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Insights Into Kinah 11: the Eulogy for Yoshiyahu Hamelech

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Insights Into Kinah 11: the Eulogy for Yoshiyahu Hamelech Insights into Kinah 11: The Eulogy for Yoshiyahu HaMelech f the myriad Tisha B’Av Kinnos recited by Ashkenazic Jewry, the dirge devoted to Rabbi Elchanan Adler Othe tragic, untimely death of King Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS Yoshiyahu (no. 11 in most editions of Ashkenazi Kinnos) is especially poignant. Thiskinnah , like many of the others, was composed by R. Elazar his reign, he set the Jewish people the righteousness of his people and HaKalir, whose name is synonymous back on the path of Torah, cleansed thinking that they were worthy of 4 with the genre of Ashkenazi piyut the Beis HaMikdash and rid the Land this blessing. The Midrash Eicha( (poetic liturgical compositions). of idolatry. Yoshiyahu was tragically Rabbah 1:57), provides further While the identity of HaKalir and killed in battle when he tried to stop detail: Yoshiyahu assumed that he the time period in which he lived are Pharaoh Necho, King of Egypt, from had successfully eradicated idolatry the subject of much discussion and passing through Eretz Yisrael in from all Jewish homes after having debate,1 the high regard with which he order to reach the Euphrates to wage sent messengers to inspect each and his compositions have long been war. The pasuk in Divrei HaYamim home. However, unbeknown to held are undeniable.2 (2, 35:25) records that Yirmiyahu the inspectors, there were some composed a kinnah upon the tragedy duplicitous people who stealthily R. Elazar HaKalir’s kinnos generally of Yoshiyahu’s death. Tradition placed half an idol on each side of the follow an aleph-beis acrostic teaches that this kinnah is the fourth door so that when the doors would or a permutation of the aleph- chapter of Eicha. open, the idols could not be seen but beis (reverse aleph-beis or at’bash), once closed, the idols became visible The Gemara Ta’anis( 22b) relates and are based on the language of one again. or more perakim in Tanach. Often his that Yoshiyahu was punished for name, Elazar, is encoded as an acrostic not consulting with Yirmiyahu Each line of this kinnah is replete at the conclusion of the composition. about whether to wage battle against with myriad scriptural and midrashic Pharaoh Necho. Midrashic sources allusions. A close analysis of these The literary structure ofkinnah no. 11 indicate that Yoshiyahu disregarded a connections yields many precious is patterned after the fourth chapter warning issued to him by Yirmiyahu insights. Unfortunately, space of Eicha, with each stanza beginning not to block Pharaoh Necho’s entry constraints do not allow us to focus on with the corresponding opening word into the land (see later discussion). the in its entirety, but only on 3 kinnah of a pasuk in this chapter. Chazal Yoshiyahu’s reasoning was based on several key sentences.5 (quoted by Rashi to Eicha) interpret the biblical assurance that “a sword the fourth chapter of Eicha as a איכה אלי קוננו מאליו ”shall not pass through your land eulogy for King Yoshiyahu. Yoshiyahu (Vayikra 26:6), which Yoshiyahu Cry out “Eicha” for one of the inherited the throne from his father, interpreted as referring even to a mighty ones Amon, and his grandfather, Menashe, “sword of peace” (i.e. an army that both of whom led the Jewish people doesn’t plan on waging war with Theshoresh (root) of the word “eilav” down a path of spiritual depravity. Israel). The Gemara (ibid) explains would seem to be “eil,” which means Yoshiyahu ascended the throne at the that Yoshiyahu erred in overestimating “mighty,” just as we find in the word age of 8 and ruled for 31 years. During 5 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Tisha B’av 5776 ,the midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah בן שמונה שנה החל לדרוש מאלקיוba’eilim (Shemos 16:11), which Rashi 6 translates as ba’chazakim, among the At the age of eight he began Chukas no. 19), includes Avraham mighty. Accordingly, this sentence to inquire about his G-d and Yoshiyahu in a list of personalities would be rendered “Cry out ‘Eicha’ for and paradigms that defy the trend one of the mighty ones” — namely, The simple reading of this sentence embodied by their respective King Yoshiyahu. Alternatively, “one implies that Yoshiyahu began precursors. The midrash hails this of the mighty ones” may refer to the his spiritual quest when he was phenomenon as a remarkable extraordinary individual who recited 8 years old, the year he became manifestation of the all-encompassing Eicha for Yoshiyahu — namely, king. However, the verse in Divrei unity of the Master of the Universe: Hayamim (2, 34:3) indicates זש"ה )איוב יד( מי יתן טהור מטמא לא אחד, Yimriyahu. If so, the phrase should be otherwise: כגון אברהם מתרח, חזקיה מאחז, יאשיה rendered “A cry of ‘Eicha’ came from מאמון ... העולם הבא מעולם הזה מי עשה כן ּוִבְשֶמֹונָהשִנְים לָמְלְכֹו וֶהּואעֹודַּנּו נַעֵר הֵחל ”.one of the mighty ones מי צוה כן מי גזר כן לא יחידו של עולם. ִלְדרֹוש ֵ לאֵֹלקָידִוָיד אִביו ּוִבְשֵתֶים עְשֵרָה שָנה An entirely different interpretation of That which the verse states “Who can ֵהֵחְל לַטֵהֶר אְת יָהּודִהוָירּושלַ ִִם מַןהָבמֹות this sentence appears in a 16th-century ”!produce purity out of impurity? No one ְוָהֲאֵשִרְים וַהְפִסִלְים וַהַמֵסכֹות. commentary on the Kinnos authored by R. Yosef ben Asher, which notes a In the eighth year of his reign, while — For example: Avraham from Terach, verse in Yechezkel (41:1) that refers he was yet young, he began to seek out Chizkiyah from Achaz, Yoshiyahu from to doorposts as eilim (see Metzudas the G-d of David his father; and in the Amon … the World to Come from this Dovid there). As such, the kinnah twelfth year he began to purge Judah world. Who did this? Who commanded implores us to cry out for the sin and Jerusalem of the high places, and the this? Who decreed this? [It was] none of idolatry that was performed by Asherim, and the graven images, and the other than the one and only [Creator] of suspending idols on the doorposts molten images. the World. of the homes (as referenced in the Thispasuk suggests that Yoshiyahu’s Yoshiyahu’s youthful stirrings to introduction). quest for G-d did not begin until the abandon the idolatrous lifestyle It is noteworthy that R. Elazar eighth year of his reign, rather than the within which he was reared, laid HaKalir utilizes the root aleph eighth year of his life (when he first the groundwork for his subsequent lamed twice in this line, once with became king). campaign to purge idolatry from the word eli, which means to cry, Interestingly, Radak translates the the land. Interestingly, Yoshiyahu’s and once with me’elav, which, as verse as “In the eighth year of his life, calling, along with his very name, were noted, means either “mighty” or when he started to rule, while he was foreshadowed many years earlier in an “doorposts.” [Interestingly, the “aleph yet young, he began to seek etc.”7 episode recorded in Sefer Melachim lamed” combination appears in the Ostensibly, Rav Elazar HaKalir follows (1, 13:1-2), in which a prophet of next sentence as well.] Perhaps the this translation.8 Hashem appeared to the wicked King recurrent use of the aleph lamed root Yeravam as he prepared to offer an is an allusion to the 31 years that Yoshiyahu was not the first person to idolatrous sacrifice upon the altar in Yoshiyahu reigned (Divrei Hayamim recognize G-d in his youth. Chazal Beis El: II 34:1), which corresponds to the have a tradition that Avraham Avinu ַוִּיְקָרַא ע ַל ה ִמזְ ֵ בַח ִ ב ה' ְדַבַרוֶּיֹאמִר מזְ ֵ ב ַחִמזְ ֵ בַח .also recognized G-d at a young age ֹּכָה אַמִר ה' הֵּנֵה בָןנֹולְד לֵבית ָ דוִ ד יֹא ִ שּיָהּו numeric value (gematria) of the letters aleph lamed (1 + 30). Like Avraham, Yoshiyahu was the ְ ש ְמֹווָזַבָח עֶלֶיָך אֹתּכֲהֵנ ַי ה ָב ַמֹות ה ַ מְקִטִרים ,son of an idol worshipper. Indeed ָעֶלְיָך וַעְצָמֹות אָדם יִ ְ שְרָפּו עֶליָך: 6 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Tisha B’av 5776 He called out to the altar, by the word of Meiri writes: This sentence, as well as subsequent sentences in the kinnah, suggest that דייני ישראל וחכמיהם ומנהיגיהם צריכים הם Hashem, and said: “Altar, altar! Thus Yirmiyahu had advised Yoshiyahu לפשפש תמיד ולחזר ולחקור על מעשה בני said Hashem: Behold a son will be born not to engage in battle with Pharaoh עירם ואין להם התנצלות כשיעשו הראוי על to the house of David — Yoshiyahu will Necho, and Yoshiyahu chose to defy הנגלה הבא לידם אלא צריכים לחקור ולרגל be his name — and he will slaughter these clear instructions. A number אחר הנסתרות כפי יכלתם וכל שמתרשלים ,upon you the priests of the high places .of questions present themselves בכך הרי הכל נענשים בנסתריהם של חוטאים who burn sacrifices upon you; human First, in what manner did the navi שכל ישראל נעשו ערבים זה לזה. ”.bones will be burnt upon you (Yirmiyahu) warn Yoshiyahu not to This episode suggests that on The judges of Israel, its scholars and deny passage to Pharaoh Necho — in some mystical level Yoshiyahu was its leaders, must constantly probe and person or via an emissary? Second, at predisposed from birth toward what investigate the deeds of the people of their what point was the warning issued — was to become his life’s mission and city. They are not free from guilt if they 9 before Yoshiyahu amassed his troops ultimate legacy.
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