איכה, פרק ב׳, פסוק ח׳

The fall of Jerusalem's defenses was not a sudden outburst of divine anger, but a calculated and precise process. The decision to destroy the city was not made in a fleeting moment. The primary approach among commentators is that God planned this ruin long before it occurred [רש״י, צאינה וראינה]. Some trace this decree all the way back to King Solomon, arguing that the fate of the city was sealed on the very day the Temple was dedicated, as a result of his marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh [תורה תמימה]. Others suggest that God anticipated the city's destruction from the very moment its foundations were first laid [פלגי מים].

To carry out this plan, God stretched out a measuring line over the city. This action is understood in several ways. It can be seen as a line of strict justice, drawn over Jerusalem once the people's sins had multiplied and reached the full length of the rope [רש״י, צאינה וראינה]. Alternatively, it represents a line of pure chaos and ruin [אבן עזרא], or the drafting of precise blueprints for the city's demolition [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, there is a surprising perspective that this measurement was actually for a positive purpose. God measured the city to record its exact dimensions so it could be rebuilt in the future redemption. Precisely because He was preparing the groundwork for this future reality, He showed no pity for the existing walls [לחם דמעה].

Human beings often plan harm but later change their minds or only carry out a fraction of their intent. God, however, did not draw His hand back; He carried out the complete destruction without hesitation [רש״י, לחם דמעה, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Originally, the divine intention was to pour out this judgment only on the wood and stones of the city. Yet, because of the people's stubbornness, the devastation ultimately expanded to claim human lives as well [לחם דמעה].

The devastation completely dismantled the city's double defense system. This consisted of a lower, outer rampart surrounding a massive inner wall [רש״י, תורה תמימה, צאינה וראינה], or the immediate area adjacent to the main wall [אבן עזרא]. Despite this layered protection, the enemy breached them both, leaving the defenses entirely broken [תורה תמימה, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The outer wall fell alongside the inner one simply due to its close proximity, reflecting the principle that ruin comes to the wicked and their neighbors alike [לחם דמעה]. From a historical viewpoint, during the First Temple period, the city's wall was relatively small and easy to breach. By the time of the Second Temple, the Israelites attempted to outsmart their enemies by constructing massive, towering walls to prevent another disaster. However, because of their sins, all these monumental fortification efforts collapsed, and every wall was brought down together [אלון בכות].