Devorim – Eicha
(Deuteronomy 1:1) “These (eleh) are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel, on the other side (ever) of the Yarden.” The word “Yarden” also means yerida – degradation. “Ever” also means passing through. One way that this verse is explained is as follows: Through his words, Moshe instilled in the Jewish people the truth of G-d; each according to his/her ability to receive, so that when they traverse the trials and tribulations of life, they would have the ability to elevate everything to its origin.
(Deuteronomy 1:1) “Eleh – these” has the same numerical value as the word “Eicha”, which is thirty-six.
(Midrash Rabbah Eicha 1:1) There are three prophets who used the word “Eicha – how”. Moshe who saw the Jewish people living securely but said (Deuteronomy 1:12) “How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens and your quarrels?”. Isaiah saw their frivolity and said (Isaiah 1:21) “How she has become a harlot, she had been full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now (have become) murderers”. Jeremiah who saw their disgrace said (Lamentations 1:1) “How she sits in solitude, the city that was great sits like a widow”.
Moshe spoke about not wanting the people to go into exile and Jeremiah spoke about the reason that they were in exile. (Lamentations 1:1) “Eicha yoshvo vodod” is numerically 363, which is the same value as the word hanochosh – the snake.
“Eicha” reflects the thought of where is the Divine presence. “Eicha” is a combination of two words, ei and cha. “Ei” can also be read as ayei means where or woe. “Cha” is also pronounced “koh” which means so or here. All of the prophets, other than Moshe, used the work “koh” when they uttered their prophecies.
Abraham said (Genesis 22:5) we will go till “koh” and then return. The priestly blessing is with “koh”. The blessing to Abraham (Genesis 15:5) is with “koh”. The word blessing, “bracha,” is composed of two words; “bar” and “cha”. “Bar” means son. “Cha” is numerically twenty-five and is thus associated with the twenty fifth word in the Torah which is “ohr” that means light. The Zohar states that cha or koh is a term that indicates the Divine presence. Bracha means son of the Divine presence; meaning that it flows through the person or spiritual opening.
Moshe who was united with the Divine and kept the unity constant wanted the Jewish people to do the same. Therefore, he said, “why should I be the only one”. Then he was told to choose seventy elders to assist him. Isaiah saw how their connection with Hashem fluctuates. Jeremiah saw that the connection was severed which is why he said (Lamentations 1:1) “lomas”. This is the same word used when the spies came back from the land and separated the hearts of the people from doing the will of Hashem and entering the land. (Deuteronomy 1:28) “Hemasu ess levoveinu” – “they melted our hearts”. The opposite of “mas” we find when the letters of “mas” are reversed (Deuteronomy 28:8) “Hashem will connect you with the blessing in your storehouses – ba’asamecho,” This also refers to the spiritual storehouse.
When a person keeps the Torah with pure trust and faith then with time, they become bonded to Hashem and a Divine Presence flows through them. Many Jewish people go in directions away from Torah due to not following the pure truth of Hashem and the Torah that He gave us.
About the future, Jeremiah 31:12 says: “I will transform their mourning into joy”. Isaiah transforms the “how” to “who”. Isaiah 49:21 “Who has given birth to these?” The letters of “eleh” alef lamed hey are an acronym for (Esther 8:16) “layehudim hoyson orah – for the Jews there was light”.