SITAATTI: tilanteesta tänään 9.10.2014 A.D: )Israelin aikaa 15 päivä ensimmäistä kuuta (Tishrey) vuonna 5775. Tuvie Brodien artikkeli. Alleviivaan tummalla tapahtumat.
By Tuvia Brodie
10/8/2014, 5:10 PM
Our daily news headlines are filled with dread for
Israel.
Arabs riot on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site (“Rioters
hole up in mosque amid violent Temple Mount melee”,
The Times of Israel,
October 8, 2014).
During July-August, 2014, Arabs attacked Jews in
Jerusalem more than 150 times (“'Silent Intifada' Rages in Jerusalem”,
israel today,
September 17, 2014). The mayor of Jerusalem fears for the future
(“Barkat Tells Netanyahu Jerusalem's 'Silent Intifada' Must End”,
Arutz Sheva, October 3, 2014).
The
West threatens Israel. It acts as if it’s about to join the
‘Palestinian cause’ in earnest (“Sweden to recognize state of Palestine
as US, EU leaders criticize Israel’s new settlement plan”,
wtfrly.com, October 3, 2014).
Israel feels backed into a corner (“Israel alarmed at Sweden's plan to recognize Palestinian state”,
Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2014). Its position on the international stage erodes (“Sweden’s recognition of Palestine will license activists”,
mondoweiss,
October7, 2014). Israel fears that the EU is preparing to tell Israel,
‘we don’t care about negotiations anymore; we just want a ‘Palestine’;
and if you don’t agree to that, we’ll use sanctions against you
(“Swedish Recognition of 'Palestine' - A Sign of Things to Come?”,
Arutz Sheva, October 7, 2014).
Israel is cornered. It has no friends. The entire world seems to gather to demonize and criminalize the Jewish State.
What’s going on here?
Tomorrow
morning, October 9, 2014, Jews around the world will get a look at the
answer to this question. Tomorrow morning, Jews who go to synagogue
services for the Holiday we call,
Succot, will read a
Haftorah portion
from Zecharyahu (1:1-24). In that Haftorah, the prophet
Zecharyahu appears to reference today’s headlines: he describe a war
prompted by nations who gather together to attack Israel.
Isn’t that what your headlines are about?
Using
the poetry of prophesy, Zecharyahu presents a scenario that is familiar
to all who read the news. He describes the day
the nations of the world
will attack Jerusalem.
Our Sages teach that the war Zecharyahu
describes contains sometimes-obscure language. They are uncertain how
literally we should take his words. His words might be metaphor (see
The Midrash Says on the Weekly Haftaros, Volume 5, Book of Devarim, Rabbi Moshe Weissman, Bnay Yakov, publications, 2003, p 427).
Our headline news stories aren’t metaphor
. In real time, they echo Zecharayhu’s words.
The
nations of the world attack Israel. They attack Jerusalem. They want to
see Jerusalem divided. They want to see East Jerusalem (at the very
least) to be taken from the Jews. They want that to be the capital of
the new Arab ‘Palestine’.
Judaism’s holiest site, the Temple
Mount, is in East Jerusalem.
The Arabs have already declared that there
will be no ‘Israelis’ (Jews) in their new ‘Palestine’ (“Abbas: There
Will be No Israelis in 'Palestine'”,
Arutz Sheva, July 30,
2014). If Israel is forced to give up East Jerusalem, Jews will forever
be sealed off from their holiest religious site, just as they had been
between 1948-1967, after Jordan had seized and occupied all of East
Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount.
The nations don’t care about Judaism’s holiest site. They don’t care about a Jewish Jerusalem. They don’t care about Israel.
They care about the ‘Palestinian cause’. They care about attacking Israel. They want to see the Arabs get ‘their Jerusalem’.
The
war in Zecharyahu marks the beginning of the Final Jewish Redemption.
It’s a war that will be led by Gog UMagog, which our Heritage translates
as ‘the leader Gog from the nation of Magog’ (see
Avodau Zarah,
3b, the ArtScroll edition). The words ‘Gog UMagog’ do not appear in
this Haftorah. But most commentaries agree that this text refers to Gog
from Magog (
The Midrash Says, ibid, p. 428).
Gog is a leader who creates a coalition of nations to attack the Jewish State (see
Yechezkel,
the ArtScroll edition, Chapter 38:2, Note 2). He comes from a land far
from Israel (ibid). According to our Sages, that land could be modern
Germany, Iran, Turkey, Russia—or someplace west of Russia (ibid).
More
than one commentary teaches that the chief ally of Gog will be Edom,
the irreconcilable enemy of Israel (ibid). As you may know, in our
Heritage, Edom is typically identified as ‘The Christian West’.
‘Gog’ will enlist the Christian West and the Arab to attack Israel.
Sound familiar?
Do you think Gog UMagog is a metaphor for the UN?
In
Tanach, ‘Gog’ appears as a powerful leader who creates a coalition of
nations to come to Israel—either physically or diplomatically, or
both—to ‘attack’ Israel and Jerusalem. In some way, he will be connected
to Edom—the West (the US?). The fighting force which will attack Israel
will come primarily from Persia (Iran) and Ishmael (the Arab).
Can
you picture that happening? Can you picture an American President so
disgusted with Israel that he decides not to defend Israel at the UN?
Can you picture such a President then being asked by the UN to form a
coalition to advance against Israel—for peace?
This picture of
Edom (the West) joining with Ishmael (the Arab) to attack the Jewish
state doesn’t just appears in our Tanach—primarily in
Zecharyahu, Yechezkel and
Daniel. It also appears in our Midrashic commentary (ibid, Note 2)--and in our headlines.
We are reminded of this—the poetic prophecy and our daily headlines—when we read King David’s
Tehillim (Psalms), who wrote the following words in Psalm 83:
“behold,
Your foes are in uproar and those who hate You have raised their head.
Against Your nation [Israel] they plot deviously. They take counsel [the
UN?] against those sheltered by You. They said, ‘Come, let us cut them
off from nationhood, so Israel’s name will not be remembered
anymore!’[the Hamas and PLO Charters]. For they take counsel together
unanimously, they strike a covenant against You [the UN vote for
‘Palestinian’ statehood]—[they include] the tents of Edom [the West] and
Ishmaelites [the Arab], of Moab, and Hagrites, Geval and Ammon and
Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre”.
That’s a coalition
of nations come together to destroy Israel. Many today who seek to
dismantle G-d’s Jewish Israel descend in some way from this ancient
coalition. Once again, they join together to plot deviously against
Israel.
The G-d of Israel has a Jewish Story for you to see. It’s a Story that focuses on Israel.
This Story will unfold in history. You will see it unfold through the headlines you read every day.
In the end, you’ll see who is Gog UMagog. You’ll find out what’s metaphor, what isn’t. You read the prophecy-in-the-news.
Whose side will you be on when the G-d of Israel rescues Jewish Israel?
Chag Someach.
