עמוס, פרק ו׳, פסוק ו׳

A sharp contrast exists between a life of extreme luxury and the willful ignorance of impending doom. The prophet paints a striking picture of a selfish, pleasure-seeking elite immersed in physical indulgence, completely blind to the national disaster closing in on their people.

Their hedonism is clearly seen in their drinking habits. The primary approach among commentators is that their behavior points to extreme drunkenness and gluttony. Rather than sipping from small, refined cups meant for wine, these elites drink from massive basins and giant bowls capable of holding enormous amounts of alcohol [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. These oversized vessels were crafted from silver or gold [אבן עזרא], and the excessive drinking naturally led them into promiscuity [אברבנאל]. A different tradition, however, links the description of their drinking to the concept of throwing. In this view, their wild drinking culture involved tossing wine cups to one another, or using a long, two-spouted vessel where two people drank at the same time, throwing the wine from one mouth to the other [רש״י].

This addiction to physical pleasure extends to how they treat their bodies, anointing their skin and hair with the finest, most fragrant spiced oils available. Some commentators identify this luxury item specifically as persimmon oil, widely considered the most expensive and highest quality oil of the time [רש״י, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

Standing directly opposite this festival of the senses is a profound moral emptiness. Despite the threat of disaster, these leaders feel no heartache, sorrow, or mental anguish over the distress of their people [רש״י, מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ]. They do not experience even a slight sense of unease that should have pushed them to repent, fast, and mourn the approaching tragedy [מלבי״ם].

This total lack of care is directed at the ruin of Joseph. The primary approach among commentators is that the name Joseph serves as a title for all ten tribes of the Kingdom of Israel [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. The nation is named after Joseph for two main reasons. First, he was the one who provided for all the Israelites during the great famine in Egypt [מצודת דוד]. Second, Jeroboam, the first king of the divided Kingdom of Israel, came from the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph's son. Ephraim was the largest and most central tribe, having received the firstborn blessing from Jacob [רד״ק]. The ruin they ignore is the very disaster and exile the prophets had constantly warned them about [רש״י]. Ultimately, the sharpest criticism is aimed at the people of the Kingdom of Judah. They sit securely in their homes, enjoying their wealth, without feeling any sadness over the exile of their brothers in the Kingdom of Israel. Because of this deep emotional and moral detachment, it was decreed that they too would suffer the exact same fate of exile [אברבנאל].