This coming week, on Tisha B’Av, we will read Megillat Eicha—the Book of Lamentations—and this Shabbat we will read the haftarah from Isaiah chapter 1 and Parashat Devarim (Deuteronomy) —that both include the Hebrew word “Eicha”. Furthermore, we will read all three Eichas with the same mournful trop—cantillation. The question is, what does the word Eicha mean in each source and why does its recitation require a somber, mournful trop?
The simple meaning of the word Eicha is “how” like the Hebrew word Eich. Thus, when Moses commands the Israelite people to destroy the nations of the land he is concerned that, since they are so thoroughly outnumbered, the people might ask “Eicha can we dispossess them? (Deuteronomy 7:17), Eicha there meaning “how”. Nonetheless, the word Eicha at the beginning of Lamentations is not a question but an exclamation of sorrow and grief. Thus, the first verse of Eicha should be best translated: “How (Eicha) lonely sits the city that once was full of people!” which reflects the grim reality in Jerusalem in the wake of its destruction. The Eicha in Isaiah is similarly an exclamation of despair and dejection, but not over the city’s destruction but over the corruption of its inhabitants: “How the faithful city has become a whore! She that was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her—but now murderers!” (Isaiah 1:21). Thus, we can understand why these two Eichas are read in a sad and somber trop. But what about the Eicha in our parasha?
The book of Deuteronomy which we begin this week is essentially a series of discourses by Moses to prepare the people for their entry into the land in his absence. In his first discourse he reflects on the forty-year sojourn in the desert and the lessons learned from that period. At the beginning of this discourse, which we read this week, Moses reminds the people of his inability to lead them on his own and the need to appoint chiefs to assist him in his efforts. It is within this context that the Eicha verse appears: “Eicha can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden and the bickering” (Deuteronomy 1:12).
At first glance, since Moses is voicing his frustration with the trouble and bickering of the people which necessitated the appointment of tribal chiefs, this Eicha seems to be an exclamation similar to the Eicha of Lamentations and Isaiah. In his frustration and rage Moses is thus declaring: “How (Eicha) can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden and the bickering!”
Yet upon closer examination the verse may be saying something else entirely. In the verses right before ours, Moses tells the people that his frustration with them was the result of the fulfillment of God’s blessing: “The Lord your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky… Eicha can I bear unaided the trouble of you…” (Deut. 1:10). In other words, Moses’ is saying that his frustration stemmed from their extraordinary growth which was really a blessing in disguise. Furthermore, unlike Lamentations and Isaiah which reflect utter despair and hopelessness, Moses’ Eicha is followed by a solution: “Pick from each of your tribes men who are wise, discerning, and experienced, and I will appoint them as your heads” (Deut. 1:13). Thus, it would appear that Moses, in his Eicha, is asking a question “how?” as in Deuteronomy 7:17, rather than an exasperated exclamation “how!
So which is it? Is Moses’ Eicha an exclamation reflecting his increasing frustration and disappointment with the people or is it a question reflecting a legitimate concern that arose as a result of God’s blessing?
I believe that the text here is being intentionally ambiguous in order to teach us a valuable lesson that has great relevance to our lives, then and now. The lesson is that whether Eicha is a simple question “how?” or a dejected exclamation “how!” is entirely up to us.
The creation and existence of the State of Israel is one the greatest divine blessings in our nearly four-thousand-year history. And this blessing is reflected, among other things, in our unprecedented growth from 600,000 in 1948 to over 7 million today and in our success, on the global stage, in the realms of science and technology and, regionally, as an economic and military powerhouse. Indeed, there are very few nations in history, if any, that have achieved what Israel has in its first 76 years of existence. While these blessings have posed many Eichas-many questions of “how” over the years, we have found answers to most, which explains Israel’s meteoric rise and success.
At the same time, we have seen signs in the months preceding October 7 of bickering, internal strife and of a society beginning to come apart at the seams, and we are unfortunately seeing some of this again in recent months. Furthermore, the ongoing war with Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north, the plight of the hostages, the fear of a wider conflict, the uncertainly of the days ahead and the failure of the leadership in addressing these problems is taking a huge toll on all of us and on our collective nerves. Thus, we often find ourselves exclaiming Eicha-how!!
So which will it be? Will our Eicha be a question in search of an answer, or an exclamation of sorrow after all is already lost?
That is entirely up to us.
