“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness, all her delights that she had from the days of old; with the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary, with no one helping her, the adversaries saw her, mocked her over her deficiencies” (Lamentations 1:7).“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness.” In the days of her affliction, she remembered the rebellions that she rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He. “All her delights [maḥamudeha],” these are words of Torah, just as it says: “They are more desirable [haneḥemadim] than gold, than much fine gold” (Psalms 19:11).“With the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary,” the Rabbis there124In Babylon. say: When a bull falls its slaughterers are many. The Rabbis here125In Israel. say: When a bull falls, sharpen the knives.126These are expressions that were common in Babylon or the Land of Israel. The point is that when one is weak and vulnerable, it is much more common for people to rush to take advantage of that weakness than to provide protection.“With no one helping her.” The Rabbis there say: When you insult a bride, she remembers the seven days of rejoicing. The Rabbis here say: When a son goes barefoot, he remembers the tranquility of his father’s home.127Similarly, when the residents of Jerusalem were suffering, they thought back to the comforts of earlier times.“The adversaries saw her, mocked her over he deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Shabbat (the Sabbath)ot, just as it says: “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8).128The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interprets the verse as saying that the gentiles mocked the Jews for the fact that they observed Shabbat, and attempted to coerce them to violate Shabbat (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Sabbatical years [shemitoteha], just as it says: “In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest [for the land]” (Leviticus 25:4). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” this is Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, who ceased [sheshavat] to be in her.129The midrash interprets the phrase “mocked [saḥaku] it over its deficiencies [mishbateha]” to mean that they rejoiced [saḥaku] over he who ceased [sheshavat] to be in it. When they saw that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai left the city, they knew that it would be conquered (Etz Yosef).