Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Midrash Rabba Eicha, Petichata, 1

איכה
פתיחתא
פתיחתא דחכימי
: א רבי אבא בר כהנא פתח (ישעיה י')צהלי קולך בת גלים אמר ישעיהו לישראל עד שאתם אומרים שירים ומזמורים לפני עבודת כוכבים צהלי קולך בדברי תורה צהלי קולך בבתי כנסיות בת גלים מה גלים הללו מסויימין בים כך אבותיהם מסויימין בעולם ד"א בת גלים בת גולים ברתיהון דגלוואי בתו של אברהם אותו שכתוב בו (בראשית י"ב)ויהי רעב בארץ וירד אברם מצרימה בתו של יצחק שכתוב בו (שם כ"ו)וילך יצחק אל אבימלך מלך פלשתים גררה בתו של יעקב שכתוב בו (שם כ"ח)וילך פדנה ארם הקשיבי הקשיבי למצותי הקשיבי לדברי תורה הקשיבי לדברי נבואה הקשיבי לצדקות ומעשים טובים לישה ואם לאו לישה הא אריה סליק עלך זה נבוכדנצר הרשע דכתיב ביה (ירמיה ד')עלה אריה מסובכו עניה עניה מן הצדיקים עניה מדברי נבואה עניה ממצות ומעשים טובים ענתות ואם לאו ענתות הא ענתותא אתי ומתנבא עליך דכתיב (שם א')דברי בן חלקיהו וגו' כיון שבא הפורענות קונן עליהם איכה:

Eicha (Lamentations)
Openings (Beginnings)
The Openings {beginnings of drashot, starting off from other verses} of the Chachamim:
1 Rabbi Abba bar Kahana began from Yeshayahu 10:30. {The context is a description of various town's reactions to the oncoming invading hordes of Sancherib, who conquered many cities, but was turned back at the last minute from Yerushalayim by an angel. See more about this in 2 Kings 18-19
Yeshaya 10:25-32:

בָּא עַל-עַיַּת, עָבַר בְּמִגְרוֹן; לְמִכְמָשׂ, יַפְקִיד כֵּלָיו
עָבְרוּ, מַעְבָּרָה, גֶּבַע, מָלוֹן לָנוּ; חָרְדָה, הָרָמָה--גִּבְעַת שָׁאוּל, נָסָה.
צַהֲלִי קוֹלֵךְ, בַּת-גַּלִּים; הַקְשִׁיבִי לַיְשָׁה, עֲנִיָּה עֲנָתוֹת.
נָדְדָה, מַדְמֵנָה; יֹשְׁבֵי הַגֵּבִים, הֵעִיזוּ.
עוֹד הַיּוֹם, בְּנֹב לַעֲמֹד; יְנֹפֵף יָדוֹ הַר בית- (בַּת-) צִיּוֹן, גִּבְעַת יְרוּשָׁלִָם.
"He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Michmas he layeth up his baggage;
They are gone over the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeath-shaul is fled.
Cry thou with a shrill voice, O daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! O thou poor Anathoth!
Madmenah is in mad flight; the inhabitants of Gebim flee to cover.
This very day shall he halt at Nob, shaking his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana deconstructs the verse, interpreting many of the names of places just as Chazal interpreted many of the place names at the beginning of Devarim.}

צַהֲלִי קוֹלֵךְ, בַּת-גַּלִּים - {literally Cry out with a [shrill] voice daughter of [the place] Gallim.} Yeshayahu said to Israel, before {rather than} you say songs and hymns before idols, "Cry out with your voice" in words of Torah, ""Cry out with your voice" in synagogues.

בַּת-גַּלִּים - {literally daughter of [the town] Gallim. But Gal can also be taken mean a wave, or refer to Golim, exiles.} Just as these waves stand out in the sea, so too your fathers stood out in the world. Another interpretation, daughter of Galim, {read it} daughter of Golim, that is Daughters of Exiles. {You are} the daughter of Avraham, that is written concerning him (Bereishit 12:10) וַיְהִי רָעָב, בָּאָרֶץ; וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה - "And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt..." The daughter of Yitzchak that it is written concerning him, (Bereishit 26:1) וַיְהִי רָעָב, בָּאָרֶץ, מִלְּבַד הָרָעָב הָרִאשׁוֹן, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם; וַיֵּלֶךְ יִצְחָק אֶל-אֲבִימֶלֶךְ מֶלֶךְ-פְּלִשְׁתִּים, גְּרָרָה. - "And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar." The daughter of Yaakov, that is written about him, (Bereishit 28:5) וַיִּשְׁלַח יִצְחָק אֶת-יַעֲקֹב, וַיֵּלֶךְ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם - {And Isaac sent away Jacob;} and he went to Paddan-aram..."

הַקְשִׁיבִי - {literally "Hearken," part of the phrase "Hearken, Oh Laish!"} Hearken to my Commandments, Hearken to the words of Torah, Hearken to the words of Prophecy, Hearken to acts of righteousness and good deeds.

לַיְשָׁה - {literally the place Laish, but can refer to a lion.} And if not Pif you do not hearken}, לַיְשָׁה, behold, the lion goes out against you - this is the wicked Nevuchadnezzar, which it is written regarding him (Yirmiyahu 4 עָלָה אַרְיֵה, מִסֻּבְּכוֹ - "A lion is gone up from his thicket..." {His prophecy was about the destruction eventually carried out by Nevuchadnezzar}

עֲנִיָּה - {literally "cry out," but can be taken to refer to poverty.} Poverty from the righteous, poverty from words of Prophecy, poverty from Mitzvot {commandments} and good deeds.

עֲנָתוֹת - {literally Anatot, a place, and the hometown of Yirmiyahu. The place, or people of the place, would cry out. There is a poetic choice of עֲנִיָּה as a verb with the location עֲנָתוֹת, as they sound similar. But this is taken to refer to Yirmiyahu and his prophecies and lamentations. Because you did not hearken, } behold the resident of Anatot comes and prophesies upon you as it states, (Yirmiyahu 1:1) דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ, בֶּן-חִלְקִיָּהוּ, מִן-הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת, בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן. - "The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin." And once the punishment comes he {Yirmiyahu} laments upon them "Eicha", {Lamentations}.

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