יחזקאל, פרק כ״ד, פסוק י״ז

God issues a difficult and unusual command to His prophet: to suppress his profound personal grief over the death of his wife. By refraining from all traditional mourning customs, the prophet's behavior is meant to serve as a public warning and a living sign for the Israelites [רד״ק]. The directive begins with a complex instruction regarding his immediate emotional reaction, contrasting a cry of anguish with complete silence. Commentators offer different views on how to navigate this. One approach is that the prophet must suppress his cries entirely and maintain absolute silence [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Others suggest he is permitted to sigh, but must do so softly and privately, ensuring his anguish is not heard by others as he suffers in silence [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A third perspective, rooted in the teachings of the Sages, distinguishes between different types of speech: the prophet may weep for his loss, but he must remain silent in other ways, refraining from greeting others or speaking words of Torah, which are normally forbidden to a mourner [רד״ק].

Following the general prohibition against engaging in standard mourning practices [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ], God details specific actions the prophet must avoid. First, he is told to bind his headgear upon himself. Traditionally, mourners remove their fine garments and sit bareheaded, but the prophet is instructed to keep his hat or turban firmly on his head [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, this headgear represents phylacteries. While a typical mourner is forbidden from wearing phylacteries, the prophet is commanded to do the exact opposite and place them on his head [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, he must keep his shoes on, directly contradicting the law requiring mourners to walk barefoot [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He is also forbidden from wrapping his head and covering his face up to his lips, a practice mourners used to symbolize isolation, silence, and deep sorrow [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Finally, the prophet is instructed not to eat the food of others. This refers to the meal of condolence, the first meal eaten after a burial. Usually, neighbors and friends bring food to comfort the mourner, offering support and preventing an immediate return to the routine of daily life. By refusing this communal food, the prophet completes his absolute avoidance of any outward demonstration of grief [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].