Our Heroes For Our Children To Emulate

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                       

                        

My first hero that comes to mind is David, Warrior and then King of Israel who ruled Israel from 1010 BCE to970 BCE for 40 years.  We learned the song, Dah-veed, Melekh Yisrael, khi, khi, vic ay am...David, King of Israel, Lives, still lives,.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an9KvqcHUJY.  This was in my Hebrew class of 1980 in Haifa, Israel when I moved to Israel.  To elaborate, he lives in the heart of every child and adult who has read about him and wants to emulate him.  It's nice to have a hero to look up to.  

       Goliath is a Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's immense stature vary among biblical sources, with various texts describing him between 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) to 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) tall.

 According to the text, Goliath issued a challenge to the Israelites, daring them to send forth a champion to engage him in single combat; he was ultimately defeated by the young shepherd David, employing a sling and stone as a weapon. In the Bible story, David defeated Goliath by using a slingshot to hurl a stone that struck Goliath directly in the forehead, killing him; this teaches us that even when facing seemingly insurmountable odds, courage, faith, and utilizing one's unique skills can lead to victory, regardless of size or perceived power disparity. The narrative signified King Saul's unfitness to rule, as Saul himself should have fought for the Kingdom of Israel.   If that's your job, do it;  don't shirk it.   

My next is Bar Kokhba, meaning son of the star (Simon ben Kosibar) who died in 135 CE as a Revolutionary leader of Jews who rebelled against the Romans in 132 CE and had actually taken over Jerusalem and held it for 4 years after the Romans had conquered Israel in 70 CE in Jerusalem. It occurred 65 years after Jerusalem had fallen.  He had made the Romans SO...mad that they were furious!   It was said that his ancestor was King David.  A famous rabbi, Rabbi Akiva, had proclaimed his as The Messiah!  Not all rabbis of that day went along with this, though this was indeed a very brave act, which he paid for.  He died in battle.  

It took the Romans a year to react and their counterattack was an army of 35,000 under Hadrian and the commander Julius Severus. The Romans invaded their last stronghold, Betar, and gradually reduced the remaining hill and cave strongholds.  Bar Kokhba was killed when Betar fell by storm, a destruction of 50 fortresses and 985 villages and of 580, 000 Jewish casualties besides those who died of hunger and disease. After a fierce battle, every Jew in Bethar was killed. Six days passed before the Romans allowed the Jews to bury their dead.

 Judea fell into desolation, the population was annihilated and Jerusalem was turned into a heathen city, barred to Jews.    Bar Kokhba's chances of success were so slim, but he tried and held on for 4 years, that was a huge embarrassment for the Romans.  

According to most historical accounts, Bar Kokhba's army during the revolt in 132 CE is estimated to have consisted of between 200,000 and 400,000 soldiers, although the exact number is debated due to the lack of precise records; some sources even claim it could have been as high as 350,000 men. The Bar Kokhba revolt is considered one of the most significant Jewish rebellions against Roman rule, and the large size of his army reflects the widespread participation of the Jewish population at the time. Jewish texts like the Talmud mention Bar Kokhba's army as numbering around 200,000. That's still a huge amount compared to the Roman 35,000, but the Romans were trained fighters and had better arms.                    

George Washington was another President to be proud of.  He was said to always tell the truth, and he grew up well, becoming President.  He confessed chopping down his family's favorite cherry tree when asked, saying he could not tell a lie.  You have to admire a man like a beginning like this.   He kept our country from caving in before it could stand alone.  George Washington served as the first president of the United States from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797: 8 years as our 1st president..

My 4th example is Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president.  He is responsible for the Civil War, unfortunately, but had to make this terrible decision in freeing the Blacks from slavery, something that the British had already done in England.  Being the top commander is not always easy when the buck stops in front of you.  You must do it, and be wise about it.                                  

The same situation happened to Truman, who backed Israel first; had a business partner who was Jewish and respected him;    and also had to make the decision to bomb Japan with an unknown weapon, a nuclear bomb; or watch the USA become a destroyed nation.  He bombed Japan twice in order to save his nation.  Not many of us could stand that kind of pressure.  He never whined about doing his job.  

As they say in acting, these are hard acts to follow.  One doesn't expect outstanding acts;  just being honest with what one does is expected.  Today that would be exemplary.  Exemplary (and its close relatives example and exemplify) derives from the Latin noun exemplum ("example"). When exemplary describes something as "excellent," it almost always carries the further suggestion that the thing described is worthy of imitation.  Children and Adults tend to emulate their model-which might be a president, or should be the epitome of height held by this office.  We're all exposed to our president all the time today in news, on the web;   on TV, radio, in person....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2024/11/anti-judaism-is-born-and-war.html