{"id":61767,"date":"2019-08-23T00:39:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T21:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=61767"},"modified":"2023-03-19T23:33:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T21:33:24","slug":"confusing-wealth-with-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/confusing-wealth-with-wisdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Confusing Wealth With Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[503,838,778,440,372],"acf":{"old_id":"61767","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":61355,"related_cahpter":"292","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Though Solomon is building God\u2019s Temple - there\u2019s something of the Pharaoh about him\u00a0\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">King Solomon\u2019s conversation with Hiram, the king of Tyre, in this chapter, as they negotiate the construction of the Temple, has a familiar tone. It\u2019s the tone of powerful men, detached from the reality of everyday suffering and subjection, speaking about their grand plans. \u201cI propose to build a house for the name of God,\u201d Solomon says to Hiram. \u201cGive orders for cedars to be cut for me in Lebanon. My slaves will work with yours. I\u2019ll give you any wage you ask for the use of your slaves. Because as you know, there is no one who can cut timber like the Sidonians\u201d (5:19).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hear him saying that last sentence with a chuckle, a joke of those in power at the expense of those who are sweating and bleeding into the construction of a place of worship. At best, I hear it as empty flattery and sycophantism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the behavior of the wisest man of all time? The one who we just learned composed three thousand proverbs, one thousand songs (5:12)? Who explained natural phenomena of all kinds (5:13)? Sought after by followers from kingdoms far and wide who wanted to listen to his wisdom (5:14)?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes. And this would not be the first nor the last time power and wealth was confused with wisdom and intellect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The language of Solomon\u2019s servants building the Temple should remind us of the way Pharaoh\u2019s subjection of the Israelites is described in the book of Exodus. Yes, the two instances are different in that Solomon\u2019s servants are described as being satisfied with the peace they are enjoying, each having his own fig and his own vine (5:4). They might also actually enjoy the fruits of their labor in being able to visit the Temple when it\u2019s completed. But they are still slaves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the chapter intentionally chooses similar language for King Solomon\u2019s workers\u2019\/slaves\u2019\/servants\u2019 construction of the Temple as the language used to describe Pharaoh\u2019s subjection of the Israelites. The Torah never asks us to nod along unthinkingly. And here is no exception. The clues in the language might lead us to ask: What\u2019s wrong with this picture? And to ask, when &#8211; now, individually and as a society &#8212; do we confuse wealth with wisdom? How &#8211; now &#8211; might we create a society in which people are able to enjoy the metaphorical shade of their own fig and vine without paying the price of their freedom?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Warner Murals, Wilshire Boulevard Temple<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":61770,"id":61770,"title":"1kings5-temple3","filename":"1kings5-temple3.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/confusing-wealth-with-wisdom\/1kings5-temple3\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"1kings5-temple3","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":61767,"date":"2019-08-22 21:39:24","modified":"2023-10-09 13:34:16","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":676,"height":800,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-254x300.jpg","medium-width":254,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","medium_large-width":676,"medium_large-height":800,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","large-width":676,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","1536x1536-width":676,"1536x1536-height":800,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","2048x2048-width":676,"2048x2048-height":800,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","post_full_size-width":676,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-355x420.jpg","home_baner-width":355,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Confusing Wealth With Wisdom","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Though Solomon is building God\u2019s Temple - 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