Welcome everybody to NachDaily, covering the entire Tanach one perek at time. Today we offer an introduction to Megilas Eicha, beginning the actual Megilah in the next class.

Who wrote Megilas Eicha?

Megilas Eicha, also known as Kinnos. Lamentations, was written by Yirmiya Hanavi. The first word, Eicha, is actually an acronym to for Ani Yirmiya Kohen Ha’Anatosi – I am Yirmiya the Kohen from Anatos.

In addition to Eicha, he also wrote Sefer Yirmiya, Sefer Melachim, and some of the Kinnos (Baba Basra 15a).

The history behind the Megilah

In Sefer Yirmiya chapter 36, it’s brought down that Yirmiya had dictated a scroll to be written to his main student and scribe Baruch Ben Neriah. This scroll was to be read both publicly and in front of King Yehoyakim. When Yehoyakim heard what was written in it, he became so angry that he tore it up and burned it. He ordered Yirmiya and Baruch Ben Neriah to be arrested and sent to jail, but they had already gone into hiding. The chapter ends with Yirmiya re-dictating the Megilah and adding to it.

Rashi in Moed Katan 26a maintains that this second scroll was indeed Megilas Eicha, and most of the Meforshim agree. However, the same Gemarah brings the opinion of Rav Nechemia that Eicha was not written until after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.

Either way, it’s no wonder that King Yehoyakim was outraged, because the content of the Megilah definitely touched upon the end of his kingship!

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan notes that according to Rav Nechemia in the Gemarah, if Megilas Eicha was fully written afterwards, chapters 1, 2 and 4, which are simple 22 letter acrostics with Hebrew Aleph-Beis, were part of the original that was burned. Chapter 3, which is a triple acrostic, was the addition that Yirmiya added the second time he dictated it to Baruch Ben Neriah.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan is uncertain as to when the 5th and final chapter was written.

The theme of Megilas Eicha

The first perek of Eicha described the desolation of Yerushalayim after its destruction. The second chapter speaks of the fury that God unleashed on our people. The 3rd is Yirmiya’s personal experience and account of the destruction, while the 4th again speaks of the destruction and devastation that our nation went through. In the 5th perek, which is the only one not in alphabetical order, Yirmiya confesses Am Yisrael’s sins and begs God to help us do teshuva so that Hashem will show us His mercy and accept us back.

The 22-letter acrostic

As we mentioned, Eicha is written using the 22 letters of the Aleph-Beis. The Midrash Yalkut Shimoni 1002, explains that Am Yisrael was punished because they had violated the entire Torah which was written with the Aleph-Beis.

Alternatively, perhaps the reason why they were written that way is because we know that the world was created using the Hebrew letters. As they touch on the root of creation, so too did the Beis Hamikdash, which was a microcosm of the world. When it was destroyed therefore, the letters of creation were so to speak sent away.

You might say that Yirmiya was trying to bring a tikkun, correction, to the nation by recounting the precious letters. We need to return to the fundamentals of the Aleph Beis to rebuild the world.

It should be noted that the month of Av is spelled Aleph Beis, as it touches on the root of creation. Av is also the word for Father. The destruction was only from our Father in Heaven.

The Idea of Kinnos

Rebbe Nachman explains, in Lekutei Maharan Lesson 247, that the word “taiku” is used in the Gemarah to end an argument that seems unanswerable. It’s an acronym meaning that Eliyahu HaTsishbi will deal with all our questions when Mashiach comes.

Rebbe Nachman points out that this lack of understanding turns the word tikkun into kinnos, the same letters rearranged. By saying kinnos, we are able to bring the tikkun, to bring Mashiach and have our questions answered.

May our learning of Eicha be a tikkun for the ultimate taiku with the coming of Mashiach. May we merit to turn our “mourning” into “morning,” when the cast aside nation will return to Tziyon singing and dancing, and our depression will be turned into happiness.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily when we’ll actually begin the Megilah.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.