“Judah was exiled due to affliction and great enslavement. She settled among the nations, did not find rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits” (Lamentations 1:3).“Judah was exiled.” Are the nations of the world not exiled? Rather, even though they are exiled, their exile is not exile. The nations of the world who eat of their bread and drink of their wine, their exile is not exile.83They assimilate into their new surroundings, symbolized by the fact that they consume the bread and wine of the people in their new surroundings. Consequently, they do not experience exile as acutely as Jews experience it. Israel, who do not eat of their bread and do not drink of their wine, their exile is exile. The nations of the world, who walk in their garments,84They adopt the mode of dress of their new surroundings. their exile is not exile, but Israel, who walk barefoot, their exile is exile. That is why it is stated: “Judah was exiled.” Here it is stated: “Judah was exiled [galeta],” and there it is stated: “Judah was exiled [vayegal] from upon its land” (Jeremiah 52:27),85The verse in Jeremiah uses the feminine form while the verse in Lamentations uses the masculine form. for once they were exiled, their power waned like a female. That is why it is stated: “Judah was exiled [galeta].”“Due to affliction [me’oni],” it is because they ate leavened bread on Passover, just as it says: “You shall not eat with it leavened bread; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction [oni]” (Deuteronomy 16:3). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they took the collateral of a poor man [ani] into their homes, just as it says: “If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his collateral” (Deuteronomy 24:12). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they withheld the wages of hired laborers, just as it says: “You shall not exploit a poor [ani] or indigent hired laborer” (Deuteronomy 24:14). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they stole the gifts of the poor, just as you say: “You shall leave them for the poor [ani] and the stranger” (Leviticus 19:10, 23:22). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they ate the tithe of the poor; Rabbi Beivai and Rabbi Huna [said] in the name of Rav: One who eats produce from which the tithe of the poor was not taken is liable to receive the death penalty. Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they engaged in idol worship, just as it says: “It is a sound of crying [anot] that I hear” (Exodus 32:18).86Moses said this when he heard the sound of the people worshipping the Golden Calf. Rabbi Aḥa said: It is the sound of lauding idol worship that I hear.87This is Rabbi Aḥa’s explanation of the phrase from (Exodus 32:18). Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Yosei: There is no generation that does not receive [punishment] due to the sin of the Calf.