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Beit Midrash
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By tradition, Og lived for a very long time. The Medrash says he survived the Great Flood by hanging on to the Teyva, & that happened 10 generations before Avraham was born & another 400 years before Moshe was born! Og was the last survivor of an extinct race of antediluvian giants, & his stature & power was legendary.
The Torah describes the size of his immense brass bed (9 X 4 amot; an amah being 1.5 feet) in order to show how big Og was, & the Medrash says (perhaps fancifully) that Moshe jumped 10 amot in the air, stretched out a 10-amah spear & stabbed Og in the ankle!
Og’s survival & longevity may derive from the fact that by tradition, he was the one who reported to Avraham that his nephew Lot had been taken captive. While Chazal say Og hoped Avraham would be killed in battle, leaving the beautiful Sara free for Og to marry, this shows that even a chesed done for the wrong reasons is rewarded.
But it’s fair to ask, "what is all this hyperbole about?" Do we really care how huge Og was? It almost sounds like the Torah is entering "fairy-tale" territory with this whimsical "tall-tale" (pun intended). Since we know the Torah never wastes words, there must be something much deeper & relevant for the ages to transmit to us.
I suggest Moshe is not bragging about his own physical prowess, though it was indeed impressive. Moshe is reminding us that no entity on earth, no matter how powerful it may appear, can vanquish us – if Hashem is at our side. Giant empires & empires of giants come & go, but we, Israel, remain eternal. Our primary task is to incur the love & support of Hashem, & then we will overcome these seemingly-invincible enemies.
A favorite Twilight Zone episode has a malevolent giant from another planet ravaging a town, until a young boy (David?) takes out his slingshot & hits him with a rock. Suddenly, there is a strong wind as the giant’s costume deflates, leaving a tiny little alien who runs away in fear.
As we approach Tisha B’Av, we recall the mighty nations of Babylonia & Rome that warred against us & destroyed Yerushalayim & the Bet HaMikdash. But Chazal (Gittin 53) tell us that they had no real power of their own. They were merely "grinding already-ground flour." It was our actions that determine our fate, not theirs. That which led to our disaster, you see, is also the key to our deliverance.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
