The Sins of Jerusalem

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1. The Destruction of the City

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The prophecy concerning the imminent fate of the city resembles the destruction that Yehezkel had prophesied in the past, but he no longer reacts with cries of surprise or distress, as he had earlier; now he is apathetic. From now on, his pre-destruction prophetic mission is limited to describing the situation in the city.

   The description begins presenting a city that is full of bloodshed. Yehezkel’s accusation is against all of Jerusalem’s inhabitants – all classes and positions. Throughout the book Yehezkel avoids using the name Jerusalem altogether. Perhaps this is that the actions of the nation have not only led to the defiling of the name, but have also caused a rupture in God’s attitude towards the eternity of the city.

   Chapter 24 contains two accounts of loss: the loss of Yehezkel’s wife, and the loss of the Temple. The connection between Yehezkel’s private loss and the nation’s loss of the Temple indicates that the profaning of the Temple is irreversible: in other words, the Temples that will be built after the destruction of the First Temple represent a new creation, not a recreation of the Temple that existed.

   Yehezkel is commanded not to mourn for his wife as a sign to the people. Why, then, is Am Yisrael commanded not to mourn over the Temple?

   The withholding of mourning may represent a sort of Divine punishment – or, alternatively, an act of acceptance of God’s will. Perhaps mourning is only significant for the comfort that others give to the mourner and the commandment not to mourn signifies that there are none to comfort.

   This prophecy concludes Yehezkel’s prophecies of rebuke uttered before the destruction and ends his term of silence.

2. Eikha: Chapter 1 (Continued 1)

   Shiur #11

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   Picking up the theme of loneliness from the previous verse, this verse emphasizes the haunting absence of comforters. Tears remain undried on Jerusalem’s face; emptied of her inhabitants, the city lacks community or consolers. Loved ones have abandoned her; friends betray her.

   Throughout these two verses we pick up on the themes of friends, betrayals, exile, and hints at the slavery in Egypt. In requesting that God see her afflictions, Jerusalem endeavors to enlist the compassionate God who redeemed His nation from Egypt and returned them to the land of their forefathers. The echoes of Egypt may sound ominous, but they also allude to God’s eternal promise, His assurance of divine commitment. Evoking the Egyptian exile at this early stage of the Babylonian exile hints to the possibility of redemption and offers a quiet message of hope.

3. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued 2)

   Shiur #12

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   After a brief glance at the exiles in verse 3, we will soon return our attention to Jerusalem, but not immediately. First, we experience the eerie loneliness of the journey back to Jerusalem.

4. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #13

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   For the second time (see also verse 3), Eikha turns its attention to the sights outside of Jerusalem, to the far-flung places where her inhabitants have gone. Bemoaning the depletion of the city’s glory, the verse does not specify what exactly constituted the city’s former glory.

5. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #14

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   Eikha 1:8: The haunting portrait of suffering abruptly gives way to harsh accusation: “Jerusalem surely sinned!” Until now, Jerusalem’s misery inclines the reader to empathize with her suffering. The tone shifts sharply here as the narrator points an accusatory finger at Jerusalem.

6. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #15

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   Eikha 1:9: Continuing the portrait of Jerusalem’s moral impurity, this verse contains a powerful metaphor of a sullied city, whose moral impurities are visible to all.

7. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #16

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   Jerusalem has fallen silent and, without missing a beat, the narrator resumes his tale. In response to Jerusalem’s brief, but poignant disruption in verse 9 (“Look, God, at my affliction, for the enemy is exalted!”), the narrator focuses his attention first upon Jerusalem’s enemy and then upon her suffering.

8. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #17

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   In the first part of chapter 1, we observed Jerusalem from the outside, judging and censuring her. When Jerusalem begins to speak, she springs to life, sharing the depths of her pain. We no longer regard her with disapproval; instead, we are party to her agony, experiencing it alongside her. In Jerusalem’s direct plea to the passersby, “Look and see! Is there any pain like my pain?” she appeals also to us, the readers, eliciting our attention and giving us pause to consider her suffering.

9. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

   Shiur #18

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   Verse 16 concludes the first stage of Jerusalem’s first person account with a description of Jerusalem’s weeping eyes. In verse 17 The narrator enters to fill Jerusalem’s silence.

10. Eikha: Chapter 1 (continued)

    Shiur #19

    Dr. Yael Ziegler

    
    Jerusalem resumes her narration following the narrator’s interjection, which appears to have triggered a remarkable transformation. In proclaiming God’s righteousness, Jerusalem now assumes responsibility for the situation, shamefacedly admitting that she has rebelled against God’s word.
     
    Following this admission, Jerusalem turns to address the nations, entreating them to employ their hearing and sight: to hear her words and see her sons and daughters who have gone into captivity. To what end does Jerusalem turn to the nations? Why is she so determined that the nations become participants in her tragedy?