ROD

Rod is a term that comes from the Latin language and refers to a cane , a staff , a branch or an elongated stick . For example: "Go find some sticks so we can light the fire" , "Surrounded by the wolves, the young man took a stick with the intention of driving them away" , "With the help of a stick, the woman managed to reach the bag . "

A stick can be a branch that is extracted from a tree and from which the leaves, flowers and stems are removed. The sticks can be used to build a fire , make marks on the ground, or hit someone. They can also be used as support to move more safely and firmly.

In the Bible , on the other hand, the rod is named as an instrument that allows people to be punished. Wands that are magical elements are also mentioned , as is the case with the wands that Moses and Aaron possessed .

In the Old Testament, Moses carried a rod with which he could perform miracles. God let him know that this instrument would allow him to carry out prodigious acts, and thus he could fulfill his mission. One of these acts consisted in transforming the rod into a snake , something that Moses demonstrated in front of his people to gain their trust.

Later, he went with Aaron to visit the monarch and played the aforementioned trick , but this time the serpent swallowed the magicians' rods . It was with this same piece of wood that Moses turned the water into blood, drew a legion of locusts, and parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the Israelis could escape from Pharaoh's army. He also used it to draw water from a rock, and thus quench the thirst of his people.

As mentioned in a previous paragraph, Aaron also had a rod that played a very important role in the Bible. Like that of Moses, it had the power to perform miracles . It all started when God ordered Moses to take a dry stick from the almond trees of each tribe and place them in the Tabernacle (the itinerant sanctuary created on Mount Sinai for Yavheh); the only one that flourished was Aaron's.

Various ancient officials carried a staff as a symbol of authority . For this reason, added to the biblical tradition, the rods are currently associated with orders , mandates or punishments : “The governor threatened to use the rod against the wayward mayors” , “In this house, I have the rod: I recommend you that you pay attention to me ” .

The rod as an instrument of punishment has been used since time immemorial in various contexts, from educational to military, and this custom is maintained in some parts of the world. For example, it is used to whip criminals as punishment for certain offenses, but also to discipline students in reformatory schools.

As part of a proper name, El Tío la Vara is a character in the Spanish comedy program La hora de José Mota. It is about a hero named Eladio Guardiola, born in Alcafrán in 1958. When he was little, his father gave him a rod with the aim of using it to eliminate stupidity from the world, and then Eladio began to train . Like the rest of the sections of the program, the plot and jokes of El Tío la Vara belong to the absurd.

Finally, Rod was the name of a unit of length equal to three feet . Because the measurement of the foot varied according to the region , the rod could measure 0.278635 meters , 0.768 meters or 0.835905 meters , to name a few possibilities.