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Man and Himself
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
September 9, 2024, California, USA
As is my tradition when I come to California, I contact my teachers and friends. Wherever I go I honor my teachers. As such I contacted Rabbi Block, whom I have known since my college days at UCLA, more than 42 years. We go back along way. This is a man who is largely responsible for the phenomenal growth of Jewish life in "The Valley", he is the Mr. Miyagi of the Jewish people. Today the Valley has a full Jewish life, but it was not this way back in the early 1970's when Rabbi Block arrived.
We met for prayers at the academy/synagogue, the names of my father and some aunts are still on the walls, honored and remembered. Rabbi Block honored by giving me a rare volume of Jewish wisdom, and he took me out for breakfast. For the rabbi to take me out for breakfast, rather than the other way around, is an honor of which I do not feel worthy. As is our custom we reminisced but more than that we shared words of Torah, stories and lessons or rabbis long since gone from this life, as well as new thoughts and new insight, as the Bible is the most relevant of all books ever written and can still be applied to our everyday problems and issues.
Rabbi Block shared with me an insight which truly brightened my day, among many original thoughts he shared this morning. He said, generally the commandments of the Torah (Bible) can be divided into two categories; Those between Man and God, his creator and those between man and his fellow man.
Prayer, sacrifice, spiritual devotion, can be categorized as between Man and God. Charity, hospitality, community service, can be described as - Between Man and his fellow man. (Man of course includes women, there is no difference in this regard).
But Rabbi Block pointed out that there are areas that do not fall in either of those two categories, so there must be a third category, but what is it? That, he said, was between man and himself.
Think of this idea; man has obligations towards God, man has obligations towards his fellow man, but man also has obligations towards himself. There are things a people must do for themselves in order for the world to function in the proper way. Before an individual can contribute to society, he must know himself, he must come to know who he is, his place in this world. He must understand himself.
In this generation in particular we find many young people who are lost, they cannot answer the question - Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I fit in with the Greater Plan? This is a religious obligation, to know thyself, you have obligations towards yourself, as well as to mankind and the great Divine.
Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.
Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz
What is the cultural background of Krav Maga? What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?
What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?
What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?
How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?
All that and more in this unique book.
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