Eikha Rabbah: A midrash (Jewish rabbinic literature) on the Book of Lamentations (Eikha). It is also called Eikha Rabati, Aggadat Eikha, or Midrash Kinot. In the Tosefta (supplementary teachings to the Mishnah) of Sukkah (chapter 8, section 1), it is referred to as Midrash Nechamot (Consolations). This midrash is divided into two parts. Part one consists of introductions organized based on the verse 'Eikha Yashva' (How she sits alone). In early editions, this section was called 'Ptiha DeChakimi' (Introduction of the Wise), named so because each discourse begins with 'Rabbi So-and-so "Patach" (opened)' and almost every introduction ends with the verse 'Eikha Yashva Badad' (How she sits alone). Often, the discourse ends with the statement, 'When they sinned, they were exiled, and when they were exiled, Jeremiah began to lament over them with "Eikha"'. There are 34 introductions, but they should be counted as 36 since in the second introduction two introductions were combined. This is evident in the statement, 'When they discarded the words of the Torah, Jeremiah began to lament over them with "Eikha"', which concludes the second introduction. From the phrase 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider' is an introduction on its own. However, because no specific Amora (Talmudic sage) stated it as in other introductions, the printers did not leave a space between them and combined it with the previous introduction. Similarly, in the 31st introduction that begins with 'Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai opened "Evil, evil"', and ends with 'When they sinned, they were exiled, etc.' includes a second introduction. It seems they were precise with the number 36, which is the gematria (numerical value) of "Eikha", as hinted by R' Shimon ben Pazi: 'The word "Eikha" has a gematria of 36, corresponding to the 36 karet (divine punishments) they were liable for, as indicated by "Eikha"'. Also in Eikha Rabbah (chapter 1, section 1), 'Israel was not exiled until they violated the 36 karet in the Torah, as indicated by "Eikha"'. The second part is the main body of the midrash, divided into five chapters like the Book of Lamentations. It includes a collection of interpretations and discourses on each verse (except for a few verses that were not interpreted). It contains many stories, parables, and tales from the wisdom of the Men of Athens, known in the Talmud as 'The Elders of Athens' (Bekhorot 8a)Eicha Rabbah is one of the earlier Midrashim. Zunz placed it after Bereishit Rabbah and before Vayikra Rabbah, and estimates it was completed and fully compiled in the 7th century CE. But Buber dates it to the 4th century, for in his opinion Eicha Rabbah was composed in the Land of Israel after the Yerushalmi Talmud was compiled and before the Bavli Talmud, since the story about the Sages of Athens in the Bavli is later than the story of the Athenians in Eicha Rabbah. According to Rabbi S. Buber, the introductions [to Midrash Eikhah] were composed at a later time than when the body of the Midrash was compiled, and the compiler of the introductions had already seen Midrash Eikhah and made use of it (see Buber's Introduction p. 4). The first three introductions were taken from Pesikta deRav Kahana, ed. Buber, and some other passages from this Pesikta were repeated in later introductions. Midrash Eikhah is one of the early Midrashim, and Zunz placed it chronologically after Genesis Rabbah but before Leviticus Rabbah. He estimates that Midrash Eikhah was completed and compiled entirely in the 7th century CE (around 4000 AM). But Buber dates it earlier, to the 4th century, because in his view Midrash Eikhah was composed in the Land of Israel after the completion of the Jerusalem Talmud and before the Babylonian Talmud, since the story of Abba deBei Atonia in the Bavli is later than the story of the Men of Atonia in Midrash Eikhah (see Rapoport's entry for "Words" under "Atonia"). Bar Goldburg in "Carmel" (Year 2, p. 179) testifies to an error in Midrash Eikhah regarding "The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied;" that eighty priestly brothers married eighty priestly sisters in one night, "they hanged them on one vine." But in the Jerusalem Talmud (Ta'anit 4:8) it says that eighty pairs of priestly brothers married eighty pairs of priestly sisters in "the same body," etc. And in the Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 44b) there was a city in the Land of Israel called Gophna, where there were eighty pairs of priestly brothers married to eighty pairs of priestly sisters, etc. The copyist in the Midrash made a mistake in copying "in the same body" as "in one vine," and added the word "they hanged" - that is, they hanged the priests on one vine. But in fact Gophna is a known city in the Land of Israel (see R. Buber's footnote p. 108). "The Midrash Eicha Rabbah was first printed in the Five Scrolls in Pisa in the year 1519 (in Hebrew, רע"ט), followed by prints in Constantinople in 1586 (רמ"פ), in Venice in 1605 (ש"ה), and with the commentary of M"C in Thessaloniki in 1594 (שנ"ד). It was then printed many times after. In 1899 (רמ"ש), Buber published the Midrash Eicha Rabbah based on a manuscript in the British Museum in London, complete with an introduction, annotations, and corrections, in Vilna. This edition differs from the Eicha Rabbah of the first prints. He also published the smaller Midrash on the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes in Berlin in 1895 (תרנ"ה). See also 'Eicha Rabbati' in the 'Otzar Yisrael'."