איכה, פרק ד׳, פסוק ג׳

In times of extreme crisis and severe famine, the natural laws of the world and the most basic human feelings of compassion become twisted and inverted. A profound shock arises from comparing the mercy of wild animals with the cruelty forced upon human beings following the destruction of Jerusalem. The primary approach among commentators understands this as a contrast between the animal kingdom and the people of Israel. Creatures such as jackals, whales, sea monsters [ביאור שטיינזלץ], or snakes [רש״י, צאינה וראינה] are known to be predatory and cruel by nature. Yet, they still overflow with mercy for their offspring. They draw out and expose their breasts to feed their young, an action compared to slipping off a shoe [אבן עזרא]. The snake, for instance, reveals its breasts from beneath its skin so that its hungry young will not be turned away by a covered food source [רש״י, צאינה וראינה].

In stark contrast, the mothers of Jerusalem became cruel. Driven by sheer survival instinct during a heavy famine that dried up their milk, they ignored their starving children and prioritized their own lives [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. They are compared to ostriches in the desert, birds famous for abandoning their young and wandering off in search of their own food, devoid of any natural love or recognition between mother and child [לחם דמעה, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A different historical perspective views the wild creatures as a metaphor for the oppressive enemies who destroyed the land, biting and killing the Israelites [פלגי מים, לחם דמעה, אלשיך]. According to this thought process, the conquerors forced Jewish women to expose their breasts to nurse the enemy infants. Consequently, no milk remained for the Jewish mothers to give their own children. Against their will, these mothers appeared cruel and indifferent to the cries of their babies, just like the ostrich [פלגי מים]. Moreover, the enemy children who nursed from the Jewish women showed no mercy or gratitude, instead treating them with cruelty [לחם דמעה]. An even harsher description suggests that the toxicity of the enemy children clung to the mothers. When the Jewish infants later tried to nurse, their tongues dried up and they died of thirst [אלשיך].

Beyond the physical tragedy, there is a social and spiritual layer to these events. Some identify the cruel creature with Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Although he was ruthless by nature, he still distributed charity to the poor. The Israelites, on the other hand, were cruel regarding charity. They distanced themselves from the poor to avoid witnessing their suffering, mimicking the ostrich that walks away from its chicks [אלון בכות]. On a purely spiritual level, the forces of impurity and the primordial snake were nourished by the bad deeds of the Israelites. Meanwhile, the starving infants represent students thirsty to learn Torah, who were left completely unanswered because no one was willing to teach them [לחם דמעה].