G-d has an active presence in the world. Sometimes, with our human arrogance, we attempt to explain away the events of history, fail to recognise the miraculous nature of our survival, or deny the divine hand in our everyday existence.
Three years after the remnant of Europe's Jews emerged from the crematoria of Europe, months after a vote in the UN, weeks after the collective forces of six enemy countries grouped to destroy the tiny Yishuv in the Mandate Palestine, the Jewish people prevailed and re-created the Jewish Commonwealth of Israel, the restoration of independence lost 2,000 years previously.
19 years later, faced once again with the collective aggression of our enemies, the young country triumphed, and the City of Jerusalem, the City of Dovid, Shlomo, Ezra and Nechemia, was resorted to Jewish sovereignty.
Sometimes, we need to step back and see patterns of miracles. Not to recognise these is not to see the hand of the Ribbono Shel Olam in this world.
Below I highlight 10 prophecies that are coming true as I write these words. To be sure, there are many many more as any student of Tanach could see. Over the years I posted some of these.
The following was gleaned from an article in Ha'Mizrachi written by Rabbi Doron Perez.
讜拽讘爪讱 诪讻诇 讛注诪讬诐 讗砖专 讛驻讬爪讱 讛' 讗-诇拽讬讱 砖诪讛
(讚讘专讬诐 诇:讙)
"and He will gather you in from all the nations to which He the L-rd has scattered you (there)"
Perhaps the greatest miracle of all!
In 1840, there were 6,000 Jews living in the Land of Israel. By 1917, that number grew to 60,000. When the State was declared in 1948, there were 600,000. And today there are over 6.7 million Jews living in Israel! The Jewish population in the Land of Israel climbed from being 1% of world Jewry to 6% in 1948, to almost half of all Jews in the world today.
The Ingathering of the Exiles is perhaps a greater miracle than the Exodus from Egypt!
Firstly, the Exodus came after 210 years of slavery, whereas the return to modern Israel happened after almost 2,000 years. Secondly, all the Israelites came out of one country whereas in the modern era, Jews came from over 100 countries. Thirdly, in Egypt all Jews lived in one confined, culturally segregated ghetto in Goshen, speaking only Hebrew, whereas Israel has seen the return of Jews from every cultural, political and ideological background, speaking over 80 different languages somehow forged into one functional society.
(based on an insight of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Chajes, Maharatz Chayot, Writings 1:74, regarding the nature of the future Redemption.)
2. The Spiritual Alchemy between a Land and a People馃嚠馃嚤
讜讛砖诪转讬 讗谞讬 讗转 讛讗专抓 讜砖诪诪讜 注诇讬讛 讗讬讘讬讻诐
(讜讬拽专讗 讻讜:诇讘)
"I will make the Land desolate, and your adversaries will be desolate on it"
Following the Roman conquest in 70CE, the Land of Israel was conquered by 14 different empires over 1,900 years. As G-d had foretold, the Land remained barren to its conquerors despite repeated attempts to make it flourish- as the Land itself was pledging fidelity to her children, awaiting their return.
(See RambanVayikra 26:15)
In 1867, Mark Twain famously described the land he saw as 'a desolation...repulsive and dreary.. with hardly a tree or shrub anywhere... a land covered in sackcloth and ashes."
Until of course, the return of the Jews.
3. Land Blossomed Only Once its Children Returned馃嚠馃嚤
讜讗转诐 讛专讬 讬砖专讗诇 注谞驻讻诐 转转谞讜 讜驻专讬讻诐 转砖讗讜 诇注诪讬 讬砖专讗诇
(讬讞讝拽讗诇 诇讜:讞)
"But you, O mountains of Israel, sprout your branches and give forth your fruits for My people Israel"
As the Jewish people returned to the Land, the Land responded in return. The desert has become an oasis and the desolations blessing. Israel quickly started developing innovative agricultural expertise and water conservation technologies. The returning Jews have now planted over 250 million trees and Israel is the only nation on earth that entered the 21st century with more trees than a century earlier. It boasts more than 300 wineries and its wine, fruits and other products are exported all over the world.
(R' Abba sees the fulfilment of this verse as the greatest single sign of the Redemption, Sanhedrin 98a)
4. Renewal of the Hebrew Language馃嚠馃嚤
讻讬 讗讝 讗讛驻讱 讗诇 注诪讬诐 砖驻讛 讘专讜专讛
(爪驻谞讬讛 讙:讟)
"For then I will change the nations [to speak] one clear language"
When the first pioneers returned to Israel, Hebrew was not a spoken language. No Jewish community and not one Jewish family spoke to their children in Hebrew. Hebrew was a language of prayer, Torah and scholarship. Even Herzl, despite his broad vision fo a return to Zion, did not believe Hebrew could be revived. Miraculously, Hebrew has become the lingua franca in Israel and is the only language in recorded history to have been revived by a people as their spoken language.
(The Ibn Ezra says the language is Hebrew)
5. Revival of the Torah World馃嚠馃嚤
讻讬 诪爪讬讜谉 转爪讗 转讜专讛 讜讚讘专 讛' 诪讬专讜砖诇讬诐
(讬砖注讬讛 2:3)
"For out of Zion shall go forth Torah and The word of G-d from Jerusalem"
In the early years of the State, you could have put all yeshiva students into a small hall. At the zenith of Lithuanian Jewry, no more than 3,000 people were studying Torah full time. In Israel today, there are close to 200,000 men and women engaged fully in Torah learning in traditional yeshivas, kollilm, hesder yeshivot, and more. Arguably, there are more people learning Torah in Israel today than at any other time in Jewish history .
6. Economic Prosperity馃嚠馃嚤
讜讛讘讬讗讱 讛' 讗-诇拽讬讱 讗诇 讛讗专抓 ...讜讛讬讟讘讱 讜讛专讘讱 诪讗讘转讬讱
(讚讘专讬诐 诇:讛)
"And the L-rd your G-d will bring you to the Land...and will benefit you and make you more numerous than your forefathers"
The Jewish population in Israel has increased 10 times since 1948 and its economy has doubled 40 times! According to "The Economist" Israel has doubled its GDP in the past decade alone, a world record. According to Bloomberg, Israel's economic stability ranks third in the world!
But when it comes to cows....we rank number one..read on
7. A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey馃嚠馃嚤
讜讬转谉 诇谞讜 讗转 讛讗专抓 讛讝讗转 讗专抓 讝讘转 讞诇讘 讜讚讘砖
(讚讘专讬诐 讻讜:讟)
"And He gave us this land, a Land flowing with milk and honey"
The average Israeli cow produces 12,000 litres of milk per year. That is highest in the world, more than countries such as the US and Holland, which are renowned for their dairy production. Even the cows in Israelare holy!
"Honey" refers to date honey, and the large, sweet dates from the Jordan Valley are among the finest in the world.
8. The Building of Jerusalem馃嚠馃嚤
驻专讝讜转 转砖讘 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 诪专讘 讗讚诐
(讝讻专讬讛 讘:讞)
"Jerusalem will be settled beyond its walls, because of the multitude of people"
Jerusalem is the beating heart of Israel. For centuries, Jerusalem was off limits for Jews. Zecharia envisioned Jerusalem's population growing so large that its walls would not accommodate its inhabitants. Until 150 years ago, this seemed impossible. In 1860, Jews began moving beyond the walls and Jerusalem today is home to over 900,000 inhabitants 600,000 of them are Jews!
9. A Source of Global Blessing and Wisdom馃嚠馃嚤
讜谞讘专讻讜 讘讱 讻诇 诪砖驻讞讜转 讛讗讚诪讛
(讘专讗砖讬转 讬讘:讙)
"And all nations on earth will be blessed through you"
Global advancements in the sciences, medicine, agriculture and high tech have Israel's fingerprints all over them, Jews the world over have won a disproportionate number of Nobel Prizes in an array of fields, and Israelis have won more than the Chinese, despite China having more than 150 times Israel's population. Israel has the largest concentration of start-ups per capita anywhere in the world, ensuring its innovations are a source of blessing to all humanity.
10.Standing Proud Among the Nations and the Abraham Accords
讜专讗讜 讙讜讬诐 爪讚拽讱 讜讻诇 诪诇讻讬诐 讻讘讜讚讱 讜拽专讗 诇讱 砖诐 讞讚砖
(讬砖注讬讛 住讘:讘)
"Nations will see your righteousness, and all the kings your honour, and you will be called by a new name"
The development of Israel's foreign relations during the last 30 years is staggering. The number of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel has doubled from 80 to 160. Recently, the Abraham Accords have demolished barriers which previously seemed impenetrable, and Israel has been able to turn foes into friends.
Israel's achievements are astounding, whether in science or study, technology or Torah, nation-building or universal blessing. What is even more astounding is that the destiny of this country seems less about politics and more about prophecy. Israel is not a new 73-year-old phenomenon but a reincarnation of an ancient one. A modern saga clearly foretold by our Biblical seers, who saw Jewish history and Israel as a pivotal piece in the fulfilment of Jewish destiny and the progress of human civilization.
THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIM
You forgot one...
ReplyDeleteOid yeshvu zkeinim uzkeinois birchovois yerushalayim...as per the famous MBD song
注讜ֹ讚 讬ֵ砖ְׁ讘讜ּ, 讝ְ拽ֵ谞ִ讬诐 讜ּ讝ְ拽ֵ谞讜ֹ转
ReplyDelete.讘ִּ专ְ讞ֹ讘讜ֹ转 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ָ讬ִ诐
,讜ְ讗ִ讬砖ׁ 诪ִ砖ְׁ注ַ谞ְ转ּ讜ֹ 讘ְּ讬ָ讚讜ֹ
.诪ֵ专ֹ讘, 诪ֵ专ֹ讘 讬ָ诪ִ讬诐
讜ּ专ְ讞ֹ讘讜ֹ转 讛ָ注ִ讬专 讬ִ诪ָּ诇ְ讗讜ּ
,讬ְ诇ָ讚ִ讬诐 讜ִ讬诇ָ讚讜ֹ转 诪ְ砖ַׂ讞ֲ拽ִ讬诐
讬ְ诇ָ讚ִ讬诐 讜ִ讬诇ָ讚讜ֹ转 诪ְ砖ַׂ讞ֲ拽ִ讬诐
.讘ִּ专ְ讞ֹ讘ֹ转ֶ讬讛ָ