One of the great challenges and successes of Moshe Rabbeinu was his victory over Og the giant. The Medrash relates that Og was actually a massive pre-Mabul (Flood) human who survived the Mabul and had also sought the demise of Avrohom Avinu, similar to Og's threat to Moshe and Bnei Yisroel hundreds of years later. (See Rashi on Bereshis 14:13.)

Why does Og surface at these junctures, whereas we hear nothing about him during other periods of his long existence?

As was explained in previous divrei Torah in this series, pre-Mabul Man was on a quite lofty spiritual plane - or so was he designed. Pre-Mabul Man had great longevity (seeming to be eternal, as a holy being), was vegetarian, and spoke L'shon Ha-Kodesh, the Sacred Tongue. After the Mabul, Man became more earthy and mundane, experiencing a shorter life-span (as do animals) and eating meat. The world changed entirely, with fixed seasons and a natural order.

Og was a remnant of once-exalted pre-Mabul Man, whose existence was superior to that of his post-Mabul counterpart. Og was a vestige of past glory, a living embodiment of God's design for perfect Man before the Mabul. None could compete or be considered parallel with Og, for Man subsequent to his generation was doomed to live on a mundane plane.

This all changed with the emergence of Avrohom Avinu, through whom the Shechinah was again manifest in the world and who restored God's desire to dwell among humanity. Avrohom was perfected Man, carrying through where Man left off upon his descent at the time of the Mabul, raising the human experience to a holy plane once again.

Moshe took Avrohom's message a step further, for Moshe ascended spiritual heights to communicate intimately with Hashem and became sanctified as no man had done since the time of Adam prior to his sin.

Og's unique status was challenged and surpassed by Avrohom and Moshe, and it is for this reason that we read of Og's specific conflicts with these great leaders, who embodied perfected Man once more.
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'And Hashem said to Avram: ...and I will bless you...' (Bereshis 12:1-2). Rashi quotes from Medrash Rabbah (39:11) that this blessing was a monetary one: 'And I will bless you - with money.'

Why did Hashem promise Avrohom money? It seems so unholy and irrelevant to what Avrohom Avinu represents.

We find throughout Sefer Bereshis that the Avos (Patriarchs) were extremely effective in carrying forth their mandates and protecting the fledgling Jewish nation. Avrohom preached the message of monotheism to the masses, Yitzchak fortified and built upon Avrohom's accomplishments, and Yaakov established the permanent groupings, qualities and structure of Bnei Yisroel. This all required capital, planning, diplomacy and successful emergence from numerous conflicts.

Avrohom in particular required the necessary assets for his lifestyle of extreme benevolence and his traveling spiritual campaign. Hashem's blessing of money was precisely to promote Avrohom's quest to spread God's message and be effective at it. This is the role and meaning of Hashem's monetary blessing to Avrohom.

In order to be a successful rebbe (teacher of Torah) or rav (rabbi), one must possess not only knowledge; he must also possess the skills of communication. In order to be an effective prophet, one must not only receive divine visions; he must have the skills to deliver the visions' messages and interpretations.

'Maaseh Avos siman la-banim' - 'The experiences of the Avos are an eternal example and lesson for their descendants.' This does not merely refer to the ideas and values of the Avos; it also refers to the effective methodology by which these ideas and values were put into action and perpetuated. Let us truly emulate the Avos and accomplish our goals in Torah and mitzvos by obtaining and utilizing the necessary and appropriate tools for success, with Hashem's will.