{"id":64914,"date":"2019-10-29T13:20:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T11:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=64914"},"modified":"2023-05-24T08:46:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T05:46:41","slug":"the-song-of-a-vineyard-puns-and-punishments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-song-of-a-vineyard-puns-and-punishments\/","title":{"rendered":"The Song Of A Vineyard: Puns And Punishments"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The first seven verses of chapter 5 are the \u201csong of a vineyard,\u201d a lovely song with bucolic images that ultimately turns into a vicious indictment of the people of Judah. It opens on a musical, romantic note: <\/span><\/p>\n

Let me sing for my beloved \/ a song of my lover about his vineyard \/\/ My beloved had a vineyard \/ on a fruitful hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are three characters: the singers, his beloved (<\/span>dod<\/span><\/em>), and the beloved\u2019s vineyard. The vintner works hard: \u201cHe broke the ground, cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower inside it, he even hewed a wine press in it,\u201d but then things turn sour: \u201cfor he hoped it would yield grapes, but it produced sour grapes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is sad, all would agree. How tragic it is depends on other circumstances to which we are not privy. Was this just a luxury vineyard, for indulgence? Was it his livelihood? What will happen now? But the song then takes a strange turn, addressing the audience directly, and turning them from aesthetically-oriented bystanders into legally responsible jurists: \u201cNow, then, residents of Jerusalem and people of Judah, be the judges between me and my vineyard!\u201d Suddenly the \u201cbeloved\u201d is gone, as well, collapsed into the persona of the singer, and we find out that he was just #askingforafriend, not actually asking for a friend. And suddenly what was a sad story has turned into a lawsuit, with the vineyard as the defendant!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat more could have been done for my vineyard,\u201d wails the singer? And without waiting for any answers at all, he takes the law into his own hands, vowing a violent (and, of course, self-destructive) punishment for the uncooperative vineyard: \u201cI will remove its hedge, that it may be ravaged \/ I will break down its wall, that it may be trampled.\u201d And then there is one last turn, within the metaphor, that suddenly makes everything clear: \u201cI will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a stunning line. Only one character could command the clouds to not rain, and thus the singer \/ vintner is revealed to be none other than God. And if that is true \u2013 well, the vineyard too may not be a regular vineyard. And indeed, says the prophet, \u201cthe seedlings he lovingly tended are the people of Judah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And what did they do wrong? \u201cHe hoped for justice (<\/span>mishpat<\/span><\/em>), but behold, bloodshed (<\/span>mispa\u1e25<\/span><\/em>); for righteousness (<\/span>\u1e63edaqa<\/span><\/em>), but behold, screams (<\/span>\u1e63e\u2018aqa<\/span><\/em>)!\u201d These word pairs are phonetically similar, and that similarity seems to suggest just how fine the line is between justice and violence, between a civil society and one that descends into chaos and lawlessness. It takes a lot of investment, and good raw materials, and even then, there are no guaranteed results. For God, though, failure is not just cause for lament, but for punishment and eradication. When looking to create a just society, God has no room for even small errors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Vineyard of Tali grapes, at Moshav Lachish, 2017\u00a0 \/ wikipedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":64916,"id":64916,"title":"is5-vineyard","filename":"is5-vineyard.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is5-vineyard.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-song-of-a-vineyard-puns-and-punishments\/is5-vineyard\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is5-vineyard","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":64914,"date":"2019-10-29 11:20:22","modified":"2019-10-29 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