Mountains Dripping Wine

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

More than any other prophet, Amos is associated with "Doom and Gloom." There is even a sense in his words that repentance will be of no avail, for he almost never calls for a change in behavior. Rather, due to a combination of religious infidelity and rampant social injustice, Israel is beyond the point of no-return, with the inevitable Divine Reckoning being just around the corner.

While Amos was living and prophesying in the 8th century BCE, we cannot fully understand and appreciate his context without going back some 200 years earlier.

It was in the second half of the 10th century BCE when King David's united empire came to a crashing halt - a mere two generations after he had worked so hard to build it up. For when his grandson was ascending the throne, the Israelite tribes in the north seized the moment to declare their independence and anointed their own king. (Their reasons for doing so, we will leave for another time. See 1 Kings 12 for more on this.)

One major problem this new king-in-the-North faced was that even while his subjects now enjoyed their own political autonomy, Jerusalem was still universally considered to be the religious capital. For the Temple contained God's own Throne Room, the Holy of Holies; All Israelites knew - even those throughout the new country in the north - that the wings of the Cherubim were His seat, and the top of the ark containing the Two Tablets was His footstool.

This meant that every year, there could be thousands of northern Israelites making pilgrimages southward to Jerusalem - bringing their money, their offerings, their support - and being reminded, yet again, of the grandeur and majesty of what they had separated themselves from, at least politically. This, of course, would have to be prevented.

And so in order to promote a new Capital of Holiness, the king-in-the-north set up two new altars - one in a northernmost city called Dan, and one in a southernmost city called Bethel. Instead of golden cherubim, these altars would have golden calves.

The intended imagery is powerful - while southern Israelites would have to travel all the way to the Jerusalem Temple in order to get close to God's throne and bask in His presence; In the north, God's throne was not limited to one specific location, but instead spanned the entirety of the kingdom, from one end to the other! The people of the northern country were literally being sheltered - at all times - by their all-powerful, protective deity. The God of Israel, ever vigilant and ever attentive, would be constantly hovering above them all.

(See below - Dan and Bethel are marked in red)

Now back to Amos. He lived during this time of the Divided Monarchy. He was a shepherd, and a keeper of fig-trees. He lived in Judah, and he was perfectly happy.

But at some point, he starts to develop the unshakable conviction that there is something seriously wrong in the North that needs to be called out. Rather than dismiss the feeling and continue living his life in comfort - he leaves his sheep, his trees, and his home behind, and makes his way to Bethel - one of the north's "New Jerusalems." It is there where he brazenly declares, for all to hear, that the end of the North is nigh:

Needless to say, this would not make him popular in a positive way, and it didn't take too long for him to arouse the fury of the northern priests. They would in turn try to bring the wrath of the northern king upon Amos if he would refuse to leave them alone and flee back to his home in the south (Amos 7). But he would not be intimidated, and courageously continued to preach his message.

In the opening of our Haftorah, through Amos we hear that God's disappointment has reached such a level to the extent that He seems to even be trying to disown His beloved people; to deny that God and Israel ever had a special and unique bond.

You think you're so special? - He seems to say. That we ever even had a connection worth celebrating to begin with? I wouldn't hesitate to do away with you in an instant!

These words are all the more striking given what Amos himself had said just a few chapters back. In chapter 3, he tells us that Israel's special status is in and of itself the very reason that God is holding her accountable to such standards:

Given the rejection at the opening of our Haftorah - along with everything we've heard from Amos so far - what comes next is as uncharacteristic of him as it is surprising and welcoming for us - hope. After 9 chapters of sound and fury, he does a complete round-about, and brings his book to an end on a high note:

This is a vision of sheer beauty, his imagery being deeply poetic and captivating. Not only will the cities be rebuilt with the Israelites dwelling once again in comfort and tranquility in their own land - but even the very forces of nature themselves will demonstrate their contentment and satisfaction.

For anyone who has been privileged enough to hike throughout the Galilee, or survey the Judean Hills around Jerusalem - Amos's vision is far from mere wishful thinking. You can see his promise being realized before your very eyes.

To give just one example - take a look at this picture of a vineyard located in the Judean Hills, being a part of the appropriately-called Judean Hills Quartet winery co-op (http://judeanhillsquartet.com/).

"Mountains dripping wine," indeed. Were that he would be able to see such sights, as we are today!

Some of you might have already posted pictures of your own adventures in Israel in the "FHJC Goes to Israel" page, in honor of Israel week. If you haven't yet seen it, it is definitely worth a look! So many of us have so many stories to tell, with these pictures being but a taste. Here's the link for when you have a moment:

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1311027118586462211 .

What are some other ways that either you yourself have seen, or that you might have heard of, in which we see Amos's inspiring final words of optimism above being realized?