דברים, פרק כ״ח, פסוק נ״ה

The horrors of extreme starvation can push human beings to unimaginable moral depths. When trapped under the crushing weight of a siege, the primal instinct for survival overwhelms natural affection and the deepest family bonds. A person is driven to a horrifying low, reaching a point where they consume the flesh of their own children. In this state of total moral collapse, their humanity is completely erased, leading them to selfishly hoard this unthinkable meal and refuse to share it with their closest relatives or even their surviving children [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This extreme cruelty is born out of absolute desperation. The enemy forces enforcing the siege strip the people of every resource, leaving them completely empty-handed [ביאור יש״ר]. Because there is absolutely nothing else left to eat, individuals are pushed into this dark reality [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, this profound suffering is not isolated to a single area but engulfs the entire nation. The enemy surrounds every location, ensuring that the siege is inescapable and that there is no possible route to flee the devastation [אבן עזרא].