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Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Interpreting Recent Events: The Prophetic Connection

HT: Yaak

This article just appeared in the Jerusalem Post.

by Mark Fish


The Torah passages and Israel's holidays are full of important messages that are relevant and empower our day-to-day lives. Rabbi Shai Tahan, head of the Sha'arei Ezra community and head of the Arzi HaLebanon teaching house, opens the gates for us to understand these messages, from their source, in a clear way. This week - Interpreting Recent Events: The Prophetic Connection 

There are a few passages in the Torah and other sources that deal with prophecies regarding the time of Mashiach's arrival. Never before in history have these prophecies appeared so relevant to current events. These sources are truly fascinating, and when you read them, it feels as if you are perusing today's news. 

I would like to explore some of these prophecies to illustrate this point. The first prophecy of the Geulah (redemption) is mentioned in the words of the prophet Bilaam. Bilaam speaks in Hashem's name three times, and in his final prophecy, he describes what will happen before Mashiach arrives

Bilaam Prophecy: 

To understand Bilaam's divine words, we must identify the key players he mentions. Here are the nations mentioned in his prophecy: Kayin represents Ishmael- the Muslims (Rabenu Bechayey, Bamidbar 24, 23), Kitim refers to the descendants of the Roman Empire (Ramban 24,22), who represent the Christians, and Ever signifies the Jewish people. Now, let's delve into the meanings of these verses: Bilaam starts, "אראנו ולא עתה" which means "I see him, but not now", The Ramban and Rabenu Bechayey explain that this is a prophecy regarding the arrival of the Mashiach which will take place in the distance future. 

The passage continues with the line "דרך כוכב מיעקב" signifying the Mashiach, who will unify all Jewish people in the Land of Israel (according to Ramban). Additionally, "וקרקר כל בני שת" alludes to the Mashiach's dominion over the entire world, as interpreted by Unkelus. 

Recognizing that this is a prophecy about the end of days, let's now delve into the events that are anticipated to unfold.

The following verse addresses Kayin, who represents Ishmael, with the phrase "איתן מושבך" signifying "strong is your dwelling." Rashi, Ramban, and Sforno elucidate that, during this period, Ishmael will coexist in the Land of Israel alongside the Jewish people. 

It is in this context that Bilaam exclaims, "אוי מי יחיה משמו אל" - Bilaam wept when he foresaw how Ishmael would cause great destruction while burning things, possibly meaning burning people alive. He questioned who would be able to survive such harsh and cruel events. (Rabenu Bechayey) 

Consistent with this interpretation, Chazal (סנהדרין צח,ב) expressed their longing for the arrival of the Mashiach while also acknowledging their hesitancy to live in that generation due to the extraordinary suffering it would bring. 

The passage continues וצים מיד כיתים, and Rashi explains that the word "צים" means a massive ship ספינה גדולה-כדכתיב וציר אדיר which come to the battle on the shore of the land of Israel. This ship most probably is the Aircraft carrier which is the largest warship in the world, with a length of 333 meters, a width of 78 meters, and a height of 76 meters, of which 40 are submerged in the water. The USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier, is accompanied by a missile cruiser and four missile destroyers. This fleet, along with the aircraft carrier, represents the United States' immense naval power. 

The carrier's impressive size enables it to accommodate a versatile aircraft fleet of up to 90 units, encompassing fifth-generation F-35s, F/A-18 Super Hornets, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, MH-60R/S helicopters, and a variety of UAVs. To effectively execute all operations on board the carrier, it requires a dedicated crew of over 4,500 personnel. Additionally, this carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors and features four shafts for propulsion.Aircraft carriers continue to be the centerpiece of the forces necessary for operating forward. In times of crisis, the first question leaders ask is: "Where are the carriers?" 

Thus often the presence of an aircraft carrier has deterred potential adversaries from striking against U.S. interests.

The verse states that the ship will come, "מיד כיתים" As we've mentioned before, "Kitim" is associated with the Christian force, resembling the contemporary empire, which is reminiscent of America in our era. Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel proposes that this formidable ship will embark from Italy. But the question arises: why would an American ship set sail from Italy? 

It's remarkably intriguing that the carrier made a scheduled port visit to Trieste, Italy just a month ago. It almost seems divinely orchestrated to fulfill Bilaam's prophecy.


Unveiling Gemara's Prophetic Insights: 

The Future of Rome, Edom, and Ishmael: It is noteworthy that among all the nations in the world, the Gemara highlights two rival forces that will emerge as dominant empires in the end of days: America (which are Rome, as previously explained), and its allies, and Persia (Iran) and its allies. 

Let's explore how the Gemara understands the events of the end of days. Within the Gemara (יומא י,א), two differing opinions emerge regarding the ultimate fate of the Romans. Some suggest that in the end of days, the Romans will fall under the control of the Iranians (Persians), while others argue the opposite. The Gemara ultimately concludes that it will be the Iranians who will succumb to the Romans, leading to Roman dominion over the world for a period of 9 months. 

Tosafot (עבודה זרה ג,א) provide further insight, explaining that the Persians will maintain their own empire until just before the appearance of the Mashiach. At that point, Rome will conquer them.

The Zohar Prophecy: 

The following holy words from the Zohar (סוף פרשת וארא דף לב,א) vividly depict the events unfolding in our time: "And in the future, the descendants of Ishmael will incite great wars in the world. The descendants of Edom will gather against them, and they will wage three battles: one at sea, one on land, and one near Jerusalem. They will rule over each other, but the Holy Land will not be handed over to the descendants of Edom. 

At that time, a great nation will arise from the ends of the world against Rome. They will engage in battle for three months, and many nations will gather with them. They will defeat them until all the descendants of Edom from all corners of the world are assembled against them. Then Hashem will rise against them, as it is written, 'For He has a sacrifice in Bozrah.' Afterward, He will seize the wings of the earth and eliminate the descendants of Ishmael from the land."


Gog U’Magog. The final war

Finally, let's explore how Yechezkl's (פרק לח) famous prophecy of Gog and Magog unfolds. 

The Malbim explains that Gog and Magog represent two global coalitions that will emerge in the end of days. One coalition comprises the descendants of Ishmael, while the other is the Rome coalition. Both will eventually find themselves in conflict on the shores of the Land of Israel. 

According to the Malbim's interpretation, the verse (פסוק ה) suggests that the leader of one coalition would be Iran, guiding the Ishmael's coalition, with other nations joining them. The Malbim refers to them as the "מהול" circumcised like the Muslims, while the other coalition comprises those who are not "מהולים" uncircumcised, akin to the Christians. 

The verses continue (פסוק ז’ במלבים) to suggest that when the Muslims instigate a major terrorist attack, Edom (referring to America) will intervene to aid and subdue the Arabs. However, the situation will escalate as the Arabs turn against Edom in retaliation. Ultimately, Hashem's intervention will be provoked. This will result in a cataclysmic event, described as reaching far and affecting even the birds and the fish, possibly signifying an unconventional and highly destructive form of warfare.


A Beacon of Hope, Israel's Unshaken Destiny: 

The Yalkut Shimoni (ישעיהו רמז תצט) reveals the fate of the nation of Israel during a time when all other empires are embroiled in a global conflict: 

Rabbi Yitzhak said, "In the year when the King Messiah reveals himself, all the kings of the world are in conflict with one another. The king of Persia (Iran) provokes the king of Arabia, and the king of Arabia goes to Edom (Rome) for advice. The king of Persia returns and destroys the entire world. All the nations of the world are in turmoil and distress. Israel is in turmoil and distress and asks, 'Where shall we go? Where shall we go?' And He says to them, 'My children, do not fear. All that I have done, I have done only for your sake. Why are you afraid? The time for your redemption has come. And there is no need to fear. In that time, Hashem will reveal the light of the Messiah and the light of Israel, as it is said, 'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of God has shone upon you' (Isaiah 60:1).

 "And the rest of the world will be in darkness, and they will go to the light of the Messiah and Israel, as it is said, 'And nations will go by your light' (Isaiah 60:3). And they will fall on their faces before the Messiah and Israel, and they will say to them, 'We will be slaves to you. Each one of you will have two thousand eight hundred slaves,' as it is said, 'And it shall come to pass that when the Lord shall have mercy on you, He will say, "Set up road markers for yourself" (Zechariah 8:23). 

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel

31 comments:

  1. Link to original https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-768837

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  2. If there is a “9 months”, does this mean we have to wait 9 months from simchas torah until Moshiach arrives?

    -Shalom

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    1. The NWO locked down the entire world for exactly 9 months - March 11, 2020 til. December 11, ,2020. They extended their power over the whole world and then slowly, slowly lost that control.

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  3. I guess that depends on when Hashem began this chevlei Moshiach. This could just be a major contraction towards the end. It's part of the unknown, although people are putting theories forward.

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    1. You mean that we might be at the end of the 9 months and Moshiach might arrive this chodesh?

      -Shalom

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  4. We are told to expect Moshiach every day. Anything can happen. No-one knows when Moshiach will arrive, but everyone feels this is Gog u Magog. We can't be too far away.

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    1. I remember many people saying during the gulf war in 1990 and 1991 that it was gog u’magog…

      -Peretz

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    2. I keep telling people Mashiach is already here and he's going through this with us. He just hasn't been identified as such.

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  5. As those of us who have given birth can attest, those contractions right before they tell us we can push are the most intense. But once we can push and that baby comes out, there's nothing but bliss! B'ezrat Hashem, we are in those final contractions!

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  6. It definitely feels that Moshiach will be revealed very soon, today I hope. Prophecies fulfilled, and many rabbonim saying so. Every generation has its ketz, so there were quite a few times when it was thought Moshiach would come going back to Bar Kochba at least. Obviously with every passing day we are closer to Moshiach. What is happening in Israel is unprecedented, both the atrocities, and the outpouring of chesed and tshuva. This is not 'just another war'.

    I don't think that we have to 'deserve' the geula, as in be perfect tsadikim (and when Moshiach comes even the tsadikim will make tshuva), but we do have to want it. The more of us who want it, demand it, lidrosh et hageula, the greater the hitorerut shel mata.

    In Israel, many businesses etc are giving out messages of support, 'in the hope for yamim yafim', (in contrast to the usual hope for 'sheket') the geula will indeed be 'yamim yafim' (beautiful days).

    L.L.

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    1. There was always chesed and teehuva. You just wouldn’t have seen it the way you see it now because the internet didn’t exist during the last big war- the Yom Kippur war in 1973. They said Moshiach was coming back then too.

      -Rochel

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  7. Tsaddik Rav Berland is saying this year will be the year of Geula BH.
    https://youtu.be/urKTTbTN4HA?si=vxHgSQR2_128F5WA

    —Moshe

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  8. That is silly if you think a few generations will pass without Moshiach! We all know Moshiach is about to arrive any day!!

    -Zahava

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  9. bs"d Hi Devorah. Tomer Devorah blog is no longer available???? is it just me? Was interested in reading the post regarding gedolim calling for a fast.... thank you for any updates.

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  10. It's still there Batya: http://palmtreeofdeborah.blogspot.com

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  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88X7M9hSom4

    From Yuval Ovadia's channel

    C S

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  12. bs"d thank you as always Devorah!!

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  13. "Rav Poretz, historian, said that it was ten times worse than the Shoah"

    I don't understand statements like this. Of course the slaughter on Oct 7th was horrific and barbaric beyond comprehension, but how can one day of carnage be ten times worse than the industrial murder-machine of the Nazis? I don't think it does any good to effectively minimize the unparalleled horrors of the Holocaust by claiming that Oct 7th was 10 times worse. Just my opinion.

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  14. The Shoah didn't happen overnight. Auschwitz wasn't built in a day. What happened on Simchat Torah was a day out of the Shoah, literally. This is no minimisation of the Shoah. Hamas -ISIS paralled the horrors of the Shoah, or surpassed, beheadings, people burnt alive in their homes, rape, etc, etc. There are still hundreds of bodies unidentifiable. No mercy for any Jew. If you live in Israel it's best not to read and see too much of what happened, because it is too nerve wracking. Otoh, if you don't realise what happened maybe you need to. Although it would be best not to as it is too traumatising. There are other things ....not everything can be said, but it's dire. We can't wait six months, we need the geula today.

    What I find disturbing is that we as Jews should be raising a huge tsaaka to Hashem for the geula. Are there really Jews who do not understand the depths of depravity of the Simchat Torah Shoah? This cannot become our new normal. Every day I wake up grateful to still be alive, but in disbelief at the nightmare we are living.

    L.L.

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  15. Zahava, not sure if your comment is in response to mine. We have to cry out for Moshiach so that we are truly the last generation. In Mitzrayim, it was the tsaaka that brought on the geula. Every generation had a moshiach and a ketz, that didn't materialise. We don't want to be a repeat of that and answerable to future generations. If these atrocities are not enough to stir us, Hashem yishmor.

    L.L.

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  16. rav yossef ben porat

    He is haredi, and an expert on the Shoah.

    L.L.

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  17. Btw, I know a rav who knows Rav Zizholtz shlita. He says you can't imagine what a huge tsadik he is.
    L.L.

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  18. I don’t understand Hebrew well. When does he say it will come by? If he says, “this is it” and to get our Geulah clothes, he probably doesn’t mean 6 months or a year away. What did he say in that part of the video? Hopefully he is referring to Moshiach arriving ANY DAY NOW and very possibly this chodesh.

    -Leah

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  19. Please Hashem bring Moshiach Achshav!

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  20. For Leah, Rav Zizholtz didn't give a specific time frame. He said that we are in the final stages, and to buy clothes for the geula, I think it was about the 22 min. mark. I'm sorry I'm too tired at the moment to give summaries and it's an hour long class. In any case, the more people in a case of tsaaka to Hashem for the geula, malchut hashem over the whole world, moshiach and beit hamikdashk (the Yanuka says these three things often) the better. Obviously, that is in addition to all the usual things we are supposed to be mitchazek in, and I might add bein adam lechavero, including not blaming the so-called non religious. Every observant person is privileged to be so. Not only should we not have an attitude of bekochi uveotsem yadi with respect to gashmiut, we shouldn't have it vis a vis ruchaniut.

    Every day without the geula shleima has become unbearable.

    L.L.



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  21. I totally agree with Anon. Oct.20th - regarding the Holocaust. As bad as Oct.7th was, and yes, it was BAD, how do you know for sure what the Germans & Ukrainians did to women/babies/geriatrics/others behind locked corridors? There have been excruciatingly horrific testimonials. And those are only the ones we know about. I personally was acquainted with a set of subjects from the Mengele twin experiments. There were also terrible tortures done by the Cossacks to pregnant women during the 17th century that were as bad as the Oct.7th pregnant victim(s). Fact is, history repeats itself.
    M.M.

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  22. Devorah, the site you just posted (Hamas in Torah) contradicts Yated's joy-of-clarity article. How does one reconcile the below contradictions?

    On the one hand, https://www.mayimachronim.com/hamas-in-the-torah/ states:
    Pesach seders in the future will recount not just the Exodus but also the salvation at the End of Days
    ...Another version: https://www-toratchabad-com.translate.goog/%D7%9B%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9A-%D7%9C%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99?_x_tr_sl=iw&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

    Yet on the other hand https://yated.com/the-joy-of-clarity/ states:
    Purim will live on for eternity as a day of joy and festivity. After the arrival of Moshiach, the other Yomim Tovim will no longer be celebrated, other than to be remembered as part of the golus past.
    Mishlei 9:2 - "All the festivals will be annulled in future time, except for Purim."

    So after Moshiach, will only Purim be celebrated, or Pesach too?
    M.M.

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  23. As far as I'm aware, we will only celebrate Purim, not Pesach.

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  24. Purim will be the only remaining festival celebrated in the future like we do now. I have two kids who dreamed about that happening in the future when they never heard of it.
    I believe Yom Kippur will be fazed out as we become more spiritual and there is no more sin because once we're like melachim, we won't need it. There will be a time when we don't need to eat, drink, sleep, procreate or take care of other bodily needs anymore. The halachot of Pesach won't be needed, we won't need to take chometz out of our homes or out of ourselves as it has spiritual meanings as well. We may have a seder recounting the miracles of the future because we are told there will be new holidays created to celebrate it in Moshiach's time. It doesn't seem to be that it will be full of halachot but more as a joyous celebration. Most of the mitzvot we do are there to better ourselves, repair sins and get closer to Hashem. After all of those things are achieved, there goes the need for most mitzvot, including the holiday ones. It may seem strange but think that if Adam Harishon didn't sin, we wouldn't need most of the mitzvot.
    -MEK

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  25. F/A-18 Super Hornets on the ships from Kittim reminds me -

    in the midrash called Shocher Tov looking at Tehillim Perek 112 verses 10-12...

    "All the nations surrounded me but in the name of the Lord I will cut them down. They surrounded me they encompassed me, but in the name of the Lord I will cut them down. They surrounded me like bees yet they shall be extinguished like fiery thorns in the Name of the Lord I will cut them down."

    Repeating same verse 3 times - 3 wars of Gog U'Magog. The third time (now?) Hashem went out and waged war like when Sancheriv came against Israel. Third time Hashem comes out to fight. Same point explained by the Malbim about Yechezkel.

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