Lamentations-First Kinah-Line 5

“We are orphans without a father.” 1) Rabbi Berachiah said in the name of Levi, “You cried that you have no father, I swear by your lives that your redeemer from Media, Esther, will have, “For she had neither mother nor father.”

2) The name of the month is Av, which means Father. We are determined to see God as our father despite His seeming so distant.

3) The laws regarding the treatment of orphans are very strict. For example, the Jewish Court must appoint advocates for orphans who appear in front of the court. We are not allowed to cause any suffering to an orphan. When refer to ourselves as orphans we are asking God for the same level of protection as he commands for orphans.

4) Likutei Halachos: This refers to the loss of the righteous.