Before he was battling Goliath or leading armies, David spent a lot of time alone in the desert. The midbar, the wilderness, can be a pretty intense place, but it’s also where heroes are forged. It was during this time, according to Legends of the Jews, that David’s incredible strength really came to the fore. We're not just talking about fending off a few stray dogs here. This is David taking on four lions and three bears... unarmed!
But the most incredible story of all involves a re'em. Now, the re'em is a bit of a mythical beast. Think of it as a super-sized, incredibly powerful wild ox. Some even translate it as a unicorn, though the image of David battling a unicorn seems a little… off.
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, David stumbles upon this massive re'em while it’s asleep. Mistaking it for a mountain (can you imagine?!), David starts climbing it. Suddenly, the re'em wakes up, and David finds himself stranded high in the air, clinging to its horns! Talk about a wake-up call.
In this moment of extreme peril, David does what he knows best: he turns to God. He makes a vow, a neder. If he is saved from this precarious situation, he promises to build a Temple to God that is one hundred amot (ells, a unit of measure) in height – as high as the horns of the re'em itself!
And then, things get even wilder. God sends a lion. Yes, a lion. But this isn't just any lion; this is the king of beasts, radiating an aura of raw power that even the mighty re'em can sense. The re'em, terrified, prostrates itself, giving David the chance to climb down.
Just when you think he’s safe, a deer appears, and the lion, naturally, gives chase. David is saved, not just from the re'em, but from the lion, too!
What does this story tell us? Is it just a tall tale meant to showcase David’s strength? Maybe. But I think it's more than that. It's a story about being humbled, about recognizing our limitations, and about turning to something greater than ourselves when we're faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. It’s also a reminder that even the most fearsome creatures can be awed by something even more powerful. And sometimes, salvation comes from the most unexpected places.