(איכה א, ב) וכו': בָּכו תִבְכֶּה בַּלַיְלָה וְדִמְעָתָה עַל לֶחֱיָה - Weeping she weeps in the night and her tears are on her cheeks...
There are several anomalies in this Passuk that need to be understood. Firstly, what is the double language of weeping that the Passuk mentions, ‘weeping she weeps’; what is it alluding to? Secondly, what is the significance of weeping ‘in the night’ that the Passuk mentions? And lastly, what is the reference of the fact that the ‘tears are on her cheeks’?
The Yerushalmi in Yuma (פ"א ה"א ה ע"ב) says as follows. כל דור שאינו נבנה בימיו מעלין עליו כאילו הוא החריבו - Any generation that does not merit the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash in its day, is considered as if they themselves caused its destruction.
Any generation whose deeds aren’t worthy to bring about the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash, is clearly no more worthy than the generation during which the Bais Hamikdash was actually destroyed. Accordingly, their very wrongdoings which prevented the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash, would likewise have caused the Bais Hamikdash to have been destroyed were it to have been standing in their days.
We can thus understand why the Prophet calls for a twofold weeping, בכו תבכה - weeping she weeps. It is a cry over the double calamity; firstly, over the fact that the Bais Hamikdash wasn’t rebuilt due to their sins, and secondly, as a cry over the indication that their sins would have equally been deserving to destroy the Bais Hamikdash as well.
The Midrash in Eichah (א מ) says, אֲשֶר הוֹרָה ה' בְּיוֹם חֲרוֹן אַפוֹ... אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא: חֲרוֹן אַף אֶחָד הָיָה חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ שֶל הַקָּדוֹש בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אִלּוּ עָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּשׁוּבָה פִּסְקָה פִּסְקָה הָיָה חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ שֶל הַקָּדוֹש בָּרוּךְ הוּא - Which Hashem has afflicted me on the day of His burning wrath. The emphasis ‘on the day of His burning wrath’ seems superfluous, for the Passuk could have simply stated, ‘Which Hashem has afflicted me in His burning wrath’. R’ Acha said: The wrath of Hashem could have lasted for one day alone, and had the Jewish People repented, Hashem’s burning wrath would have cooled down, and they would not have been punished so comprehensively.
Additionally, the Mishnah in Avos (ד כב) teaches us, אל תרצה את חברך בשעת כעסו - One should not appease his fellow while he is still angry; correspondingly, it isn’t appropriate for the Jewish People to attempt to arouse Hashem’s Mercy during the time of His wrath.
In view of this we can understand why the Prophet calls for the Jewish People to cry specifically at night. This is because initially Hashem’s wrath was meant to last only one day, and hence by the time night would have fallen the wrath was meant to have passed; thus, at nightfall, after Hashem’s wrath had subsided, would have been the appropriate time to begin crying and arousing Hashem’s Mercy.
The Gemara in Shabbos (קנא ע"ב) expounds on the Passuk in Koheles (יב ב) as follows. ושבו העבים אחר הגשם, זו מאור עיניו של אדם שהולך אחר הבכי וכו'. - When the Passuk describes ‘the clouds that return after the rain’, it is a reference to a person’s eyesight which regresses through crying. Crying has the effect to weaken one’s eyesight, therefore the weakened eyesight which follows one’s weeping is described metaphorically as the clouds which follow the rain.
We can explain that the ‘tears are on her cheeks’ is the Prophets insinuation to the fact that one’s tears are detrimental to his health. The Prophet is calling for one to persistently cry and shed tears upon the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash. He thus alludes that although one’s continual tears are harmful, nevertheless one should cry unceasingly until the tears remain steadfast on his cheeks.
זרע שמשון איכה אות ב
