ירמיהו, פרק ט׳, פסוק י״ב

When a nation faces devastating ruin, the reasons behind the tragedy can seem entirely incomprehensible to human minds. In the face of such profound confusion, God Himself steps in to reveal the underlying cause of the destruction [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד]. The root of the catastrophe lies in the people abandoning the Torah, specifically by ceasing to study it. This neglect is considered exceptionally severe because the Torah was not some distant, unattainable wisdom located in the heavens or across the sea. Rather, it was placed directly in front of them, completely accessible and close at hand [רד״ק].

Abandoning study triggered a tragic chain reaction of spiritual decline. Once the people stopped learning, they inevitably stopped listening to God's voice. This ignorance naturally led to a failure in practice; without study, they no longer walked in the proper paths or fulfilled the commandments [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The act of learning served a critical protective purpose. Had the people continued to engage with the Torah, the inherent light within it would have guided them back to the right path. Instead, by entirely forsaking their studies, they spiraled into severe offenses that ultimately resulted in the total loss of their land [מצודת דוד].