חגי, פרק א׳, פסוק י׳

The severe drought and agricultural crisis plaguing the land are not random forces of nature. Instead, the failing crops and dry skies are a direct response to the actions of the people, serving as a consequence for their sins and their ongoing neglect in rebuilding the Temple [רש"י, שטיינזלץ].

The primary approach among commentators highlights the highly unusual and exclusive nature of this drought. While surrounding nations continue to receive their regular rainfall and morning moisture, the skies withhold their precipitation specifically and precisely over the Israelites and their land [אבן עזרא, רד"ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. The absence of dew is recognized as an exceptionally harsh curse; unlike rain, which naturally comes and goes, dew rarely ceases [רד"ק]. This highly targeted dry spell is viewed as a true wonder, operating on a principle of measure for measure. Because God's house is left in a state of ruin and dryness, He has brought a corresponding dryness and ruin upon the earth [אברבנאל].

Offering a different perspective on how this event unfolds, another approach frames the drought as a shift in how God governs the people. Up until this point, the lack of dew and failing harvests appeared to be standard natural disasters, as if the heavens and earth were simply acting against the nation on their own. Moving forward, however, the nature of the crisis shifts from seemingly natural misfortune to an act of direct, undeniable, and open intervention from God [מלבי"ם].