איכה, פרק ד׳, פסוק ד׳

The tragic reality of the siege and subsequent destruction falls most heavily upon the youngest and most vulnerable members of society. The suffering is divided between two distinct groups of children: nursing infants and older, weaned children.

For the infants, the agony manifests as a desperate, unquenchable thirst. The primary approach among commentators is that these babies starved because the severe famine of the siege left their mothers without any milk to nurse them. A more harrowing perspective suggests that this deprivation was not merely a byproduct of starvation, but an act of deliberate cruelty. The enemies forcibly took the Jewish mothers away to nurse their own children, leaving the Jewish infants behind to perish [לחם דמעה]. Alternatively, the reference to infants might simply signify any small child. In this view, the agonizing thirst was the direct result of the enemies destroying the aqueducts that flowed from the Temple Mount. Fathers who took their young children out to search for water were left to return completely empty-handed [תורה תמימה בשם המדרש].

The plight of the older children, who had already been weaned, was equally devastating. They begged for food but were met only with cruel indifference. Even though their mothers were being used to nurse the children of the captors, the enemies refused to offer these older Jewish children so much as a crust of bread in return [לחם דמעה]. The primary approach among commentators explains their unanswered pleas practically: there was simply no one left to cut and distribute a slice of bread to the starving children [אבן עזרא, פלגי מים, תורה תמימה]. However, another approach interprets their unanswered cries on a deeper emotional level, relating the lack of provision to the traditional comfort given to mourners. These children suffered not only from physical starvation but from absolute isolation. There was no one to stand by their side, calm their distress, or offer them comfort in their profound grief [תורה תמימה בשם ר' יהודה ורבנן].

Beyond the harsh physical reality, this widespread starvation carried a profound spiritual consequence. The everyday act of parents feeding their young children is considered a constant deed of kindness and charity. This ongoing merit grants the people of Israel spiritual strength and protection against their foes. When the severe famine struck and parents were entirely stripped of their ability to feed their children, the constant fulfillment of this commandment naturally ceased. With the loss of this everyday charity, the nation's spiritual protection was removed, ultimately allowing the enemy to overpower them [אלון בכות].