Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “Don’t Lose Your Head.”
Woman are notorious in the Bible for taking men’s heads—and I mean taking them!
The great news is that women are awesome fighters, the bad news is that your head is a very valuable thing to lose.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So fire is a tool for heating and cooking, but obviously it is also a destructive force that can be and is weaponized.
From tales and mythologies of old, dragons would spew fire from their mouths and destroy the enemy leaving only maybe their charred remains (likely, we will get to see more of that in Season 8 of Game of Thrones coming up soon).
In the 20th century, flamethrowers were widely used in World War I and II, and today thermonuclear weapons create great fireballs and mushroom clouds.
But already as far back as the Bible, Samson fought with fire against the Philistines.
He caught 300 foxes, tied them tail to tail in pairs and put a lite torch between them and they ran terror and havoc through his enemy’s encampment.
By the time of the Greek and Roman Empires, they would use catapults to hurl pots or bundles of flaming materials at their enemies.
In the Movie, Gladiator, upon releasing these catapults, he orders: “Unleash Hell!”
During the Spanish Inquisition, the inquisitor and his henchman would force Jews and others to convert or face execution by fire in the auto-da-fe.
Again in the Salem Witch Hunts, they would burn suspected witches at the stake.
And in more recent times, in the War Against Terror, ISIS was shown in videos that went viral torching those they considered infidels.
The other night watching a movie, “Redbad,” there was a riveting scene, where the Franks pour accelerants on live pigs and then light them up with torches and send them darting like crazy into the enemy ranks and villages.
Fire for good or for evil, those flaming pigs, I will never forget. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
My first article in The Times of Israel.
I was struggling with what to say.
And then the words came pouring to me when I awoke at 4 am.
It comes from my heart, and I am grateful to G-d for bringing me to this time.
Hope you enjoy the article.
Andy
(Source Photo of Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I love this silver sculpture of Samson.
And one of my favorite stories and Biblical characters.
Samson was dedicated to G-d from birth and was an enormous warrior.
Even when he was betrayed, blinded, and bound, he maintained his ultimate faith in G-d.
He prayed that he be given the strength one more time to bring justice to G-d’s enemies.
And that’s when he pushed against the pillars and brought the house down on them.
On one hand, a tragic figure that trusted and was fooled by the beautiful Delilah, but a completely heroic man of great integrity, who believed in G-d and in vanquishing his enemies.
Look to the Heavens for your strength and G-d can grant you the ultimate strength to achieve your mission in life and even in death. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So someone asked me a very deep personal question.
“If you had $20 million dollars and could do whatever you want (be whoever you want), what would that be?”
I was on the spot a little and didn’t have time to introspect the way I like to do, and I gave an answer that I really wasn’t happy with…and it’s been bothering me since.
So sitting down now and really thinking about who I want to be–this is my real answer:
As a composite person, I want to have the:
– Lovingkindness of Mother Teresa
– Serenity of the Dalai Lama
– Spirituality of Moses
– Determination of Rocky
– Leadership of Rick Grimes
– Strength of Samson
– Agility of Bruce Lee
– Intellect of Sigmund Freud
– Understanding of Albert Einstein
– Ingenuity of Steve Jobs
– Inquisitiveness of Capt. James T. Kirk
– Bravery of those martyred in the Holocaust
– Heroism of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu
– Beauty of my wife and daughters
– The integrity of my dear father, Fred Blumenthal
What would I want to do–just simple things like:
– Cure Cancer, Parkinsons, ALS, etc.
– Eliminate poverty
– Herald in world peace
– Help/comfort those that are hurt and suffering
– Make people smile/happy
– Be a good person with integrity in all situations
I could probably go on and on, but generally this is what life means to me.
Maybe today, I ain’t the smartest or fastest or strongest, but I have dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
If that isn’t good enough, well at least I have a heart and a soul. 😉
(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
OMG, so cool…the Back To The Future car.
It’s the DeLorean sports car on display by Smithsonian Magazine in Washington, D.C.
I love the winged doors that go up, the cool muscle body, and of course being able to time travel.
The past–I’d like to stroll through the Garden of Eden, witness the splitting of the Red Sea and the giving of Ten Commandments, see Samson bring down the pillars on the Philistines, meet King David and worship at the Holy temple, shake hands with Ben-Gurion, and talk with and hug my parents and grandparents again.
For the future…its got to include space travel to other worlds, the eradication of disease and hunger (and by the way the national debt too), and the coolest technology to do everything. 😉
(Source Photo: Minna Blumenthal)
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