ירמיהו, פרק כ״ב, פסוק י׳

A tragic inversion of natural mourning customs reveals a harsh truth: the fate of exile is far more bitter than death itself. Mourners are instructed not to cry or shake their heads in sorrow, a traditional gesture used to express grief [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד], over someone who has died. The reason to withhold tears for the deceased is that his suffering has finally ended [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, he was granted the dignity of dying in his own country and resting in the graves of his ancestors [מצודת דוד]. Instead, tears should be saved and shed bitterly for the person being led into exile. He will never return to see his native land again, destined instead to die and be buried on foreign soil [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Historically, these figures correspond to specific leaders of the era. The primary approach among commentators is that the dead individual is King Jehoiakim, who died on the road while being dragged out of Jerusalem to be banished [רש"י, רד"ק, מלבי"ם]. Even though his death was filled with disgrace, it was still preferable to enduring a life of pain and humiliation in captivity [רש"י, רד"ק]. As for the identity of the exiled figure who demands such intense weeping, commentators offer different perspectives. One view identifies this figure as King Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, who were taken to Babylon and suffered in prison for decades [רש"י, רד"ק]. Conversely, another perspective suggests the exiled person is Shallum, the son of Josiah, who was banished to Babylon to prevent him from challenging Zedekiah's rule [מלבי"ם].

Beyond the historical events, these instructions serve as a general guide for the laws of mourning. The directive not to cry over the dead teaches that a person should not be mourned beyond the appropriate, established limits. Specifically, three days are designated for weeping, seven days for eulogies, and thirty days for restrictions such as avoiding haircuts and pressing clothes. In a different interpretative layer, the command to cry for the one who departs is understood as a call to mourn someone who passes away without leaving any children behind [רד"ק].