{"id":70163,"date":"2020-02-13T12:10:55","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T10:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=70163"},"modified":"2023-09-10T18:48:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T15:48:58","slug":"many-fishermen-will-bring-you-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/many-fishermen-will-bring-you-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Many Fishermen Will Bring You Back"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/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":[660,375,547,468],"acf":{"old_id":"70163","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46658,"related_cahpter":"416","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"For you will return in teeming multitudes\r\n\r\n","content":"

The very first stories of the Torah describe the world of humanity in terms of relationships.\u00a0 The Holy One recognizes quickly that it is not good for the first Adam to be alone; Noah and his extended family go into an Ark into which even the animals enter in pairs.\u00a0 Avram and Sarai\u2019s relationship is disclosed even before they are called to journey together to an unknown destination. And the first commandment of the Torah is to increase and multiply.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps it is this background that makes the opening of this chapter such agonizing reading.\u00a0 Jeremiah is told in no uncertain terms that he must not marry or raise a family. But that might be a preferable future to the one predicted to be coming – partnerships and families wiped out by disease, by the sword, by famine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This dire passage culminates with a particular woe: <\/span><\/p>\n

For thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride (verse 9).<\/span><\/p>\n

The payback for the people\u2019s infidelity will be measure for measure – the cessation of the very rites that celebrate partnership in the first place. And afterwards? If we follow this description to its logical conclusion, only Jeremiah will be left – utterly alone, forbidden even to mourn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the chapter also contains an image that stands in stark contrast to all of this predicted disaster.\u00a0 We are told that <\/span>many fishermen<\/span><\/em> are to be sent to bring the people back from exile and <\/span>many hunters<\/span><\/em> will drive them home from where they are hidden among the hills and the rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why fishermen?<\/span><\/p>\n

The image is echoed in all four of the Gospels as meaning a call to act as disciples, to draw together a new community. But is it too much of a stretch to imagine that our author has in mind the image of Jacob blessing his grandsons with the wish that they will be <\/span>teeming multitudes upon the earth<\/span><\/em> [Gen. 48:16]?\u00a0 The Hebrew word there is <\/span>vayidgu <\/span><\/em>– <\/span><\/i>literally, that the people should be like fish.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And one fish in a school of fish is never going to be lonely.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":70164,"id":70164,"title":"jer16-fishes","filename":"jer16-fishes.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer16-fishes.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/many-fishermen-will-bring-you-back\/jer16-fishes\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jer16-fishes","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":70163,"date":"2020-02-13 10:10:37","modified":"2020-02-13 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