Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit Wall. Learn More ->

Search
Close this search box.

Lamentations

many lit tea lights
 
CHAPTER 1: Connection
 
Lonely — once great with people! (1:1).
Bitterly she weeps in the night;
There is no one to comfort her
Of all her friends (1:2).
She finds no rest (1:3).
Her place is deserted (1:4).
All the precious things she had
In the days of old (1:7) …
She can only sigh
And shrink back (1:8).
Her uncleanness clings to her skirts.
She gives no thought to her future (1:9).
“How abject have I become!” (1:11).
“I am forlorn,
In constant misery” (1:13).
“It saps my strength” (1:14).
“I cried out for my friends (1:19),
‘See the distress I am in!’ (1:20).
There was no one to comfort me” (1:21).
“My heart is sick” (1:22).
 
CHAPTER 2: Pride
 
We were laid waste (2:5).
We were stripped liked a garden
Ended have Shabbat and festivals (2:6).
Our gates have sunk into the ground (2:9).
Elders sit silently;
Women bow their heads to the ground (2:10).
My eyes are spent;
My being melts away (2:11).
What can I take as a witness? (2:13).
Day and night!
Give your eyes no rest (2:18).
See and behold (2:20).
 
CHAPTER 3: Shelter
 
My path is made a maze (3:9).
It has left me numb (3:11).
I am filled with bitterness (3:15);
I forgot what happiness was (3:17).
“It is good to wait patiently
Till rescue comes” (3:26).
“Let me sit alone and be patient (3:28);
Let me put my mouth to the dust —
There may yet be hope” (3:29).
“To deny a man his rights (3:35) —
Each one his own sins!” (3:39).
Panic and pitfall are our lot
Death and destruction (3:47).
My eyes shed streams of water
Over the ruin of my poor people (3:48).
Water flows over my head;
I said: “I am lost!” (3:54).
 
CHAPTER 4: Money
 
The gems are spilled
At every street corner (4:1).
People have turned cruel,
Like ostriches in the desert (4:3).
Little children beg for food;
None gives them a morsel (4:4).
Better off were the slain of the disease,
Than those slain by hunger (4:9).
The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor any of the inhabitants of the world (4:12)
“Away! Unclean!,” people shout,
“Away! Away! Touch not!” (4:15).
It showed no regard for the homeless,
No favor to elders (4:16).
As we waited, still we wait,
For a nation that cannot help (4:17).
Our steps were checked,
We could not walk in our squares (4:18).
The breath of life,
Is captured in traps (4:20);
The cup shall pass;
We will expose our nakedness (4:21).
 
CHAPTER 5: Beauty
 
The old men are gone from the parks,
The young men from their music (5:14);
Some get their bread at the peril of their lives (5:9);
Exhausted, we are given no rest (5:5).
Gone is the joy of our hearts;
Our dancing is turned into mourning (5:15).
Facebook
Email

Honor the memory of your loved one with a donation to support Ritualwell

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join author Evonne Marzouk to find ways to strengthen your experience as a spiritual being, expand your consciousness and deepen your ability to be present. Through study and creative writing, you’ll take away new strategies to use in daily life. 

Hope you’ll join us!

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network