" when there is no one to work it). "Because the enemy has prevailed" — the counsel of the enemy prevailed to drive me and my children away from Torah and mitzvot, and by this I see that the comforter is far from me.
Zion spreads forth her hands; There is none to comfort her; Hashem has commanded concerning Jacob, That those who are round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem is among them As one unclean.
verse value 2953
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "those·around·him" (סְבִיבָ֣יו, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "spreads·forth" (פֵּֽרְשָׂ֨ה), "with·her·hands" (בְּיָדֶ֗יהָ), "concerning·Jacob" (לְיַעֲקֹ֖ב). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations); "she·has·become" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root יעקב ("concerning·Jacob") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root סביב ("those·around·him") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·adversaries', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
Zion spreads out her hands Heb. פֵּרְשָּׂה. Like (Isa. 25:11): “And he shall spread out (וּפֵרַשּׂ) his hands in his midst,” like a person who moves his hands to and fro and demonstrates his pain with them. Another explanation is: Zion broke, an expression of breaking, like (Lam. 4:4): “no one breaks it for them”; (Jer. 16:7): “and they shall not break [bread] (יִפְרְסוּ) for them in mourning,” to console him for his dead [kinsman]. So did Menachem classify it (Machbereth Menachem p. 146). And in the language of the Mishnah (Ber. 37a), the broken piece of bread (פְּרוּסָה) is intact. And it means that Zion was in pain like a person who clasps his hands and breaks them. I found an addendum. the Lord has commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries shall be round about him He commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries would surround him. Even when they were exiled to Babylon and to Assyria, Sennacherib exiled their enemies, Ammon and Moab, and settled them beside them, and they taunted them, as is stated in Tractate Kiddushin (72a): Humania was in Babylon, entirely occupied by Ammonites. an outcast Heb. לְנִדָה, for an outcast and a disgrace.
Ibn Ezra
"pereshah" (spreads out) — the bet of "beyadeha" ("with her hands") is superfluous, similar to "vatashkemo bidma'ot shalish" ("and made them drink tears in large measure"), where the bet is likewise superfluous.
Alshich
"Zion spreads forth her hands" — Zion wails bitterly and wrings her hands, for she has no comforter, when she remembers that: "Hashem has commanded concerning Jacob, that those round about him should be his adversaries" — because of Jacob's sin, Hashem commanded that his adversaries be round about him; and through this: "Jerusalem has become as an unclean thing (niddah) among them" — in their midst Jerusalem was struck, until she became like a niddah — in that the resting of the Holy One's Shekhinah within her was withdrawn from her, as if she were a niddah.
Hashem is righteous; For I have rebelled against His word; Hear, I pray you, All you peoples, And behold my pain: My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.
verse value 3616
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·peoples" (כׇל־הָֽעַמִּ֗ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "just" (צַדִּ֥יק), "hear·please" (שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א), "all·the·peoples" (כׇל־הָֽעַמִּ֗ים). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root פה ("His·mouth") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root מרה ("I·have·rebelled") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·rebelled', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Ibn Ezra
Every instance of "na" carries the sense of "now" (attah), as in "oy na lanu ki chatanu" ("woe now to us, for we have sinned"). Also: "El na refa na lah" ("O God, heal her now, I pray"), for which reason Hashem answered: "halo tikkalem shiv'at yamim" ("should she not be ashamed seven days?"). [Likewise] "yumat na" ("let him be put to death now"), "daber na" ("speak now"), "shema na" ("hear now"). And with the addition of an alef [forming "ana"], it becomes an expression of entreaty. In the language of Ishmael (Arabic) it is reversed in form, and it too means "now."
Alshich
"Hashem is righteous, for I have rebelled against His word (mouth); hear, I pray you, all you peoples" — as to why it says [that Israel calls] to the peoples to listen, the matter is that our Sages of blessed memory said, regarding the verse "lo aleichem" ["is it nothing to you, all you that pass by"], "from here [we derive] a formal outcry/complaint from the Torah" — Rashi brought this, see there. And the intent of this is: although our Sages of blessed memory said not to publicize one's sins, as it is written (Psalms 32:1), "Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," we nevertheless see that up until the verse "lo aleichem," the prophet laments in the third person, such as "Eichah — she sits alone, weeping she weeps, Judah has gone into exile"; whereas from the verse "lo aleichem" onward, it is the Assembly of Israel itself that speaks about itself and confesses its sin, and explains its sin before all the nations, in that she speaks to those who pass by, saying to them, "the yoke of my transgressions is bound," which is the opposite of what our Sages of blessed memory established, that one should conceal one's sins. And the resolution to this is: because their punishment was as great as the sea, and there is in this a desecration of the [Divine] Name; and in order to sanctify the Name of Heaven, it is proper to explain their sin, and also so that [the nations] should see and take a lesson (musar). And therefore, when [Israel] confesses its sins, it says: "Hashem is righteous, for I have rebelled against His word (mouth); hear this, all you peoples," what my sins caused me, and take a lesson (musar); "for behold and see my pain" — what my iniquities caused me, to the point that my young men and my maidens, who had not tasted the taste of sin, went into captivity because of my sin.
I called for my lovers, But they deceived me; My priests and my elders Perished in the city, While they sought them food To refresh their souls.
verse value 3550
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 3550 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֣מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·my·lovers" (לַֽמְאַהֲבַי֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 85: my·priests, have·perished. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "for·my·lovers" (לַֽמְאַהֲבַי֙), "they" (הֵ֣מָּה), "deceived·me" (רִמּ֔וּנִי). 13 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root הם ("they") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root זקן ("and·my·elders") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'have·perished', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: קָרָ֤אתִי [I·called] (711) + לַֽמְאַהֲבַי֙ [for·my·lovers] (88) + הֵ֣מָּה [they] (50) + רִמּ֔וּנִי [deceived·me] (306) + כֹּהֲנַ֥י [my·priests] (85) + וּזְקֵנַ֖י [and·my·elders] (173) + בָּעִ֣יר [in·the·city] (282) + גָּוָ֑עוּ [have·perished] (85) + כִּֽי־בִקְשׁ֥וּ [while·they·sought] (438) + אֹ֙כֶל֙ [food] (51) + לָ֔מוֹ [for·them] (76) + וְיָשִׁ֖יבוּ [and·refresh] (334) + אֶת־נַפְשָֽׁם [their·souls] (871) = 3550.
Rashi
I called to my lovers Heb. לַמְאַהֲבַי, to those who make themselves appear as lovers. [but] they deceived me e.g., the children of Ishmael, who went forth toward the exiles when the captors were leading them on the road nearby, as if they were compassionate toward them. And they brought them various kinds of salty foods and inflated skin flasks. They [the Jews] thought that these were [flasks of] wine, so they ate and became thirsty and wished to drink, and when they untied the flask with their teeth, the air entered their intestines and they died. This is what Scripture says (Isa. 21:13f.): “In the forest in Arabia you shall lodge, etc. Bring water toward the thirsty! The inhabitants of the land of Tema came before the wanderer with bread.” to revive their souls so that they should revive their souls.
Ibn Ezra
"lim'ahavai" (to my lovers) — this is not the same as "ohavai" ("those who love me"). Rather, its sense is: to those who sought me out, whom I loved.
Alshich
"I called for my lovers" — he states the reason for the punishment: because "I called for my lovers." And "karati" [I called] is a term of importance/esteem, as in (Exodus 31:2), "See, I have called (karati) by name Betzalel," which the Targum renders "chazei de-ravisi" [see, I have raised up/made great]; that is to say, I gave importance to my lovers, namely, the nations, on the model of (Hosea 2:7), "I will go after my lovers, etc." "They deceived me" — they turned my heart away from following Hashem, until such great cruelty entered into my heart, that my priests and my elders perished in the city, and I had no eye of compassion upon them, as the verse states (Ezekiel 16:49), "Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." "While they sought food to refresh their souls" — I did not give them even food to restore the soul.
Behold, O Hashem, For I am in distress, My inwards burn; My heart is turned within me, For I have grievously rebelled. Abroad the sword bereaves, At home there is the like of death.
verse value 4242
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·sword·bereaves" (שִׁכְּלָה־חֶ֖רֶב, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "for·I·am·in·distress" (כִּֽי־צַר־לִי֙), "my·heart" (לִבִּי֙), "grievously" (מָר֖וֹ). The root מרה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root הפך ("is·turned") in Lamentations. First appearance of the root לב ("my·heart") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·rebelled', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
burn Heb. חֳמַרְמָרוּ, they became shriveled, and there is an expression like this in the language of the Mishnah (Hul. 3:3): “It fell into the fire and its intestines were scorched (וְנֶחְמְרוּ).” in the house it is like death Within the house was fear of demons and destructive beings and angels of death, and from without, the enemy’s sword was bereaving them.
Ibn Ezra
"chamarmeru" (are in tumult, churn) — [a form with] doubled second and third root letters, and its meaning is like "akhurim" ("turbid"). Likewise "panai chamarmeru" ("my face is inflamed"), and it is from the same root as "chomer" (clay, mire), for weeping is like water; so too "yayin chamar" ("fermented, foaming wine").
Alshich
"I am in distress, my inwards burn" — The Community of Israel (Knesset Yisrael) pleads and says: See, Hashem, when distress came upon me and my inwards burned, truly my heart was turned within me for the good, and yet with all this, still... "Abroad the sword bereaves, at home there is the like of death" — Had this matter been in private, it would not have been so hard in my eyes; but 'they have heard,' etc.
They have heard that I sigh, There is none to comfort me; All my enemies have heard of my trouble, And are glad, For You have done it; You will bring the day that You have proclaimed, And they shall be like to me.
verse value 5173
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֧י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·day·You·have·called" (יוֹם־קָרָ֖אתָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 416: have·heard, have·heard. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "all·my·enemies" (כׇּל־אֹ֨יְבַ֜י), "my·trouble" (רָֽעָתִי֙), "are·glad" (שָׂ֔שׂוּ). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 23x in Lamentations); "the·day·You·have·called" (root יום, 20x in Lamentations). First appearance of the root אתה ("You") in Lamentations. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·have·done', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
that You have done it You caused them to hate me when You separated me from their food and from their drink and from intermarrying with them. Had I intermarried with them, they would have had compassion upon me and upon their daughters’ sons. You had brought the day that You proclaimed If only You had brought upon them the appointed day that You proclaimed upon me. and let them be like me in distress.
Ibn Ezra
"heveita yom qarata" (You will bring the day You have proclaimed) — the word "lu" ("would that") is to be understood as missing before "heveita," as though he longs for it [i.e., "would that You bring the day You have proclaimed"]. But it is also possible to understand it according to its plain sense, as a straightforward statement.
Alshich
"They have heard that I sigh" — This matter is very hard for me, that the trouble occurred in public, to the point that the whole world heard that I sigh, and therefore there is no comforter for me — I am unable to accept consolations. "My enemies have heard of my trouble, they are glad" — They rejoiced over my downfall, since they know that You have done it. And see now the difference between me and them: this is like what David said (Psalms 35:13), 'and at my stumbling they rejoiced... but I, when they were ill, my clothing was sackcloth.' And such is his intent here as well — that the nations, when they heard of his misfortune, rejoiced; yet I, all my request is only this: would that You bring the day that You have proclaimed through the prophet (Zephaniah 3:9), 'for then I will turn to the peoples a pure/clear speech, etc.' And this is the meaning of 'and they shall be like us' — that all of them will call upon the name of Hashem. And since they [the nations] are presently so wicked, this [transformation] is our request.
Let all their wickedness come before You; And do to them, As You have done to me For all my transgressions; For my sighs are many And my heart is faint.’
verse value 4453
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·their·wickedness" (כׇל־רָעָתָ֤ם, 6 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Lamentations. Unique to this verse in Lamentations (hapax): "let·come" (תָּבֹ֨א), "all·their·wickedness" (כׇל־רָעָתָ֤ם), "before·You" (לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙). The root עלל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root על, 21x in Lamentations). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·my·transgressions', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: תָּבֹ֨א [let·come] (403) + כׇל־רָעָתָ֤ם [all·their·wickedness] (760) + לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ [before·You] (190) + וְעוֹלֵ֣ל [and·deal] (142) + לָ֔מוֹ [to·them] (76) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + עוֹלַ֛לְתָּ [You·have·dealt] (536) + לִ֖י [to·me] (40) + עַ֣ל [for] (100) + כׇּל־פְּשָׁעָ֑י [all·my·transgressions] (510) + כִּֽי־רַבּ֥וֹת [for·many] (638) + אַנְחֹתַ֖י [my·sighs] (469) + וְלִבִּ֥י [and·my·heart] (48) + דַוָּֽי [faint] (20) = 4453.
Rashi
May all their wickedness come before You May all their iniquities be remembered and counted before You. and deal with them Heb. וְעוֹלֵל, and do, like (Prov. 20:11): “Also a child can disguise himself with his deeds (בְּמַעֲלָלָיו)”; (Jer. 32:19): “and in accordance with the fruit of his deeds (מַעֲלָלָיו).”
Ibn Ezra
"ve'olel" (and do) — meaning "do," from the same root as "alilotav" ("his deeds"). And what is correct is that its sense is like "sibbah" (a cause), as in "velo nitkenu alilot" ("and by Him actions are weighed").
Alshich
"Let all their wickedness come before You" — that as for those [nations] who are not disposed toward that [future transformation], let all their wickedness come before You. "And do to them as You have done to me" — He used the term 'olel' (עולל) rather than the term 'po'al' (פועל, 'act'), for 'pe'ulah' (the completed act) refers to the ultimate goal of the action, whereas 'olel' refers to the prior causes that lead to the ultimate goal of the action — and for this reason the Holy One, blessed be He, is called 'illat kol ha-illot' (the Cause of all causes). Now, the purpose of our afflictions is directed toward an ultimate good; therefore I request only concerning the causes that were sent upon us — that the same be sent upon them [the nations] — since it is through them that my sighs are many and my heart is faint. Before we proceed to explain, let us preface what is said in Eichah Rabbah, that our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Rabbi and Rabbi Yochanan used to expound these verses and find comfort through them — see there. It is evident from their words that the text speaks of the greatness of His, may He be blessed, kindness toward us even at the time His anger burned against us. Therefore I have set my heart to follow in their footsteps, and to explain these verses in a manner that demonstrates the greatness of His, may He be blessed, kindness toward us in all the troubles that have passed over us.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Alshich