The Book of Lamentations is a collection of poetry lamenting the desctruction of JerusalemLit. City of peace From the time of David to the Roman destruction, Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the spiritual and governmental center of the Jewish people. During the long exile, Jews longed to return to Jerusalem and wrote poems, prayers, and songs about the beloved city. In 1967, with the capture of the Old City, Jerusalem was reunited, becoming "the eternal capital of Israel." Still, the longing for peace is unfulfilled. in 586 BCE. We mourn for this destruction on Tisha b’Av. The poetry wails for those who died, and and for the city itself, named Zion. Some of the poetry acuses God of abandoning Zion, after punishing Zion with horrific destruction. My own poem below imagines the abusing God’s response to Zion.
God’s Lament: A Letter to Daughter Zion
In response to Lamentations
I promise I’ll stop.
I’ll be different this time.
I’ll getA writ of divorce. Traditionally, only a man can grant his wife a get. Liberal Jews have amended this tradition, making divorce more egalitarian. help. I’ll try harder.
You know you can’t live without Me.
Who are you to separate
from Me, to separate Me,
dividing holy and mundane?
I chose you from all nations.
We were separate together.
We were wholly One,
but I was not enough for you.
Coward, Zion!
You are dust and ashes,
a child bound by father’s hand,
waiting for My angel to save you
After all we’ve been through:
Deliverance, redemption, revelation!
You repay Me with idolatry.
Zion, we are bound to one another
and there is no ram for the offering.
You will suffer for your sins
until you praise Me again, return again,
call Me ‘God’ again.
I still remember when you made Me holy.
My Name was in your mouth,
comfort shared between us.
You know I can’t live without you.
I have crushed your bones,
but you were the one who left
Me in pieces, shattered
like My own vessels
I am no longer One.
Hear, O broken IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel.,
your struggle is your strength.
You lament and you rise,
Just when you think
there’s no hope anymore
you turn and return again
till I AM THAT I AM: yours.
Beloved Zion,
our covenant is binding.
I let there be light,
separating day from night,
but it is you who bless them.
I can only see holiness
though your eyes.
We are still One.
We are nothing as two.
And even if you forsake Me, Zion,
I will always love you.
