{"id":77267,"date":"2020-07-12T12:56:56","date_gmt":"2020-07-12T09:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=77267"},"modified":"2020-07-13T17:34:58","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T14:34:58","slug":"faux-religiosity-and-a-culture-of-conspicuous-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/faux-religiosity-and-a-culture-of-conspicuous-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Faux Religiosity And A Culture of Conspicuous Consumption"},"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":[],"acf":{"old_id":"77267","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":39778,"related_cahpter":"522","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The money has to come from somewhere...\r\n\r\n","content":"

(This post is the fourth in a series on social justice in Amos)\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In our series examining income inequality in the Northern Kingdom as described in the book of Amos, we have noted that there are a number of officials and public servants who are misusing their positions to enrich themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s chapter helps us understand why. The prophet opens with the words \u201cHear this word, you cows of Bashan On the hill of Samaria\u2014 Who defraud the poor, Who rob the needy; Who say to your husbands, \u201cBring [wine], and let\u2019s carouse!\u201d\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The cows of the Bashan symbolize wealth and luxury: only a person who can afford more than they need has the luxury of being fat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many commentaries suggest that \u201ccows of the Bashan\u201d refers to the wives of the officials we discussed yesterday.\u00a0 In case the reader thought they were not party to the sins of their husbands, the opening verse here singles them out as perpetrators. Malbim explains that they demanded fine things from their husbands and therefore bear partial responsibility for their subsequent suffering. Radak adds that if their husbands didn\u2019t deliver, they would personally go and wring the necessary cash from the poor themselves. Metzudat David even adds that they\u2019d personally beat the poor if they tried to refuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Verses 4-5 describe the people\u2019s sacrificial habits in derogatory terms. In chapter 2, the altar was mentioned as a place where the targets of these prophecies enjoyed their ill-gotten gains.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a false religiosity here \u2013 a religiosity of luxury. Verse 5 says \u201cAnd burn a thank offering of leavened bread\u201d though most sacrifices were brought without leavened bread. Instead, types of matza and simple crackers made with oil were used. These people are bringing the \u201cTodah,\u201d a sacrifice traditionally accompanied by forty loaves, only their loaves are made out of leavened bread. The Todah\u2019s traditional rules require the offerer to eat all the meat within a day and a night of offering it. This law, known as <\/span>piggul<\/span><\/em>, can be seen as a way of enabling sharing of the meat with others. However, they have perverted the spirit of these laws and turned them simply into a vehicle for excessive consumption of meat and bread.<\/span><\/p>\n

These verses describe religious practice done only for show \u2013 the verse says \u201cproclaim freewill offerings loudly,\u201d because they bring these sacrifices only for the purpose of others seeing their virtue.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can imagine a world where you got invited to someone else\u2019s Todah sacrifice party and thus feel compelled to throw your own, to keep up with the neighbors. This requires bringing your own bull, along with accompanying bread and wine. The costs would add up \u2013 and the money has to come from somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":77268,"id":77268,"title":"amos4-money","filename":"amos4-money.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/amos4-money.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/faux-religiosity-and-a-culture-of-conspicuous-consumption\/amos4-money\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"amos4-money","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77267,"date":"2020-07-12 09:56:21","modified":"2020-07-12 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