איכה, פרק ה׳, פסוק י״א

As the city walls fell and the nation faced utter defeat, the survivors encountered a devastating human tragedy. Invading soldiers committed brutal acts against the women, adding profound humiliation to the already agonizing suffering of famine and destruction. The primary approach among commentators is that this affliction specifically refers to rape and forced relations [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. A clear distinction is drawn between the fate of the women in Zion and the virgins in the surrounding cities of Judah, prompting commentators to offer various spiritual and historical explanations for this divide.

One perspective views this dual tragedy as a spiritual dialogue reflecting divine justice. The mourner cries out in anguish that enemies violated married women in Zion. In response, the Holy Spirit reveals that this terrible fate was a direct consequence of the Israelites' own past sins, as they had previously oppressed and afflicted the virgins in the cities of Judah [לחם דמעה].

Another approach connects the distinction to the cruel decrees imposed upon the people. While married women in Zion were attacked during the initial invasion, a devastating law was later enacted requiring every virgin bride to be violated by a foreign official before her wedding [לחם דמעה]. In the cities of Judah, local custom dictated that a bride and groom unite immediately at the time of betrothal without any delay. To enforce their decree, the foreign authorities preemptively attacked these young women before the betrothal ceremonies could even begin, ensuring they were violated while still completely virgins [אלון בכות].

A final historical perspective attributes the differing fates to the distinct armies that conquered each region. Fearing he lacked the spiritual merit to capture Jerusalem on his own, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar allied with the Edomites. While the Edomites conquered Zion, Nebuchadnezzar's forces swept through the remaining cities of Judah [אלון בכות]. The Babylonian general, Nebuzaradan, recognized that God despises immorality. Terrified of provoking His wrath, he strictly ordered his troops not to harm married women. In response to this protective order, many unmarried women urgently sought out men to marry them simply to gain safety. Consequently, in the cities of Judah, the Babylonian soldiers only harmed the few unmarried virgins who remained unprotected. The Edomites in Zion, however, completely ignored these warnings. They broke through all moral boundaries and ruthlessly violated the married women as well [תורה תמימה, מנחת שי, אלון בכות].