From our chapter, one can hear and feel the reality to which the prophet speaks. The prophet testifies about himself: “The spirit of the Lord God is with me: the Lord has anointed me to bring to oppressed ones tidings; has sent me to bandage broken hearts, to cry freedom to captives, and to break the prisoners' bonds” (61:1). The prophet describes that he has been sent to the captives and the brokenhearted to comfort them. This means that the current reality is one of hardship and heartbreak, and the prophet’s assistance is needed to help people lift their eyes toward the redemption that will come to replace the destruction and pain.

The prophecy in this chapter plays exactly on this contrast — hope amidst despair and redemption following ruin:

To give to the mourners of Zion,
To crown them in splendor where once there was ash,
Where once there was mourning, oil of joy, 
A mantle of praise where there were dark spirits,
Calling them oaks of righteousness, the Lord's planting, grown for His splendor (61:3).

From this verse, Chazal derived the practice of placing ashes on a groom’s head: “What is the meaning of: ‘Above my highest [rosh] joy’? Rav Yitzchak says: This is referring to the burnt ashes on the head [rosh] of bridegrooms. Rav Pappa said to Abaye: Where are they placed? Abaye replied: On the place where phylacteries are placed, as it is stated: ‘To give to the mourners of Zion, to crown them in splendor where once there was ash’” (Bava Batra 60b). It seems that this halakha embodies a movement opposite to that of the prophet in our chapter. The prophet addresses those who are naturally mourning and calls them to take comfort, while this halakha addresses a person on the happiest day of his life and reminds him of mourning for Jerusalem — placing ashes in the place of beauty, where the tefillin rest.