“He stripped His shrine like a garden; He destroyed His place of assembly. The Lord caused festival and Shabbat (the Sabbath) to be forgotten in Zion and He scorned king and priest in His furious wrath” (Lamentations 2:6).“He stripped His shrine [suko] like a garden.” Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: Like a garden whose spring was removed and its greenery turned white. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: Like Adam the first man, just as it says: “He banished the man…” (Genesis 3:24).92Just as Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden, Israel was banished from the Temple (Yefe Anaf). Rabbi Abahu said: Suko is written with the letter sin;93A left dotted shin is found in the text, rather than a samekh. Thus, the word suko is similar to the word assuaged [shakhakha]. once Israel was exiled, the fury of the Holy One blessed be He was assuaged.“The Lord caused festival and Shabbat to be forgotten in Zion.” Is it possible that the Holy One blessed be He caused the festivals and Shabbatot of Israel to be forgotten? Rather, it is the festivals and sabbaths of Yerovam ben Nevat, that he fabricated for them. That is what is written: “In the month that he fabricated from his heart [milibo]” (I Kings 12:33). Milevad is written,94The word in the verse in Kings is written milevad but pronounced milibo. just as it says: “Beside the [milevad] Sabbaths of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:38). “He scorned king and priest in His furious wrath.” “King,” this is Zedekiah. “And priest,” this is Seraya ben Maḥsaya.95Zedekiah and Seraya were the king and High Priest, respectively, at the time of the destruction of the Temple. The destruction took place despite their personal piety (Yefe Anaf).