I have copied and translated the particular teaching discussed by our teacher Art in his shiur on Me'or Einayim 4/30/2020. The teaching is based on the description of ritual response to communal crisis in the second chapter of Mishnah Ta'anit. As part of the ritual, the scroll of Torah is taken out to the town square, and ashes are put on it. The Amoraic responses to this description connect the ashes on the Torah to the idea that God suffers together with the people of Israel. R Azriel, after quoting the tannaitic and amoraic texts, takes the idea one step further.
Much to think about in terms of ritual responses to such communal moments of crisis.
(א) סֵדֶר תַּעֲנִיּוֹת כֵּיצַד, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הַתֵּבָה לִרְחוֹבָהּ שֶׁל עִיר, וְנוֹתְנִין אֵפֶר מִקְלֶה עַל גַּבֵּי הַתֵּבָה, וּבְרֹאשׁ הַנָּשִׂיא וּבְרֹאשׁ אַב בֵּית דִּין, וְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נוֹתֵן בְּרֹאשׁוֹ. הַזָּקֵן שֶׁבָּהֶן אוֹמֵר לִפְנֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי כִבּוּשִׁין, אַחֵינוּ, לֹא נֶאֱמַר בְּאַנְשֵׁי נִינְוֵה, וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת שַׂקָּם וְאֶת תַּעֲנִיתָם, אֶלָּא (יונה ג) וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה. וּבַקַּבָּלָה הוּא אוֹמֵר (יואל ב) וְקִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל בִּגְדֵיכֶם:
(1) What is the order [of service] for fast days?They take the ark out to the open space of the city. And they put ashes on the ark and on the head of the Nasi and on the head of the head of the court (av bet. And everyone [else] puts ashes on his own head. The elder among them says in front of them words of admonition, “Brothers, it does not say of the people of Nineveh, ‘And God saw their sackcloth and their fasting,’ but, ‘And God saw their deeds, for they turned from their evil way. (Jonah 3:10)’ And in the prophets it says, ‘And rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel 2:13).
ולמה נותנין אפר מקלה על גבי תיבה אמר רבי יהודה בן פזי כלומר (תהלים צא, טו) עמו אנכי בצרה ריש לקיש אמר (ישעיהו סג, ט) בכל צרתם לו צר אמר ר' זירא מריש כי הוה חזינא להו לרבנן דיהבי אפר מקלה על גבי תיבה מזדעזע לי כוליה גופאי
And why do they place burnt ashes on top of the ark? Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi said: as though to say: “I will be with him in trouble” (Psalms 91:15). Reish Lakish said: “In all their affliction, He was afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9). Rabbi Zeira said: At first, when I saw the Sages place burnt ashes upon the ark, my entire body trembled.
אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בַּר יְהוּדָה, אָמַר רַבִּי מְנַחֵם, אָמַר רַבִּי אַמֵּי: מַאי דִּכְתִיב, ״וְעוֹזְבֵי ה׳ יִכְלוּ״ — זֶה הַמַּנִּיחַ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה פתוח וְיוֹצֵא.
Rav Huna bar Yehuda said that Rabbi Menaḥem said that Rabbi Ami said: What is that which is written: “They who forsake the Lord will perish” (Isaiah 1:28)? This refers to one who leaves an open Torah scroll and exits.
פירוש אגדות לר' עזריאל מגירונה, תענית טז ע"א
וטעם האומר משום "עמו אנכי בצרה" - שאינו מצר אלא עמהם.
והאומר "בכל צרתם לו צר" - בין שהוא עמהם בין שאינו עמהם.
והתורה נקראת שם, וכן אמרו - שמו של הב"ה
מנין שמברכין בתורה לפניה?
שנאמר "כי שם ה' אקרא…"
ומפני שהשם, הוא שמו ושמו הוא
כדכתיב - "כי אתה ה' שמך לבדך"
כתיב כאן - "עמו אנכי בצרה"
כענין שכתוב - "ותקצר נפשו בעמל ישראל".
וריש לקיש אמר: "לו צר"
לשמו "לו צר", הנקרא ספר.
ובהנתן בו אפר היו גופי החכמים מזדעזעים משום אימת גופי תורה הנקראת שם.
שהם משיבים הנפש בגוף
ולפי שהתורה משיבת נפש בגוף,
היו גופי החכמים מזדעזעים.
R Azriel of Gerona, Perushei Aggadot, Taanit 16a
The one who connects the practice to the verse “I am with them in trouble” teaches that God is distressed when God is with them.
The one who connects the practice to the verse “God suffers whenever they suffer” teaches that God suffers whether God is with them or not.
We refer to the Torah as a name of God. That the Torah is a name of God is clear from the teaching (bavli, berachot 21a) that derives the obligation to say a blessing upon reading Torah from the verse “When I call/read the name of God, give praise to our Lord”.
Regarding the Name - God is the Name and the Name is God. This is expressed in the verse “For You, YHVH, are Your name alone”. (Tehilim, 83:19. literally - You, your name YHVH, are alone above all, etc.) Thus, in our verse it says “I am with them in trouble” which is similar in meaning to the verse “God’s breath was short (in context:impatient) with Israel's suffering.(Shoftim 10:16)
And Resh Lakish said, the verse “God suffers whenever they suffer” refers to God’s name which is suffering, for that is what we call the scroll (of Torah).
And when the ashes were put on the Torah the bodies of these rabbis shook, due to their great awe in regards to the body of Torah which is God’s name. Torah is the breath of the soul in the body (or possibly: returns the soul to the body) And because the Torah is the breath of the soul in the body, the bodies of these rabbis would shake.