The King Who Mourns His Twelve Exiled Sons

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come" (Jeremiah 9:16). Rabbi Yochanan, Resh Lakish, and the Rabbis each expounded this. Rabbi Yochanan said: It is like a king who had two sons. He grew angry at the first, took the rod, beat him, and exiled him, saying, "Woe to this one, from what ease he has been driven out." Then he grew angry at the second, took the rod, beat him, and exiled him, and said, "It is I who raised them badly." So too, when the ten tribes were exiled, the Holy One began to recite over them this verse, "Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me" (Hosea 7:13). And when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were exiled, the Holy One said, as it were, "Woe is me for my hurt" (Jeremiah 10:19). Resh Lakish said: It is like a king who had two sons. He grew angry at the first, beat him with the rod until he convulsed and died, and the king began to lament over him. He grew angry at the second, beat him until he convulsed and died, and said, "I have no strength left to lament him myself; call the mourning women to lament over him." So too, when the ten tribes were exiled, the Holy One, blessed be He, began to lament over them with this verse, "Hear this word which I take up over you, a lamentation" (Amos 5:1). And when Judah and Benjamin were exiled, the Holy One said, as it were, "I have no strength to lament over them; call the mourning women to lament," as it is written, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider, and call for the mourning women" (Jeremiah 9:16). It does not say "let them make haste and take up a wailing over them," but "take up a wailing over us" (Jeremiah 9:17) [the mourning is for Me and for them]. It does not say "that their eyes may run down with tears," but "that our eyes may run down with tears" (ibid.) [Mine and theirs]. It does not say "and their eyelids gush with water," but "and our eyelids gush with water" (ibid.) [Mine and theirs]. And the Rabbis said: It is like a king who had twelve sons, and two died, and he comforted himself with the ten. Two more died, and he comforted himself with eight. Two more died, and he comforted himself with six. Two more died, and he comforted himself with four. But when all of them died, he began to lament over them, "How does she sit alone" (Lamentations 1:1).