יואל, פרק א׳, פסוק ג׳

When a disaster strikes with unprecedented force, its memory echoes far beyond the immediate aftermath. The primary approach among commentators is that the focus of this history is on a harsh decree and the profound impression it will leave behind. A massive swarm of locusts is destined to sweep across the land, completely destroying all the crops [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The sheer magnitude of this devastating event causes so much astonishment that it creates an absolute duty to pass the story forward [מצודת דוד].

The responsibility to share this history rests on all the inhabitants of the land. They are tasked with speaking about the catastrophe, transforming their lived experience into a lasting tradition for those who will come after them [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This chain of storytelling is meant to stretch far into the distant future, reaching the grandchildren and beyond [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, the continuous flow of this historical memory reveals a broader concept about time in the biblical narrative, showing that the passage of a generation is not measured by a fixed, predictable number of years [אבן עזרא].