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"We turned and went up towards Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, and his people came out to fight against us at Edrei. God told me: 'Do not fear him. I will place him and all his people and his land in your hands.'" (Deut. 3:1-3)
The Battle Against Og
Moses gave a terse account of the battle against the fearful giant, King Og, and his people. The Midrash (Berachot 54b), however, elaborated greatly upon this amazing event:
"Og said to himself, 'How large is the encampment of Israel? Three Persian miles? I will grab a mountain three miles wide, throw it on them and kill them!' So Og took a mountain three miles wide, and lifted it over his head in order to throw it."
"But God brought ants. They ate a hole in the mountain, and the rock crashed down on Og's neck. Og tried to lift it up, but his teeth stuck out in both directions and prevented the rock from lifting over his head."
"Now, Moses was ten cubits [15 feet] tall. He took a hammer ten cubits long, jumped up ten cubits and swung the hammer at Og's ankles, killing him."
Nice story. But what does it mean? What message were the Sages trying to tell us?
Brute Force versus Spiritual Greatness
The battle between Og and Moses is a metaphor for the struggle between the physical and spiritual realms. Og the giant viewed everything in terms of brute force and power. He was enraged seeing a small, weak people — the Israelites — take on and defeat the Midianites and the Amorites. Og decided he would demonstrate that spiritual power cannot compete against physical strength. He would use the ultimate symbol of brute force — a massive, inanimate mountain — to bury the Jews and all of their pretensions!
The giant lifted the mountain up, over his head. This indicated that the huge rock, as a symbol of brute power, was his crown, his glory, his ultimate value.
"But God brought ants that ate a hole in the mountain." Significantly, Og's downfall was not by means of an even greater physical force. Og's faith in power and might was conclusively shattered by his defeat at the hands of the smallest and most fragile of creatures, the lowly ant.
Overgrown Teeth
At this point, the heavy rock weighed down heavily on Og's shoulders. He began to realize that his trust in physical force was misplaced. His crown had become an oppressive burden. However, it was too late to escape. His teeth, symbolizing his aggressiveness and lust, had grown outwards. His traits of violence and rapacity, like his reliance on brute force, had become an integral part of his life and personality, at the expense of spiritual inclinations.
Such is the fate of an individual — or a people — addicted to the drug of physical force, living by the power of the fist. In hindsight, such a life of aggression will be a burden and a source of bitter discontent. Old and weak, even if he should now desire to change his ways to a more peaceful existence, he will not succeed. His teeth overgrown, his basic nature has been usurped by the lifelong habits of aggression and savage greed.
Rabbi Chanan Morrison of Mitzpeh Yericho runs ravkooktorah.org, a website dedicated to presenting the Torah commentary of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, to the English-speaking community.
(Gold from the Land of Israel, pp. 294-296. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, pp. 248-249)
Rabbis in Midrash
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
