It is no mere liturgical coincidence that Parshat Devarim always falls on the Shabbat preceding Tisha b’Av, the day that marks the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, the devastation of Jerusalem, and, with it, the loss of Judean sovereignty. Rabbinic tradition recognized a literary and theological connection between this opening parashah of Sefer Devarim, its haftarah, Hazon Yeshayahu, and Megillat Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, which is read on Tisha b’Av.

This connection is articulated in a well-known midrash that opens Midrash Eicha Rabbah (1:1):

“How does the greatly crowded city sit alone? She has become like a widow. Great among the nations, a princess among the states: She has become a vassal” (Lamentations 1:1).

“How [eikha] does she sit [alone]?” Three prophets employed the term eikha: Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Moshe said: “How [eikha] can I bear alone…” (Deuteronomy 1:12). Yeshayahu (Isaiah) said: “How [eikha] did the........

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