מיכה, פרק א׳, פסוק ט״ז

A dramatic call for mourning concludes the prophecy of destruction, using vivid physical imagery to express deep sadness over the impending exile. The prophet speaks metaphorically. The primary approach among commentators is that the warning is directed at the land itself, the Daughter of Zion, or every individual city destined for ruin [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective divides the message, suggesting the first part addresses the northern kingdom of Samaria, while the conclusion speaks to Judah and Jerusalem [אברבנאל].

The land is commanded to take on the traditional practices of deep mourning. This involves two distinct physical expressions of grief: violently tearing and pulling out the hair from the head, as well as cutting it off entirely with scissors [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. This heavy grief is for the pampered, delicate children of the land. These individuals lived lives of luxury and comfort, but are now doomed to be driven out of their homes [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. One approach suggests that the sadness should actually begin while these children are still living in the land, because their constant pursuit of pleasure is exactly what causes them to sin against God. The mourning will then only intensify once they are physically forced into exile [מלבי״ם].

The required mourning is not meant to be small or symbolic, but sweeping and complete, compared to the baldness of an eagle. Commentators explain this eagle imagery in two main ways. The primary approach describes a unique event in the eagle's life cycle. Either every ten years or upon reaching a certain age, the eagle flies incredibly high into the upper atmosphere, close to a sphere of fire. The intense heat at those heights causes its feathers and wings to fall out, leaving wide patches of baldness on its body [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, רש״י]. Conversely, another view explains this as a fatal feather-loss disease that strikes birds of prey, particularly eagles, stripping them entirely of their feathers until they die [מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, the final reason for all this agonizing grief and physical mourning is the harsh reality of the people abandoning the land as they are taken away as captives [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד].