יואל, פרק א׳, פסוק י״ז

A severe drought and a devastating locust plague combine to create total agricultural ruin. The devastation is so complete that it destroys not only the crops above ground but also the hidden potential beneath the soil and the man-made systems built to store the harvest. Everything left in the wake of this disaster rots and molds away.

There are two main ways to understand exactly what is decaying. One approach views this tragedy through the lens of wine production. In this view, empty wine vessels and barrels sit unused. Because there is no new harvest, they are never opened to let in fresh air, causing them to rot and grow moldy under their heavy lids [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. The more common approach, however, places the decay directly in the fields, focusing on the planting process. In this context, individual seeds scattered beneath the earth sit trapped under clods of dirt. Before these seeds can even sprout, they rot and mold away in the ground, destroyed either by the severe lack of rain or the lingering damage caused by the locusts [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ].

With the crops entirely lost, the structures built to hold the agricultural yield also fall into ruin. Large storehouses, typically used to hold wine, oil [רש״י], or grain, stand completely desolate because there is simply nothing left to put inside them. Smaller storage buildings, specifically designed to hold wheat and other grains [רש״י, מלבי״ם], suffer a similar fate. Because the grain has completely dried up, these silos lose their purpose. Without an active harvest, the owners stop their yearly routine of maintenance and repairs. Left neglected, the empty buildings eventually collapse and fall apart [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Still, some note that only a portion of these smaller grain silos were actually destroyed by this neglect [רד״ק בשם אביו].