{"id":65986,"date":"2019-11-23T20:56:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T18:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=65986"},"modified":"2023-06-18T13:18:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T10:18:59","slug":"keys-are-the-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/keys-are-the-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Keys Are The Key"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When the prince in <\/span>The Princess Bride<\/span><\/em> feigns concern over castle security, his chief enforcer assures him, \u201cThe gate has but one key \u2013 and I carry that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Small comfort, once intruders show up and the officer shows what he\u2019s really made of:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive us the gate key!\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI have no gate key.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cFezzik, tear his arms off.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cOh, you mean this gate key?\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In an unusually individualized prophecy, Isaiah rebukes Shebna, a steward who was \u201cin charge of the palace\u201d (22:15). The prophet doesn\u2019t specify Shebna\u2019s crime, but midrashic tradition suggests he failed to adequately protect his charge and instead conspired to hand the city over to Sennacherib. While some commentators argue the midrashic version is difficult to reconcile with certain textual details, there is one that matches perfectly:<\/span><\/p>\n

In that day, I will summon My servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah\u2026 I will invest him with your tunic\u2026 and deliver your authority into his hand\u2026I will place the keys of David\u2019s palace on his shoulders; and what he unlocks none may shut, and what he locks none may open.\u201d (22:20-22)<\/span><\/p>\n

Shebna offered up the gate key, so he will be replaced by a truer \u201cservant\u201d of God, who will carry the keys faithfully and wield them effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what is that key doing on Eliakim\u2019s shoulders? Radak argues this must be a metaphor: \u201ca person doesn\u2019t carry a key on his shoulder\u2026 said \u2018on his shoulder\u2019 because it is like a burden that a person carries on his shoulder\u2026\u201d Malbim, however, takes the phrase literally, suggesting it was typical for such officers to carry castle keys on their shoulders \u2013 as a symbol. What would such a practice symbolize? In the abstract, the same as in Radak\u2019s metaphor: responsibility. But physically carrying that key on one\u2019s shoulder reflects an added element of pride: responsibility not as an abstract concept, but something one displays to oneself and the world in a very real way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every week, walking home from synagogue, my younger kids race to ask for a key; each wants the honor of unlocking our door. They carry that key with pride and would never relinquish it (ok, maybe to Fezzik); they treasure the responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amos Hakham, in his <\/span>Daat Mikra<\/span><\/em> commentary, suggests (as an alternative to the midrash) that Shebna is the same guy who (in verse 13) invites the people to \u201cEat and drink, for tomorrow we die!\u201d Perhaps the root of his crime was not taking his responsibilities seriously enough: he invited the enemy in (midrash); he released the stores under his supervision (Hakham). He didn\u2019t carry his gate key on his shoulder with pride, but pulled it out of a pocket to hand over to whichever kid or giant asked first.<\/span><\/p>\n

Replacing Shebna\u2019s insufficient concern for his charge, Eliakim will serve truly, maintaining constant awareness of the burden he is to cherish. And by seeing his dedication, maybe others will learn to cherish God\u2019s house and people too.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":65987,"id":65987,"title":"is22-keyboard","filename":"is22-keyboard.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is22-keyboard.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/keys-are-the-key\/is22-keyboard\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is22-keyboard","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":65986,"date":"2019-11-23 18:56:20","modified":"2019-11-23 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