“They hunted our steps from walking in our squares; our end approaches, our days are filled, as our end has come” (Lamentations 4:18).“They hunted our steps from walking in our squares…” Beitar existed for fifty-two years after the destruction of the Temple. Why was it destroyed? Because they kindled lamps over the destruction of the Temple.47This was a sign of celebration. Why did they kindle them? They said: The ruling aristocracy of Jerusalem would sit in the center of the city, and when one of them would ascend to pray,48When a resident of Beitar would ascend to Jerusalem to pray at the Temple. they would say to him: ‘Do you wish to become a member of the ruling aristocracy?’ He would say to them: ‘No.’ ‘Do you wish to become a local governor?’ He would say to them: ‘No.’ They would say to him: ‘I heard that you have an estate; do you wish to sell it to me?’ He would say to them: ‘I do not intend to do so.’ [An aristocrat] would write and send his bill of sale to a member of his household: ‘If so and so comes, do not allow him to enter the estate because he sold it to me.’49After offering the resident of Beitar an elevated status or a position of authority so that he would agree to sell his estate, and nonetheless being rebuffed, the corrupt aristocrats would take matters into their own hands and write false documents of sale on behalf of the Beitar resident. That man would say: ‘If only that man’s leg would have been broken and he would not have ascended to that corner.’50The resident of Beitar whose estate was taken would say: ‘If only I had not come to pray at the Temple.’ That is what is written: “They hunted [tzadu] our steps [from walking in our squares]” (Lamentations 4:18); may the roads be desolate [tzadya] of [people] walking to those plazas.51The people of Beitar hoped that people would stop traveling to the Temple. “Our end approaches” (Lamentations 4:18); the end of that Temple,52They hoped that the Temple would be destroyed. “our days are filled” (Lamentations 4:18); the days of that Temple. They, too, their good did not last, as it is written: “One who rejoices at calamity will not be absolved” (Proverbs 17:5).