איכה, פרק ג׳, פסוק ט״ו

The suffering of destruction takes the form of a devastating meal. Instead of providing nourishing food and water, God feeds the people with pain until they can consume no more. They are stuffed with bitter things and drenched in a toxic, bitter plant known as wormwood [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Normally, a person might taste a small amount of bitter herbs or wormwood water before a banquet to wake up their appetite. However, in this tragedy, God serves the bitterness in such massive amounts that it becomes the entire meal, filling the stomach even as the soul completely rejects it [אלון בכות]. The deep sadness and worry themselves act as the food. This intense bitterness kills the appetite, creating a false feeling of being full, while anger and anxiety replace wine as a harsh, bitter drink [אלשיך].

This agonizing meal also reflects the cycle of human failure. The bitter food represents sin, which may seem sweet at first but always leaves a bitter end, while the wormwood drink represents the resulting punishment, which is purely bitter from start to finish [פלגי מים].

The primary approach among commentators connects this bitter feast to the Jewish calendar, specifically highlighting the historical link between the night of Passover and the night of Tisha B'Av, which always fall on the same day of the week. On Passover, God satisfied the people with goodness and joy alongside the Commandment of eating bitter herbs. Yet, on that exact same day of the week generations later, during the destruction of the Temple, He forced them to drink wormwood [אלשיך].

This tragic shift altered the very way the Passover meal is eaten. While the Temple stood, only a small, olive-sized amount of bitter herbs was consumed with the Passover sacrifice. Following the destruction, the Sages required eating two olive-sized portions of bitter herbs—one eaten alone and one in a sandwich. This effectively increased the bitterness to a full, filling measure to reflect the magnitude of the tragedy [אלון בכות].

The deep connection between the freedom from Egypt and the destruction of the Temple is ultimately understood as a historical cause and effect. The Israelites were freed from Egypt early, after only two hundred and ten years instead of the four hundred years of hardship originally declared. This early exit left an unpaid debt of suffering. Eating a full measure of bitter herbs on Passover serves as a reminder that the rescue from Egypt was not the final, complete redemption. It points to a lingering debt that was eventually collected centuries later, paid through the pain of exile and the bitter wormwood of Tisha B'Av [תורה תמימה, נחל אשכול].