One of the unique aspects of Isaiah is its shift from forewarning and condemnation (chs. 1-39) to comfort and consolation (chs. 40-66). The Haftarot before and after 9 Av capture this dramatic reversal.
(יד) חׇדְשֵׁיכֶ֤ם וּמֽוֹעֲדֵיכֶם֙ שָֽׂנְאָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֔י הָי֥וּ עָלַ֖י לָטֹ֑רַח נִלְאֵ֖יתִי נְשֹֽׂא׃ (טו) וּבְפָרִשְׂכֶ֣ם כַּפֵּיכֶ֗ם אַעְלִ֤ים עֵינַי֙ מִכֶּ֔ם גַּ֛ם כִּֽי־תַרְבּ֥וּ תְפִלָּ֖ה אֵינֶ֣נִּי שֹׁמֵ֑עַ יְדֵיכֶ֖ם דָּמִ֥ים מָלֵֽאוּ׃
(יז) לִמְד֥וּ הֵיטֵ֛ב דִּרְשׁ֥וּ מִשְׁפָּ֖ט אַשְּׁר֣וּ חָמ֑וֹץ שִׁפְט֣וּ יָת֔וֹם רִ֖יבוּ אַלְמָנָֽה׃ {ס}
(14) Your new moons and fixed seasons Fill Me with loathing; They are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them. (15) And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; Though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime—....
(17) Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow.
Chapter 40 starts the section of consolation.
(י) אַל־תִּירָא֙ כִּ֣י עִמְּךָ־אָ֔נִי אַל־תִּשְׁתָּ֖ע כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ אִמַּצְתִּ֙יךָ֙ אַף־עֲזַרְתִּ֔יךָ אַף־תְּמַכְתִּ֖יךָ בִּימִ֥ין צִדְקִֽי׃
(10) Fear not, for I am with you, Be not frightened, for I am your God; I strengthen you and I help you, I uphold you with My victorious right hand.
(יג) כְּאִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִמּ֖וֹ תְּנַחֲמֶ֑נּוּ כֵּ֤ן אָֽנֹכִי֙ אֲנַ֣חֶמְכֶ֔ם וּבִירֽוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם תְּנֻחָֽמוּ׃
(13) As a mother comforts her son So I will comfort you; You shall find comfort in Jerusalem.
The image of God as the compassionate comforter is consistent with the divine attributes as presented in Exodus. These virtues, described by God, are often called the Thirteen "Midot."
They play a major liturgical role on Yom Kippur as well as the Fast Days.
How is God Depicted in Eikha, the Book of Lamentations?
Who cries and sheds tears on behalf of the people and city?
CRYING AND TEARS IN EIKHA
The Widow - nation of Israel - cries, weeps.
The City itself cries
An Israelite passerby, an observer of Jerusalem's destruction, also cries
Even the walls of Jerusalem shed tears
(יח) צָעַ֥ק לִבָּ֖ם אֶל־אֲדֹנָ֑י חוֹמַ֣ת בַּת־צִ֠יּ֠וֹן הוֹרִ֨ידִי כַנַּ֤חַל דִּמְעָה֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה אַֽל־תִּתְּנִ֤י פוּגַת֙ לָ֔ךְ אַל־תִּדֹּ֖ם בַּת־עֵינֵֽךְ׃ {ס}
(18) Their heart cried out to the Lord. O wall of Fair Zion, Shed tears like a torrent Day and night! Give yourself no respite, Your eyes no rest.
The image of God in Eikha
(ב) בִּלַּ֨ע אֲדֹנָ֜י (לא) [וְלֹ֣א] חָמַ֗ל אֵ֚ת כׇּל־נְא֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֔ב הָרַ֧ס בְּעֶבְרָת֛וֹ מִבְצְרֵ֥י בַת־יְהוּדָ֖ה הִגִּ֣יעַ לָאָ֑רֶץ חִלֵּ֥ל מַמְלָכָ֖ה וְשָׂרֶֽיהָ׃ {ס} (ג) גָּדַ֣ע בׇּֽחֳרִי־אַ֗ף כֹּ֚ל קֶ֣רֶן יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הֵשִׁ֥יב אָח֛וֹר יְמִינ֖וֹ מִפְּנֵ֣י אוֹיֵ֑ב וַיִּבְעַ֤ר בְּיַעֲקֹב֙ כְּאֵ֣שׁ לֶֽהָבָ֔ה אָכְלָ֖ה סָבִֽיב׃ {ס} (ד) דָּרַ֨ךְ קַשְׁתּ֜וֹ כְּאוֹיֵ֗ב נִצָּ֤ב יְמִינוֹ֙ כְּצָ֔ר וַֽיַּהֲרֹ֔ג כֹּ֖ל מַחֲמַדֵּי־עָ֑יִן בְּאֹ֙הֶל֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן שָׁפַ֥ךְ כָּאֵ֖שׁ חֲמָתֽוֹ׃ {ס} (ה) הָיָ֨ה אֲדֹנָ֤י ׀ כְּאוֹיֵב֙ בִּלַּ֣ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בִּלַּע֙ כׇּל־אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֔יהָ שִׁחֵ֖ת מִבְצָרָ֑יו וַיֶּ֙רֶב֙ בְּבַת־יְהוּדָ֔ה תַּאֲנִיָּ֖ה וַאֲנִיָּֽה׃ {ס} (ו) וַיַּחְמֹ֤ס כַּגַּן֙ שֻׂכּ֔וֹ שִׁחֵ֖ת מֹעֲד֑וֹ שִׁכַּ֨ח יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ בְּצִיּוֹן֙ מוֹעֵ֣ד וְשַׁבָּ֔ת וַיִּנְאַ֥ץ בְּזַֽעַם־אַפּ֖וֹ מֶ֥לֶךְ וְכֹהֵֽן׃ {ס} (ז) זָנַ֨ח אֲדֹנָ֤י ׀ מִזְבְּחוֹ֙ נִאֵ֣ר מִקְדָּשׁ֔וֹ הִסְגִּיר֙ בְּיַד־אוֹיֵ֔ב חוֹמֹ֖ת אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֑יהָ ק֛וֹל נָתְנ֥וּ בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָ֖ה כְּי֥וֹם מוֹעֵֽד׃ {ס}
(2) The Lord has laid waste without pity All the habitations of Jacob; He has razed in His anger Fair Judah’s strongholds. He has brought low in dishonor The kingdom and its leaders. (3) In blazing anger He has cut down All the might of Israel; He has withdrawn His right hand In the presence of the foe; He has ravaged Jacob like flaming fire, Consuming on all sides. (4) He bent His bow like an enemy, Poised His right hand like a foe; He slew all who delighted the eye. He poured out His wrath like fire In the Tent of Fair Zion. (5) The Lord has acted like a foe, He has laid waste Israel, Laid waste all her citadels, Destroyed her strongholds. He has increased within Fair Judah Mourning and moaning. (6) He has stripped His Booth like a garden, He has destroyed His Tabernacle; The LORD has ended in Zion Festival and sabbath; In His raging anger He has spurned King and priest. (7) The Lord has rejected His altar, Disdained His Sanctuary. He has handed over to the foe The walls of its citadels; They raised a shout in the House of the LORD As on a festival day.
Nowhere in Eikha does God cry or shed tears for His city, His people.
Unlike Isaiah, Lamentations does not include a shift from warning and condemnation to consolation.
God's image remains as "the enemy" of His people.
This is justified in the following verse.
(יז) עָשָׂ֨ה יְהֹוָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר זָמָ֗ם בִּצַּ֤ע אֶמְרָתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֣ה מִֽימֵי־קֶ֔דֶם הָרַ֖ס וְלֹ֣א חָמָ֑ל וַיְשַׂמַּ֤ח עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ אוֹיֵ֔ב הֵרִ֖ים קֶ֥רֶן צָרָֽיִךְ׃ {ס}
(17) The LORD has done what He purposed, Has carried out the decree That He ordained long ago; He has torn down without pity. He has let the foe rejoice over you, Has exalted the might of your enemies.
The midrashic collection, Eikha Rabba, presents a different image of God
Petihta (Introductory chapter)
אָמַר לָהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת בּוֹאוּ וְנֵלֵךְ אֲנִי וְאַתֶּם וְנִרְאֶה בְּבֵיתִי מֶה עָשׂוּ אוֹיְבִים בּוֹ
The Blessed Holy One said to the angels: “Let us go, I and you, so that we may see what the enemies have done to my House (temple).”
מִיָּד הָלַךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת וְיִרְמְיָה לְפָנָיו, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, אָמַר בְּוַדַּאי זֶהוּ בֵּיתִי וְזֶהוּ מְנוּחָתִי שֶׁבָּאוּ אוֹיְבִים וְעָשׂוּ בוֹ כִּרְצוֹנָם.
Straightaway went off the Blessed Holy One and the angels, with (the prophet) Jeremiah in the lead. When the Blessed Holy One saw the Holy Temple, he said: “This is indeed my House, and this is my Resting Place, into which enemies have entered and done as they pleased.”
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בּוֹכֶה וְאוֹמֵר אוֹי לִי עַל בֵּיתִי, בָּנַי הֵיכָן אַתֶּם, כֹּהֲנַי הֵיכָן אַתָּם, אוֹהֲבַי הֵיכָן אַתֶּם, מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם, הִתְרֵיתִי בָּכֶם וְלֹא חֲזַרְתֶּם בִּתְשׁוּבָה.
וַיִּקְרָא ה' אֱלֹהִים צְבָאוֹת בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לִבְכִי וּלְמִסְפֵּד (וּלְקָרְחָה וְלַחֲגֹר שָׂק) . אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לְפָנָיו, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּתִיv ( תהלים צו, ו) : הוֹד וְהָדָר לְפָנָיו, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר כְּדֵין)
“The Lord God of Hosts called on that day for crying, and mourning, and shaving the head, and wearing sackcloth (all gestures of mourning).” The angels said before him: “O Master of the World! It is written (Psalms 96:6), ‘Majesty and glory go before him (God)’—and you can say something like this?
אֲמַר לְהוֹן אֲנָא מַלֵּיף לְכוֹן, הַיְינוּ הוּא דַאֲמַר (ישעיה לב, יא): פְּשֹׁטָה וְעֹרָה וַחֲגוֹרָה עַל חֲלָצָיִם, כָּךְ תִּהְיוּ מַסְפִּידִין עַל שָׁדַיִם סֹפְדִים, עַל חֻרְבָּן רִאשׁוֹן וְעַל חֻרְבָּן שֵׁנִי.
He said to them: “I will teach you! This is what (Isaiah 32:11) said: ‘Stripped, naked, and girded on the loins.’ That is how you mourn ‘beating the breasts’—over the first destruction (of the First Temple) and over the second destruction (of the Second Temple).
Eikha Rabba, Parasha 1
ירמיה ח:כג מִי יִתֵּן רֹאשִׁי מַיִם וְעֵינִי מְקוֹר דִּמְעָה וְאֶבְכֶּה יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אֵת חַלְלֵי בַת עַמִּי.
Jer 8:23 Would that my head were water, and my eye a fount of tears, that I might cry by day and night over the victims of the Daughter of My People!
מִי אָמַר הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה, אִם תֹּאמַר יִרְמְיָה, אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ שֶׁלֹא לֶאֱכֹל, אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ שֶׁלֹא לִישֹּׁן, אֶלָּא מִי אֲמָרוֹ מִי שֶׁאֵין לְפָנָיו לֹא אֲכִילָה וְלֹא שֵׁנָה, דִּכְתִיב (תהלים קכא, ד): הִנֵּה לֹא יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Who must have said this verse? If you say Jeremiah, could he do without eating? Could he do without sleeping? (In other words, if all he does is weep, he can neither eat nor sleep.) Rather, who must have said this verse is one for whom there is no eating and no sleeping, as it is written (Psalms 121:4): “The Guardian of Israel never slumbers and never sleeps.”
Professor Greenstein's final comment:
"The image of a callous God that is represented in Eikha is rounded out by a far more empathetic God in Midrash Eikha."
Prof. Edward L. Greenstein is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Bar-Ilan University.