This week we will read Eichah three times in different contexts. Coincidence?

The Torah portion this week is Devarim, which begins the book of Deuteronomy and goes until chapter 3, verse 22. The haftarah portion that we will read from the Prophets right afterwards is from the first chapter of Yeshayahu (Isaiah). And a few days later will be the Jewish calendar's saddest day, Tisha B'Av (the ninth day of the month of Av), on which we will read the Book of Lamentations.

All three of them either begin with or include a verse beginning with the word Eichah, which is basically a sorrowful question meaning, "How can it be?"

Our Sages connected the dots among the three of these laments, explaining in the Medrash that three prophets used the word Eichah in their prophecies: Moshe, Yeshayahu, and Yirmiyahu:

Moshe said (Devarim 1,12), "Eichah esa l'vadi, How will I be able to bear [Israel's] burden, responsibility and conflict all by myself?"

Yeshayahu said (Yeshayahu 1,21), "Eichah hay'ta l'zonah, How has the faithful city become a harlot? It used to be full of justice, and now – murderers."

And Yirmiyahu said (Yirmiyahu 1,1), "Eichah yashva vadad, How is it that the city dwells alone?"

The Medrash then quotes R. Levi who says, "This is comparable to an upstanding woman who had three friends: One saw her in her tranquility, one saw her in her debauchery, and one saw her in her disgrace. Similarly, Moshe saw Israel in their glory and tranquility… Yeshayahu saw them in their debauchery … and Yirmiyahu saw them in their disgrace…"

One way of understanding this Medrash is that the Sages are comparing Israel's positive circumstances on their way into the Promised Land to their deterioration before and after the destruction of the Temples and their Exile. As such, Moshe Rabbeinu's "Eichah" actually has a positive meaning: "G-d has increased your numbers and you are now as many as the stars of the sky!" (verse 10); you have grown so much that governing you is a very big job!

This in fact appears to be what the Sages meant when they taught elsewhere (P'tichta, Eicha Rabbati 11): "If you had merited it, you would have [been able to] read Moshe's Eichah [on Tisha B'Av], but now that you have sinned, you read Eichah yashva vadad." This shows that Moshe's Eichah is not a lamentation, but rather words of appreciation.

However, our custom is to read these words of Moshe in the Torah portion in the sad melody generally reserved for Tisha B'Av! This shows that we do not understand them happily.

In truth, the sadness of Moshe's words can also be taken in different ways. It could be that our sadness is a result of comparing the high level that we could have reached to the actual low point at which we find ourselves. But it could also be this:

The Medrash Devarim Rabba (1,10) gives two possibilities as to exactly which period Moshe was referring to when he said here, "And I spoke to you at that time, saying, "How can I lead you by myself." R. Yochanan said it was at the time of Yitro, who told Moshe that "this thing [of judging the nation] is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone" (Sh'mot 18,17-23), and then he advised Moshe to appoint various levels of judges and courts. However, R. Chiyya has another idea, saying that Moshe was actually referring to the period of the Complainers (mit'onenim), when he told G-d, "I am not able to bear all this people alone..." (Bamidbar 11,14-12).

How do these two periods compare? During the time of the Complainers, the need arose to appoint elders to share the leadership with Moshe as a direct result of Israel's low level, because of their complaints and surrender to their desires for meat. It is thus understandable that the issue here was the nation's inability to adapt to the high spiritual level of Moshe Rabbeinu.

On the other hand, R. Yochanan said the period in question was when Moshe accepted Yitro's advice to appoint judges – and this was when Israel was on a high spiritual level. They had come to Moshe in their multitudes to seek G-d, and this led to the need to appoint judges who themselves were on a high level and received their inspiration from Moshe. We know this because the plan was that "they would bring the difficult cases to Moshe" (Sh'mot 18,22). What could be sad about this?

The answer is that even the appointment of the judges at Yitro's suggestion, though a positive act, was not clean of negative influences. The Sfat Emet sees in this a root cause that actually later led to crises in our national life. The very fact that Israel distanced themselves from the close, direct supervision of Moshe, and were made to deal with judges on various levels - this caused the thought that it was possible to send people to spy out the land of Canaan, rather than relying solely on Moshe’s prophecy.

This is why we read Moshe's words here in a tune of mourning – because Moshe is blaming himself as well for the sins of the Jewish people, since his actions led, indirectly, to the Sin of the Spies and others.

From here we learn an important principle in national leadership. Sometimes it happens that a simple action, in which no flaw whatsoever is apparent, contains within it components that are liable to bring about future mishaps. And when it comes to issues of national import and leadership, these mishaps can carry immense significance.

May Hashem turn these days of mourning for our Holy Temples into a period of joy and happiness, of consolation and salvation, and may we merit to see the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Holy Land together with the entire Nation of Israel.

Translated by Hillel Fendel

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