תהלים, פרק ל״ה, פסוק י״ד

Even when facing those who rise up against him, a person can respond to their suffering not with quiet satisfaction, but with profound empathy. Rather than rejoicing in his enemies' downfall, the psalmist treats their pain as if it were happening to his closest companions. He grieves with pure sincerity, acting as though they were his loyal friends or his own brothers [רש״י, רד״ק, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In fact, his reaction toward his enemies is even more intense than it might be for his actual relatives. While a person might normally try to distract himself from the worry over a brother or friend, here he takes on severe mourning customs specifically to prove that he takes no joy in his enemies' ruin [אלשיך].

The depth of this grief is compared to the intense mourning associated with a mother. Commentators offer different perspectives on exactly who is crying in this scenario. Some explain it as the heartbreaking grief of a mother weeping over the death of her son [מצודת דוד, רש״י]. The primary approach among commentators, however, is that it describes a son mourning the loss of his mother [רד״ק, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This specific relationship is highlighted because a mother carries the child, nurses him, and constantly tends to his physical needs, making the pain of losing her uniquely sharp and deeply felt [רד״ק, מאירי]. Furthermore, while losing a father might occasionally bring a slight, practical comfort through an inheritance, the grief for a mother is absolute and entirely lacking in consolation [מאירי]. The most piercing image of this sorrow is that of a nursing infant whose mother has died, leaving him with no one to feed or comfort him [רד ק בשם אביו].

This deep emotional pain takes a visible toll on the body and outward appearance. The sorrow forces a person into a low, bowed posture, walking bent over like someone who is entirely broken, tormented, and weighed down by worry [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. Beyond posture, the grief brings a sense of darkness. This darkness can be understood as a physical change in the person's face, which loses its natural glow and turns dark from endless grief and sighing [רד״ק]. Alternatively, the darkness reflects the outward garments, as it is the custom of mourners to wrap themselves in dark, black clothing [אבן עזרא, רד״ק].