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How can Klal Yisrael blame Hashem (ה׳) in Eichah 1:21, saying our suffering stems from His preventing us from assimilating with other nations? The shiur uses a Midrash and Rashi (רש"י)'s reading of 'Dodi li va'ani lo' to show that Hashem established an exclusive relationship where we turn only to Him and He only to us. This exclusivity means that even during deserved exile, we can legitimately expect His protection since He made us unable to find refuge elsewhere.
This shiur analyzes a perplexing passage at the end of the first chapter of Eichah (1:21) where Klal Yisrael appears to complain to Hashem (ה׳), saying 'Ki ata asisa' - because You have done it. The verse states that all enemies heard of our anguish and rejoiced, with no one to console us, because Hashem caused it. Rashi (רש"י) explains this means Hashem separated us from the nations - preventing us from eating, drinking, or intermarrying with them. The complaint seems to be that if we had been allowed to assimilate, the nations would have mercy on us in exile since our grandchildren would be their grandchildren. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L finds this complaint shocking - how can Klal Yisrael blame Hashem for their suffering when the very next verse acknowledges that exile came because of our sins? To understand this, he brings a Midrash comparing this to a king who banishes his queen from the palace. When she seeks help from neighbors, they reject her because she never associated with them while in the palace. She returns to the palace gates arguing that the king is responsible for her plight since he demanded an exclusive relationship.
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Eichah 1:21
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