ירמיהו, פרק ט״ז, פסוק ז׳

During times of overwhelming disaster, the very fabric of society unravels, and even the most basic human traditions of empathy and mourning fall away. When tragedies strike back to back, people become so consumed by their own survival and grief that the normal customs of comforting others are entirely abandoned.

The primary approach among commentators is that this situation disrupts the traditional meal of condolence. Customarily, during the first meal following a burial, a mourner does not eat their own food. Instead, relatives and neighbors step in to provide nourishment, offering blessings and physically breaking the bread on the mourner's behalf. However, the impending devastation will be so severe that no one will be available to tear the bread or prepare this comforting meal for those who grieve. Alternatively, some interpret this physical gesture not as breaking bread, but as the spreading and clapping of hands, a traditional expression of deep sorrow. Yet, because the death toll will be so massive, even these basic physical displays of mourning will cease [רד״ק].

Alongside the meal, comforters would typically offer a cup of wine to help soothe the pain of the bereaved. In this harsh era, the sheer scale of the tragedy will leave people too overwhelmed by their own personal disasters to perform these standard acts of kindness [מצודת דוד]. This widespread inability to comfort others is the underlying reason God previously commanded against going out to mourn [רש״י].

The focus ultimately narrows from the broader community down to the individual, specifically mentioning the loss of a father and mother. This highlights that every single person who loses their parents will be left completely without comfort. The intensity of the destruction is absolute; people will lack both the time and the emotional capacity to offer the customary food and wine, even when grieving the loss of their closest family members [מלבי״ם].