Earthquake Felt in Israel
An earthquake measuring 5.5 whose epicenter was around the Cyprus area was felt from Be'er Sheva to Tzefat.
In Israel, the Perasha read this week is Behar. The second verse of Behar contains:
The earthquake doesn't seem like much of a sabbath by the land until you see that the gematria of this phrase equals that of:וְשָׁבְתָה הָאָרֶץ, שַׁבָּת לַיהוָהthen shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD
I'm not sure how meaningful this is. I'm just thinking out loud...היה רעידת אדמה כ' אייר תשע"בThere was an earthquake 20 Iyar, 5772
posted by yaak @ 5/11/2012 04:39:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I was spending Shabbat with my son and his family in a caravan near the Dead Sea and felt it strongly. The whole house rocked back and forth like a boat for several seconds. Needless to say, those in stone houses didn't feel a thing.
I'm not from earthquake country so I was imnpressed. The only other one I've felt was also in Israel, in Jerusalem, but there was no shaking; just a rolling under my feet as if a sea monster had passed under the floor.
...but what does it mean that "Then the land shall keep a Sabbath?"
Yaak, According to Hebrew grammar, it should be היתה and not as you wrote. Totally skews the gematriah...
This was a think-out-loud post, so thanks all for your comments.
Leah, maybe when the earthquake was over??? (I know. A bit weak.) Or you can say that the Remez is the Pshat.
Rena, it seems to be valid usage, even if incorrect. In google, "היתה רעידת אדמה" brings up 36,900 results, while "היה רעידת אדמה" brings up 22,800 results. Note that google doesn't correct me when using it either.
On the other hand, if I use יהיה רעידת אדמה, google asks me if I mean תהיה רעידת אדמה.
I didn't feel a thing ... In Yerushalayim.
Maybe because we were at a Bris? At a covenant with HaShem.
Just thinking.
In Jerusalem, I felt it ALL!! At 9:50pm I was sitting in my kitchen w/my legs up on a chair. Suddenly, things started to rumble. At first, I couldn't think what it could possibly be. I thought "negative" since I live in Mizrach Yerushalayim, at the beginning of an Arab Kfar, with the view of Har HaZeitim, Old City, Western part of Jerusalem, etc. - total panoramic view.
Then, when a few seconds later, a stronger rumbling, which lasted longer than the first... ahha, I said to myself: an earthquake!
I knocked on my neighbor's door to ask if they felt it, they said NO. I asked if they were standing or sitting... they said sitting, but still didn't feel it. Now, how could that be?
Honestly, during the second rumbling, I was thinking to myself: ahh, this feels good, I hope it doesn't stop. YES, very strange thinking. But, it wasn't so strong as to knock cabinets down or things off of shelves, b"H.
Since we are in the days of Techiyas HaMeisim, according to some Mekubalim, perhaps some bodies are starting to roll towards Yerushalayim? Yeah, I know the epicenter was in the Mediterranean between Cyprus and Lebanon..., so what? HaShem has his ways...
I, also, felt the previous earthquake in the early-mid 2000's, also in Y'rshlm... I was sitting at my computer & the room shaked a bit. Only once. I wasn't 100% sure it was a quake, as I never felt one in Israel and it wasn't strong. The News confirmed that it was a quake.
Apparently, not all areas of Yerushalayim felt this quake, as I've spoken to others in the northwestern part of the city and they didn't feel a thing.
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