יחזקאל, פרק י״ז, פסוק א׳

Prophetic warnings about the impending disasters destined to strike Jerusalem now shift from general predictions to a highly specific revelation. The goal is to clearly identify the exact enemy that will come to destroy the city [אברבנאל]. God delivers this message through a combination of a parable and a riddle. A parable serves to draw comparisons between different subjects, while a riddle functions to conceal and hide the deeper meaning of the message.

The narrative unfolds with the story of a massive eagle, equipped with long wings and colorful feathers that allow it to fly with great speed. This eagle travels to Lebanon, where it snaps off the softest, topmost branches of a towering cedar tree. It then carries these tender branches to the land of Canaan, referred to here as a land of merchants.

Following this, the eagle takes a local seed and plants it in a highly fertile field near a plentiful water source. The seed successfully takes root. However, rather than growing into a tall tree, it develops into a low, thin vine. Its roots and branches remain confined, failing to spread out over a large distance.

Eventually, a second eagle arrives on the scene. While this new eagle also has large wings, it lacks the beauty and sheer power of the first. In a misguided move, the vine decides to extend its roots and branches toward this second eagle. It offers them as a kind of bribe, hoping the new eagle will provide it with water. This decision is a tragic mistake. The vine was already planted in excellent conditions under the care and protection of the first eagle, in a place where it had everything it needed to thrive and grow into a beautiful, majestic plant [אברבנאל].