The 45 Days

Note: the following is an observation - not a prediction.

A few weeks ago, Shirat Devorah noted the idea that the 45 lives lost in Meron corresponded to 45 days.  She said that 45 days from the tragedy is Gimel Tammuz (the Yahrtzeit of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe ZT"L).  However, if you calculate 45 days from Lag Ba'omer, you find it falling on Daled Tammuz.  Nevertheless, she may still be correct in the end, as we will explain.

Daniel, chapter 12:

יא  וּמֵעֵת הוּסַר הַתָּמִיד, וְלָתֵת שִׁקּוּץ שֹׁמֵם--יָמִים, אֶלֶף מָאתַיִם וְתִשְׁעִים.	11 And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the detestable thing that causes appalment set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
יב  אַשְׁרֵי הַמְחַכֶּה, וְיַגִּיעַ:  לְיָמִים--אֶלֶף, שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים וַחֲמִשָּׁה.	12 Happy is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

Otzar Hamidrashim - Otot Hamashiah:

ויהיו כל שארית ישראל והקדושים והטהורים במדבר יהודה חמשה וארבעים יום ויהיו רועים ואוכלים מלוחים ועלה שיח קוטפים. ובהם מתקיים מה שנאמר בהושע לכן הנה אנכי מפתיה והולכתיה המדברה ודברתי על לבה. ומנין שחמשה וארבעים יום הם שנאמר ומעת הוסר התמיד ולתת שקוץ משומם אלף ומאתים ותשעים, וכתיב אשרי המחכה ויגיע לימים אלף שלש מאות שלשים וחמשה, נמצא בין אלו לאלו חמשה וארבעים יום.

And there's a similar Midrash in Rut Rabba.

This Midrash is telling us that one of the signs of Mashiah is that we will be in Midbar Yehuda for 45 days, based on the difference of the numbers mentioned in these 2 verses.  And we are to endure hardships during these 45 days.  Already, since the Meron tragedy, we have endured the Karlin bleacher tragedy, a war against Hamas, a street war against Israeli Arabs, rising anti-Semitic acts around the world, the cable-car tragedy in Italy, and Rav Ephraim Cohen Shlit"a's freak car accident.  (See also what I wrote here.)  May it be Hashem's will that He will יאמר לצרותינו די (say "Enough!" to our troubles).

But also consider the following idea:

ISIS is a cruel organization who performed some of the worst atrocities on earth.  They particularly hate Jews.  Their goal was to establish a religion-based caliphate.  This is their version of returning to the golden-age of their religion, where sharia is the only law by penalty of death.  Similarly, lehavdil, the Jewish nation, which is, by contrast, the most moral nation on earth, wishes to return to a situation where השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה and the Sanhedrin determine the law.  This is signified by the Korban Tamid, which we no longer have, but is a symbol of where we should be as a nation.  We can therefore apply the "Tamid" to ISIS's rule, despite it being diametrically opposed to Judaism.

But although ISIS's motives were cruel, their destruction of idols and avoda zara temples was a temporary benefit for the world.  (Of course, ISIS went too far and also destroyed a few Jewish sites as well, which adds to the list of reasons that makes them Resha'im.)  The world succeeded in now restoring these things and places.  Restoring these destroyed artifacts is a terrible thing.  We can call these artifacts and temples "detestable things that cause appalment".  (See also here, here, here, and here about ISIS capturing Palmyra.)

So, it's possible to say that the verse in Daniel is referring the removal of the "Tamid" - i.e. ISIS - from their capital and the restoring of the detestable things that cause appalment back where they were.  (We can possibly understand Daniel 8:11, 9:27, and 11:31 in this manner as well.)

On January 14, 2014, ISIS captured Raqqa, Syria.  Raqqa was the capital of ISIS's territory.  They held onto it for a mere few months more than 3½ years. The little horn in Daniel 7:24-25 - at least according to Rav Sa'adia Gaon, the Ibn Ezra, and Metzudat David - is Yishmael.  Metzudat David says that they will return to the תורת ישמעאל (which one can arguably say ISIS did).  And their rulership will last until עִדָּן וְעִדָּנִין וּפְלַג עִדָּן - which is often interpreted as 3½ years (even though Metzudat David himself interprets it as 2½ years).

On October 17, 2017, a little over 3½ years later, the U.S.-led coalition forces captured Raqqa from ISIS.  This occurred 1290 days before Erev Lag Ba'omer of this year.  Although the Meron tragedy occurred on Lag Ba'omer itself, the large crowds started arriving Erev Lag Ba'omer, so we can say that that is what started the lead-up to the tragedy.  And anyways, if you're calculating מעת לעת, you'd only be off by a few hours.  

In addition, the beginning of the completion of the restoration of the destroyed artifacts also took place close to October, 2017.

The city of Raqqa is spelled א-רקה in Hebrew.  Its gematria is 306, which is exactly the same gematria as מירון (Meron).

In the aftermath of that battle, in an anti-US tirade, the Russians compared what Raqqa looked like to what Dresden looked like after WWII.  Did Hashem divert the terrible gezeira from one city with a gematria of 306 to another city with a gematria of 306 in order to spare Meron from destruction?  Were the 45 righteous souls a Kappara for everyone else in Meron that night?  Were the 45 souls who perished a hint to us to wait 45 more days?  

45 days from Erev Lag Ba'omer is Gimel Tammuz, 27 years after the Lubavitcher Rebbe ZT"L's passing.  Perhaps, we needed to go through all the years corresponding to all the letters of the Alef Bet, including the 5 final letters.  As it says in Pirkei deRibbi Eliezer and other Midrashim, the final tzadi - ץ - the last letter in the Alef Bet - is the letter through which the Final Redemption will occur.  

אַשְׁרֵי הַמְחַכֶּה, וְיַגִּיעַ indeed.

May we see it speedily.