Save "Good Tears and Bad Tears:

Eicha 2:11
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Good Tears and Bad Tears: Eicha 2:11
(יא) כָּל֨וּ בַדְּמָע֤וֹת עֵינַי֙ חֳמַרְמְר֣וּ מֵעַ֔י נִשְׁפַּ֤ךְ לָאָ֙רֶץ֙ כְּבֵדִ֔י עַל־שֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־עַמִּ֑י בֵּֽעָטֵ֤ף עוֹלֵל֙ וְיוֹנֵ֔ק בִּרְחֹב֖וֹת קִרְיָֽה׃ (ס)
(11) My eyes are spent with tears, My heart is in tumult, My being melts away Over the ruin of my poor people, As babes and sucklings languish In the squares of the city.

(15) "My eyes are spent with tears (Lamentations 2:11)": Rabbi Eleazar said: "Lumps formed on the eye", tears of hardness, and tears of mustard, and tears of collyrium (eye salve), and tears of laughter are the most pleasant of all of them. Three kinds of tears are evil: tears of smoke, tears of weeping, and tears from the bathroom, and tears over an adult child are the worst of all. For example: A certain woman, her adult son died and she was weeping over him each night until lashes of her eyes fell out and she went to the doctor and he said to her "Put on mascara with my mascara and you will be healed."

"My heart is in tumult, my being (kevedi) melts away": for example: a certain man, his adult son died and he was weeping over him each night until his liver (kevedeh) collapsed, and he said: "My liver is heavy and has fallen under its weight because I am weeping over him and all of this does not matter".

Discussion Questions

  1. Eicha/Lamentations describes a dark world. What is the darkness that is described in this verse and its commentary? What emotions are involved?
  2. Do you agree that tears can be good and bad? What are other kinds of good and bad tears you can think of?
  3. Can you find anything redeeming or hopeful about this text?