By Rabbi A. Leib Scheinbaum
In Megillas Eichah, the Navi Yirmiyahu laments the sorrowful state of the Jewish People: Yesomim ha’yinu v’ein av, “We were orphans left bereft of our father.” The text is enigmatic. Is it not obvious that if we are orphans we no longer have our father? We may suggest a practical insight: When one loses a parent or mentor, the immediate reaction is to focus on one’s personal loss. Yesomim ha’yinu, we became orphans. It is all about “us,” the change in our lives. We are no longer the same. We have been orphaned. After some time this sets in and we realize that there is a void in our family– our father is gone, our mentor is no longer with us. We have been left bereft of our guide, our inspiration, our source of encouragement. We now lament v’ein av, there is no father.