Eliminating the Burden

In this week’s Torah portion, Devarim, Moses begins the first of his three final farewell speeches to B’nai Yisrael. This portion contains a review of past events, a reiteration of the laws, and rebukes of the people, among other things. Yet, hidden within this reading is an unmistakable connection to a prophecy that would unfold hundreds of years later, a connection that stirs deep emotions.

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Moses’ journey leading the people through the wilderness—the midbar—over forty years has been a challenging experience. He has faced incredible tests from B’nai Yisrael, tests that would have been too much to bear for almost anyone else. The burden he has carried has been immense.

The first word in verse twelve offers a clue to what he has endured: Eichah, which most English translations render as “How.” The verse reads: “How can I bear unaided the trouble of you and the burden and the bickering!”

Commentators note that the word Eichah is unusual since one might expect to see the word Eich instead. Eichah connotes more than just a question—it is a plea expressed with deep sadness, almost a lament. This word is found only two times in the entire Torah.

To understand the truest meaning of a word, we look at where it first appears which provides deeper insights. The first use of this word occurs in Genesis 3:9, where, after Adam sins, God calls out to him: “Ayekah /Where are you?” (Ayekhah has the same spelling as Eichah) God is not playing a game of Hide and Seek; of course, God knows where Adam is. Instead, God is asking, “What have you done? Where is your heart at this moment? Where is your true self? How could you have committed this wrong? How could you have done this after all I’ve done for you? How could you have sunk to this level?”

This context reveals a much deeper meaning behind the English translation of Eichah as simply “How.” Moses is devastated and disappointed. He gave so much of himself to his people, yet he is in disbelief over their actions. Moses is not merely asking “How,” but “How can you? How can you endlessly quarrel amongst yourselves? Where are your priorities? How can I continue to bear your burdens of this continuing strife?” 

The English translation provided is the most common: “How can I bear unaided the trouble of you and the burden and the bickering?” However, a more nuanced translation by Everett Fox reads: “How can I carry, I alone, your load, your burden, your quarreling?” The Hebrew text alludes to Moses’ true feelings—he is taking the rejection personally, feeling alone and abandoned. The words themselves convey this sense of isolation and frustration. The lack of appreciation from the people stuns him and has brought him to a point of sheer frustration.

But there is an even deeper layer to explore. Eichah is also the very first word of Jeremiah’s prophecy in Lamentations, which we read on Tisha B’Av. Jeremiah describes in horrific detail the destruction of the Temple and expresses intense sorrow over the immense devastation of the Jewish people that he witnesses in Jerusalem.

Eichah might very well capture our heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching response to the events of October 7th and their aftermath. It may also serve as a call to action.

Is it a coincidence that this week’s Torah portion, Devarim, contains the unmistakable word Eichah? It arrives at precisely the time of year when we are meant to read this portion, evoking frustration and unbelievable sadness at the consequences of our internal petty arguments. Our tradition teaches that the Temple was physically destroyed by our enemies but we were vulnerable to its destruction because of baseless hatred—sinat chinam– the hatred we held for each other.

These seeds of discord were sown hundreds of years earlier in the wilderness, as Moses himself pointed out. We are now burdened with this sorrow thousands of years later.

The message for us lies in that verse and the connections are hard to miss. The Hebrew words refer to both bickering and quarreling among ourselves. Our inability to function as one people—Am Echad—despite all we endured, from the slavery in Egypt to the miracles we witnessed, to the challenges during the 40 years in the desert, had devastating consequences. The text tells us that even after all this, when we finally stood at the foot of the Jordan River, ready to cross into the Land promised to us, we were still not united as a people! This lack of unity caused Moses intense suffering and took an emotional toll that was too much for him to bear.

We are now at a crucial time, a time when we face challenges of unimaginable magnitude. It is beyond words. The spiritual challenges of October 7th’s aftermath are immense. We witness continued insults and outrage from those without a moral center, and our hearts continue to fracture into pieces. And more burdens lie ahead.

Hopefully, we will emerge from this destruction with our souls intact and united as one people, knowing our higher purpose among the nations. Our opportunity couldn’t be more evident. Our challenge will be to cast off the symbolic rocks that have been weighing us down.