The Biblical origins of the Golan Heights |
At the end of Parshat Ki Tavo, Dvarim
29:6-7, Moshe reminds B’nai Yisrael how Sichon, King of Cheshbon and Og, King
of Bashan came to wage war on them and how B’nai Yisrael smote them, took their
land and gave it to the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half the tribe of Menashe. The original battle is depicted in
Bamidbar 21:33-35: They (B’nei Yisrael) turned and
ascended by way of Bashan; Og, King of Bashan, went out against them, he and
his entire people, to do battle at Edrei. God told Moshe: “Do not fear him (Og,
King of Bashan) for into your hand have I given him, his entire people, and his
land; you shall do to him as you did to Sichon, King of the Amorite, who dwells
in Cheshbon.” They smote him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no
survivor left of him, and they took possession of his land. Why did God specifically tell Moshe
not to fear Og? In Dvarim 3:11 we learn: “For only
Og king of Bashan was left of the remaining Refaim (giants), behold his bed was
an iron bed in Rabbat of the descendents
of Amon- nine cubits was its length and four cubits its width, by the cubit of
that man.” Targum Yonatan says that Og was the
only giant who survived the flood in the days of Noach. What does Og’s bed have to do with
anything? According to Ramban, the fact that
Og’s bed was made out of iron (not wood) shows how large and heavy he was, not
someone that you would want to go up against in battle. The Talmud, Brachot 54b tells the
story of Og being so strong that he uplifted a mountain and tried to kill B’nai
Yisrael by throwing this “giant stone” at them. Og did not succeed and in the
end Moshe killed him. But you can see from these examples why Moshe was more
worried here than in the other battles. Where exactly is Bashan? The Bashan is the northern part of
Trans-Jordan (where the Golan Heights are today) including part of Syria, bounded
by the Jordan, the Lebanese mountains, including Mount Hermon and Gilad. A few weeks ago, I had the honor to
visit the Golan. It was really amazing to see the Torah and our history come
alive. We were able to stand at the border or Syria and drive past the border
of Lebanon. We were able to see where these stories unfolded. We were also able
to see just how close everything is. May we have peace within Israel’s
borders and beyond. |