The world is often an arena of wickedness, injustice, and pain, where the cries of society's victims go unanswered. Observing human reality reveals a grim picture of senseless suffering, with the strong constantly trampling the weak. The primary approach among commentators is that this reflects a repeated, painful observation of the world, or perhaps a retraction of an earlier belief that one should simply be happy with their lot, given that reality is so saturated with violence [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The oppressed are the victims of corruption and violence at the hands of judges, government officials, or thieves [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In this earthly existence, oppressors operate through sheer brute force rather than justice [מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The profound tragedy is that the victims are left entirely without consolation; their repeated weeping and desperate cries are ultimately useless against such overwhelming power [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון].
The dynamic of this oppression is viewed from different angles. Some suggest that earthly judges actually possess the authority to save the victims from their abusers, yet they deliberately refrain from doing so, leaving the oppressed bereft of comfort from either human or divine sources [אלשיך]. Conversely, another perspective argues that the lack of power applies to the abusers as well, meaning that the oppressors themselves do not possess any true, lasting strength [רלב"ג].
Beyond the physical realm, a deeper spiritual layer shifts the arena of oppression from earthly society to the cosmic order. In this view, humanity experiences a state of divine concealment where the world appears to be governed solely by fate and astrology, devoid of God's direct supervision. Here, the oppressors are the forces of evil and Satan, who use their power to cause humanity to sin and block the path to repentance. They push individuals so far astray that even the gates of tears are locked to them, leaving them without any heavenly comfort [תעלומות חכמה]. Taking a starkly different approach, some commentators identify the oppressed not as innocent victims, but as the wicked themselves. Having traded the spiritual life of the Torah for fleeting earthly pleasures, these individuals are now tormented in Hell by cruel angels of destruction, weeping for their souls without mercy or relief [רש"י, צאינה וראינה].
Focusing again on earthly suffering, the sages identify the oppressed as specific groups who endure pain without having committed any wrong. These include martyrs, the nation of Israel suffering in exile, individuals mistakenly assumed to be Torah scholars who endure poverty for no reason, and illegitimate children who bear the painful stigma of their parents' sins [תורה תמימה]. A particularly heartbreaking group within this category is young children who pass away early in life, entirely powerless to save themselves [תורה תמימה]. The tragic death of infants and children is rooted in the deep, hidden secrets of divine justice. Sometimes, these are souls that have returned to this world to achieve correction for sins committed in past lives. In other instances, they are taken by impure forces due to the iniquities of their parents, or they are removed from the world early to prevent them from committing severe sins later in life [נחל אשכול].
Despite the bleak reality where the victims currently have no one to console them, the sages find a profound message of hope hidden within this absence. The complete lack of a comforter in the present world indicates that human consolation would be insufficient. Instead, it serves as a promise that in the future, within the World to Come, God Himself will step forward to comfort them for all their suffering [תורה תמימה].