Daniel, October 7th, and 5787

The era of the Men of the Great Assembly was a transitional period in Jewish history.  It was the end of era of prophecy and open miracles.  It was the beginning of the flourishing of the Torah Shebe'al Peh (the Oral Law).

The period can therefore be described as the dusk of the era when Hashem had consistently shown His face and the dawn of the era when Hashem hid His face with the exception of the ד' אמות של הלכה - the 4 cubits of halacha - where His Shechina dwells until today.

The beginning of Pirkei Avot describes Shimon Hatzaddik as the remnants of the Men of the Great Assembly.  There is a dispute whether his death occurred in the year 3448 or the year 3488.  Although סדר הדורות and others place his year of death at 3448 (in which case, his meeting with Alexander the Great would have been at the end of Shimon Hatzaddik's lifetime), others place it at 3488 and his meeting with Alexander occurred as his 40-year term as Kohen Gadol had just started.  (This is from Googling "is there a dispute as to the year AM of the death of shimon hatzadik".  Admittedly, the source for this second view is murky, but in some ways, the second view is more logical.)

Daniel 8:13-14:

יג  וָאֶשְׁמְעָה אֶחָד-קָדוֹשׁ, מְדַבֵּר; וַיֹּאמֶר אֶחָד קָדוֹשׁ לַפַּלְמוֹנִי הַמְדַבֵּר, עַד-מָתַי הֶחָזוֹן הַתָּמִיד וְהַפֶּשַׁע שֹׁמֵם--תֵּת וְקֹדֶשׁ וְצָבָא, מִרְמָס.	13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spoke: 'How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that causes appalment, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?'
יד  וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי--עַד עֶרֶב בֹּקֶר, אַלְפַּיִם וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת; וְנִצְדַּק, קֹדֶשׁ.	14 And he said unto me: 'Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.'

Note that the Hebrew ערב בקר אלפים ושלש מאות is deliberately vague.  The English translation given that says "evenings and mornings" is the translator's interpretation - not the literal translation. Recently, Rabbi Weisberg on Tamar Yonah (as can be found on Shirat Devorah) says that it means "from evening until morning".  However, the words literally just say "evening morning". 

Rabbi Weisberg at the 13:31 mark says that the 2300 years can be counted from the death of Shimon Hatzaddik.  And we know that Shimon Hatzaddik's yahrtzeit is Tishri 29.  So if Shimon Hatzaddik died on Tishri 29, 3488, then we are currently within the 2300th year of his passing.  

I personally like this dating, but with a different interpretation of ערב בקר.  As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the period of the Men of the Great Assembly is a period of the twilight of one era and the dawning of a new one.  This vision of Daniel occurred in the year 3389, when Belshatzar was about to be killed - that's basically the beginning of the period of the Men of the Great Assembly.  So, I believe that ערב בקר אלפים ושלש מאות means that we need to wait for the dusk of the era of prophecy (evening), then wait for the morning of the era of the proliferation of the Oral Torah (morning), and then wait an additional 2300 years.

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What does the verse say we're waiting for?  "the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that causes appalment, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?"

Of course, this is interpreted - and rightly so - to refer to the Temple Mount being trampled on by the שיקוץ שומם that is currently there, which was built 1335 years ago - another interesting idea that Rabbi Weisberg and many others have pointed out recently.

However, perhaps we can suggest an additional understanding.  Let's look at the previous verses (Daniel 8:9-12):

ט  וּמִן-הָאַחַת מֵהֶם, יָצָא קֶרֶן-אַחַת מִצְּעִירָה; וַתִּגְדַּל-יֶתֶר אֶל-הַנֶּגֶב וְאֶל-הַמִּזְרָח, וְאֶל-הַצֶּבִי.	9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beauteous land.
י  וַתִּגְדַּל, עַד-צְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם; וַתַּפֵּל אַרְצָה מִן-הַצָּבָא וּמִן-הַכּוֹכָבִים, וַתִּרְמְסֵם.	10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them.
יא  וְעַד שַׂר-הַצָּבָא, הִגְדִּיל; וּמִמֶּנּוּ הרים הוּרַם הַתָּמִיד, וְהֻשְׁלַךְ מְכוֹן מִקְדָּשׁוֹ.	11 Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and from him the continual burnt-offering was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
יב  וְצָבָא תִּנָּתֵן עַל-הַתָּמִיד, בְּפָשַׁע; וְתַשְׁלֵךְ אֱמֶת אַרְצָה, וְעָשְׂתָה וְהִצְלִיחָה.	12 And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it wrought, and prospered.

So let's go through these verses one by one.  This is my possible interpretation and doesn't necessarily mean it's true.  Many readers may not like my interpretation.  So be it.  If it is off the mark, Hashem should forgive me.

Verse 9 - out of the 4 horns came a little horn (Yishmael) which became powerful (due to its merit for circumcision) to the south (the Houthis), to the east (Iran), and to the צבי (the Land of Israel - referring to Hamas and Hezbollah).

Verse 10 - Its merit of circumcision grew so much that even Heaven allowed October 7th to occur, where part of the Israeli army and its heroes were trampled upon for many hours.

Verse 11 - October 7th caused such a great problem that the army Chief of Staff (along with a large percentage of the country) repeated over and over that the Tamid (read "Matmid") - the Torah learners who are constantly protecting the nation spiritually - must cease their learning and join the army, which will cause a spiritual void of holiness.

Verse 12 - And the army will be forced upon the Torah learners via transgression.  And truth (the Torah) will be cast down.  And this transgression will be (temporarily) successful.

So now back to Verse 13 - Daniel heard an angel asking the other angel, "Until when will this vision of the Torah learners and enacting this abominable transgression to have both the holy Torah learners and the holy army (by not having fully vanquished our enemies) trampled upon?"

Verse 14 - He told me, "Evening, morning, 2300 years.  That's when the holy Torah learners will be justified to all in their learning and the holy army will be victorious in their battle."

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Then, of course, we have the verses at the end of the book (Daniel 12:11-12):

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.

Verse 11 - From the time of October 7th, which was used as an excuse to remove the Torah learners from learning, and also the abominable atrocities of the day were placed upon us, there are 1290 days.

Indeed, adding 1290 days to October 7th brings us to April 19th, 2027, or the 12th of Nissan, 5787 - 3 days before Pesah.  The Midrash says that Eliyahu Hanavi will come 3 days before Mashiah and has a 3-day process to announce his arrival (note that there are other opinions about this).

Verse 12 - Fortunate is he who waits and reaches to 1335 days.  This could refer to the 1335 years of the abomination on the Temple Mount, as mentioned earlier.  Or, continuing with our theme, it could refer to 1335 days after October 7th, which is June 3rd, 2027, or the 27th of Iyar, 5787.  That night, people will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yom Yerushalayim.  Or we may be celebrating something even greater.

May it be Hashem's will. Amen.

Interesting Gematria for this Tish'a Be'av

Although many scholars say that the Second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed in the year 70 CE, Jewish tradition teaches us that it was destroyed in the year 68 CE ("כמנין "חיים), which is the Hebrew year of 3828. 

We therefore, barring any last-minute Geula, will have sadly been 1958 years without a Beit Hamikdash.  

Interestingly, 1958 is the gematria of this Pasuk (Yehezkel 37:5):

ה  כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, לָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה:  הִנֵּה אֲנִי מֵבִיא בָכֶם, רוּחַ--וִחְיִיתֶם.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.

from the prophecy of the Dry Bones, talking about the Resurrection of the Dead.  Perhaps, this is hinting to us that this occurrence will occur 1958 years after it appeared to us that our bones were dried up (during the Destruction).

We also see a connection later in the chapter, where it mentions how we will have a Beit Hamikdash so the 3rd Beit Hamikdash may be just as close:

כו  וְכָרַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית שָׁלוֹם, בְּרִית עוֹלָם יִהְיֶה אוֹתָם; וּנְתַתִּים וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אוֹתָם, וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם לְעוֹלָם.	26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them--it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
כז  וְהָיָה מִשְׁכָּנִי עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים; וְהֵמָּה, יִהְיוּ-לִי לְעָם.	27 My dwelling-place also shall be over them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
כח  וְיָדְעוּ, הַגּוֹיִם, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה, מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל--בִּהְיוֹת מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם, לְעוֹלָם.	28 And the nations shall know that I am the LORD that sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.'

Furthermore, the idea of the Resurrection of the Dead occurring 1958 years after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash works well with the Zohar that says that the righteous will be resurrected either 210 years (Ribbi Yehuda) or 214 years (Ribbi Yitzhak) before everyone else.  Since this world only lasts until Rosh Hashana 6001 (see the beginning of the previous post), that means that according to Ribbi Yitzhak, the Resurrection of the Tzaddikim should take place by Rosh Hashana 5787, very close to Tish'a Be'av 5786.

Of course, no one knows Hashem's timeline, and maybe Hashem paskens like Ribbi Yehuda, and maybe there is another way to interpret the Zohar, so none of these dates are definite.  However, it's an exciting time to be alive - for the first or second time.

The Vilna Gaon's 28 "Times" Redux

An idea that I first saw mentioned by Rav Fish years ago, but last year became popular on other sites (for example, Daf Yomi Review) was the Vilna Gaon's idea that the 28 "Times" in Kohelet chapter 3 refer to the 28 equal eras in world history.  To be more specific, we divide the 6000 years of world history into 28 parts, which shows that an era equals 214.285714286 years.  If you multiply that number by 27, you get 5785.71428571.  This got people excited last year that we were entering a new era near the end of 5785.  

However, this assumes a 0-based calculation of history where the 6000 years ends on Rosh Hashana of the year 6000.  On the other hand, the 1-based calculation of history, where the 6000 years ends on Rosh Hashana of the year 6001, makes more sense to me, as there was never a year 0.  (I also acknowledge the possibility of a 2-based calculation of history since Adam was created on Rosh Hashana of Year 2, but let's stick to the 1-based version right now.)

So, assuming a 1-based calculation of history, the eras would be divided like this:

Era #	Name	Name in English	Years (rounded to the nearest 10th of a year)
1	עֵת לָלֶדֶת	A time to be born	1 - 215.3
2	וְעֵת לָמוּת	and a time to die	215.3 - 429.6
3	עֵת לָטַעַת	a time to plant	429.6 - 643.9
4	וְעֵת לַעֲקוֹר נָטוּעַ	and a time to pluck up that which is planted	643.9 - 858.1
5	עֵת לַהֲרוֹג	A time to kill	858.1 - 1072.4
6	וְעֵת לִרְפּוֹא	and a time to heal	1072.4 - 1286.7
7	עֵת לִפְרוֹץ	a time to break down	1286.7 - 1501
8	וְעֵת לִבְנוֹת	and a time to build up	1501 - 1715.3
9	עֵת לִבְכּוֹת	A time to weep	1715.3 - 1929.6
10	וְעֵת לִשְׂחוֹק	and a time to laugh	1929.6 - 2143.9
11	עֵת סְפוֹד	a time to mourn	2143.9 - 2358.1
12	וְעֵת רְקוֹד	and a time to dance	2358.1 - 2572.4
13	עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲבָנִים	A time to cast away stones	2572.4 - 2786.7
14	וְעֵת כְּנוֹס אֲבָנִים	and a time to gather stones together	2786.7 - 3001
15	עֵת לַחֲבוֹק	a time to embrace	3001 - 3215.3
16	וְעֵת לִרְחֹק מֵחַבֵּק	and a time to refrain from embracing	3215.3 - 3429.6
17	עֵת לְבַקֵּשׁ	A time to seek	3429.6 - 3643.9
18	וְעֵת לְאַבֵּד	and a time to lose	3643.9 - 3858.1
19	עֵת לִשְׁמוֹר	a time to keep	3858.1 - 4072.4
20	וְעֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ	and a time to cast away	4072.4 - 4286.7
21	עֵת לִקְרוֹעַ	A time to rend	4285.7 - 4501
22	וְעֵת לִתְפּוֹר	and a time to sew	4501 - 4715.3
23	עֵת לַחֲשׁוֹת	a time to keep silence	4715.3 - 4929.6
24	וְעֵת לְדַבֵּר	and a time to speak	4929.6 - 5143.9
25	עֵת לֶאֱהֹב	A time to love	5143.9 - 5358.1
26	וְעֵת לִשְׂנֹא	and a time to hate	5358.1 - 5572.4
27	עֵת מִלְחָמָה	a time for war	5572.4 - 5786.7
28	וְעֵת שָׁלוֹם	and a time for peace	5786.7 - 6001

It's really quite remarkable how these years correspond to the era names.  For example, the era of עת להרוג contains the death of Adam Harishon.  The era of עת לבנות contains the rebuilding of the world after the Flood.  עת שחוק contains the birth of Yitzhak.  עת כנוס אבנים is when the first Beit Hamikdash was built.  עת לרחק מחבק is when it was destroyed.  עת לאבד was when the second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed.  עת לשמור is when Ribbi Yehuda Hanasi wrote down Torah Shebe'al Peh to preserve it. עת מלחמה started around the time of Napolean's conquest and included many wars, including world wars.  There are many more correlations.

Getting back to our "era", though, it seems that we can find a date when the transition from עת מלחמה to עת שלום occurred.  The chart has 5786.7 as the time, but if we want to be more precise, it should be 5786.71428571.  Taking the ".71428571" decimal and multiplying it by the number of days in 5786 (which is 354), we get about 253 days.  Adding 253 days to Rosh Hashana, 5786 (Sep. 23rd, 2025), that takes us to June 3rd, 2026 (Sivan 18, 5786).

So, I checked the news for June 3rd, 2026 and found it very interesting:

• Iran sent ballistic missiles to Bahrain and caused damage to a US base
• President Trump, despite this, wants to continue talking to Iran
• Talks in the US for Israel to make peace with Lebanon
• In the meantime, Israel killed about 20 Hezbollah fighters there

This news is giving me a sense of war and peace, war and peace בערבוביא (all mixed together).  This is the exact day that "A time for war" is transitioning to "A time for peace"!

But I don't think that we should limit this to the actual day of June 3rd.  I would say that this entire time period since the ceasefire in Iran (during the last days of Pesah) gives me that same feeling.  So this war and peace בערבוביא may actually be due to Hashem's master plan of transitioning to a Time of Peace.

May the Time of Peace in its full strength occur speedily in our days, Amen.

October 7th and Shabbat 250

President Trump has declared that this coming Shabbat:

Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath. From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.

This has created a lot of buzz.  South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein's Shabbos Project even created a website for it.  It truly is remarkable that the President would make such a proclamation.  Rabbi Glatstein notes (3:12 - 4:40) that in the past, other world leaders have prevented us from keeping Shabbat, but President Trump is encouraging us to keep Shabbat.

Looking back to the terrible day of October 7th, the Shabbat of Shemini Atzeret (and Simhat Torah in Israel), Shabbat played a significant role.  First of all, for better or for worse, that day was known in Israel as "שבת שחורה" - Black Shabbat.  Also, soldiers from all over the country were forced to desecrate Shabbat in order to help defend the nation.

But more importantly, there were Shabbat miracles.  Kibbutz Saad, whose residents are Shomrei Shabbat, was miraculously spared from Hamas terrorists because their gate was closed for Shabbat.  That is not to say that every Shomer Shabbat in Israel was spared on that day.  That is clearly not the case.  But the fact that Hashem decided to spare one or two towns due to their keeping Shabbat is definitely a sign from Hashem.  

Furthermore, after that day, many people people whose religiosity was previously on the fence starting keeping Shabbat - including hostages themselves.  It seems clear to me that Shabbat was interlinked with that day on a spiritual level and that was revealed to those who have the eyes to see it.

During the Yamim Nora'im, mainly Ashkenazim say the ונתנה תוקף prayer, which famously says:

 ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רוע הגזירה 

"and repentance and prayer and charity removes the evil decree"

The prayer books give these 3 concepts alternate names: קול צום ממון.  Prayer is also known by קול (sound).  Repentance is also known by צום (fasting).  Charity is also known by ממון (money).  The Gezeira may be bad, but קול צום ממון is to be its antidote - whether it's preventatively or curatively.  Interestingly, each of these 3 words (קול צום ממון) have the same gematria of 136.

So now we have President Trump calling on Jews to observe Shabbat on Shabbat Parashat Bamidbar - aka Shabbat Kallah.  Remarkably, this Shabbat is exactly 136 weeks - or 136 Shabbatot - from the Shabbat of October 7th.  The past 136 weeks, we have ב"ה seen a resurgence in prayer, repentance, and charity.   But it's not enough if Shabbat is not observed properly as we didn't get to the source of the problem.  Perhaps we can say that קול צום ממון is only a complete antidote when it cures the source of the problem, but when it doesn't, additional help is needed.  And that's where the gematria of קול צום ממון comes in.  The October 7th Gezeira occurred, but we can rectify its cause this coming Shabbat - 136 weeks later - by way of President Trump's Gezeira to observe Shabbat to its fullest extent.  

One should not think that improving our Shabbat observance is only for the irreligious.  Rather, everyone can improve the way one keeps Shabbat in some way or another.  The President's charge is really for every Jew.

We know from the Bavli that if the Jewish people would keep 2 Shabbatot according to its halachot, we would immediately be redeemed.  The Yerushalmi says that it will happen with even 1 Shabbat being kept properly.  Let's make it happen!

"And the Gavlan will be Desolate"

Sotah 49b, referring to the time of the "Footsteps of Mashiah", provides the signs for the times.  Here's one of them:

והגבלן ישום

And the Gavlan will be desolate

R' Dov Bar Leib, in a post from almost 20 years ago, believes that the Gavlan refers to the Hizballah-infested town of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.

Reports coming out of news sites, like Kikar and an Arabic-language site show the destruction of the center of town by Tzahal.

Wikipedia, in the entry for April 14th, writes:

The town center was visibly in ruins from satellite images.

Here's the before-and-after picture from Kikar:

The battle continues, but just saying...

Pesah 5786 - 3338 Years Since the Exodus

We know that Pesah and Tish'a Be'av are compared and contrasted in numerous ways.   The Kinot called אש תוקד בקרבי and אליכם עדה קדושה come to mind as the clearest examples.  But there are others.  The first night of Pesah always falls out the same night of the week as the next Tish'a Be'av that year. Some say that the reason why some eat an egg at the seder is for that reason.

As we are in the year 5786 and the Exodus from Egypt occurred in the year 2448, it comes out that it took place 3338 years ago.  But the year 3338 was the year of the Hurban Bayit Rishon - the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash.

Perhaps, we can say that it relates to this verse (Tehillim 90:15):

טו  שַׂמְּחֵנוּ, כִּימוֹת עִנִּיתָנוּ:    שְׁנוֹת, רָאִינוּ רָעָה.

15 Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, according to the years wherein we have seen evil.

Perhaps, "the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us" and "the years wherein we have seen evil" isn't referring the number of years of affliction, but rather the actual year of 3338, which is the number of years from Creation until we were afflicted with the loss of our Holy Temple.  Take that number of years and add it to the year of our first Redemption, and that is an appropriate time to "make us glad".

Sod1820 adds to this that the following verse has the gematria of 3338:

יד  וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה; וַיֹּאמֶר, כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶהְיֶה, שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם.

14 And God said unto Moses: 'I AM THAT I AM'; and He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.'

Before the first Redemption, as Rashi points out quoting the gemara, Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu that He will be with us in that exile and all future exiles.  Perhaps, this is a hint that we need to use the gematria of the verse to count the years from the end of the first exile until the end of the last exile: 3338 years.

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Regarding the US airman who was rescued on a mountain in Iran in a daring mission aided by Israel, there were a couple of interesting points made.

Matzav:

According to Trump, the downed weapons systems officer, who had been “injured quite seriously,” managed to climb more than a mile up a mountainside and tend to his own injuries while hiding in a crevice in an area “teeming with terrorists.”

Interestingly, he was found in a crevice on a mountain on the day when we read in the Torah reading for Shabbat Hol Hamo'ed Pesah:

כב  וְהָיָה בַּעֲבֹר כְּבֹדִי, וְשַׂמְתִּיךָ בְּנִקְרַת הַצּוּר; וְשַׂכֹּתִי כַפִּי עָלֶיךָ, עַד-עָבְרִי.

22 And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I have passed by.

See also this video (h/t Neshama) where I first saw this mentioned.

“When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple and it was powerful. He sent a message, ‘God is good,’ ” Hegseth recounted.

See Rabbi Glatstein's take on that (also h/t Neshama).

Perhaps, this incident is a fulfillment of Yoma 10b where one opinion (consisting of Tannaim and Amoraim) holds עתידה רומי שתפול ביד פרס - Rome is destined to fall at the hands of Persia.  Perhaps, the US airmen and their airplane (Rome) literally fell into Iranian (Persian) territory and the whole world knew about it.  The fact that they were rescued doesn't matter.  We are waiting for the fulfillment of the other opinion, who holds עתידה פרס ליפול ביד רומי - Persia is destined to fall at the hands of Rome.  Hopefully, that will be a complete fulfillment and will happen soon.

Another Kreplach War or More Than That?

Back 15 years ago, I dubbed recent Middle East wars as "Kreplach Wars".  We can now add 2 more to the list:

• October 7th started the night after Hoshana Rabba
• Roaring Lion started a few days before Purim

But it wasn't just a few days before Purim.  First of all, it started on the 11th of Adar, which is the first day in which the Megilla can be read (in certain circumstances).  Secondly, it began as synagogues in Israel were reading Parashat Zachor - the commandment to wipe out Amalek.  One of the verses read actually reads:

תִּמְחֶה אֶת-זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק, מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם - thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven

What better way to fulfil both the letter and spirit of this verse than to drop bombs killing the Amalek-like leadership of Iran from an airplane in the sky!

And, as others had pointed out:

מבצע שאגת הארי (Operation Roaring Lion) = 1122

פורים תשפ"ו (Purim 5786) = 1122

And HKB"H has been performing many miracles for His nation throughout this war.  True, there were deaths and many injuries, but nowhere near what would be the normal toll בדרך הטבע.  May Hashem continue to save us from harm.

Many are pointing to this war as not just another Kreplach war - but as THE FINAL WAR. 

The evidence presented is the famous Pesikta and Yalkut Shimoni that has been brought down many times on this blog (e.g. here):

Rabbi Yitzhak said: The year that King Mashiah will be revealed, all the kings of the nations will provoke each other. The king of Paras (Iran) will provoke an Arab king (Saudi Arabia) and the Arab king will go to Edom (who is understood to be by Haza"l as the Christian empire, who is in our days probably the U.S.), to take advice from them.

Then, the King of Paras will go ahead and destroy the whole world. And all the nations of the world will tremble and be panicky and will fall on their faces. And pains like birth pangs will take hold of them.

And Israel will tremble and be panicky and will say "Where will we come and go? Where will we come and go?"

And He will say to them: "My children, do not be afraid! Whatever I made, I only made for your benefit! Why are you afraid?

Do not be afraid! The days of your redemption has arrived!"

Let's go through this:

All the kings of the nations will provoke each other - ✔check

Ukraine-Russia, Afghanistan-Pakistan, India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia, the list goes on... (just think of all the wars President Trump claims he solved).

The king of Paras (Iran) will provoke an Arab king (Saudi Arabia) and the Arab king will go to Edom (who is understood to be by Haza"l as the Christian empire, who is in our days probably the U.S.), to take advice from them - ✔check

The Saudis pushed Trump to attack Iran before the start of the war, and just a couple days ago, they asked President Trump to keep hitting them.

Then, the King of Paras will go ahead and destroy the whole world. - ✔check

Whether this refers to the growing number of countries attacked by Iran or whether it refers to the fact that oil cannot pass via the Strait of Hormuz due to Iran's threats, we can say that Iran is destroying the world.

And all the nations of the world will tremble and be panicky and will fall on their faces. And pains like birth pangs will take hold of them. - ✔check

Yes, this is happening, but not in the way one would have thought.  Europe and Europe-wannabe (Canada), Russia, China, South Africa, the Democrats and Woke Right of the US, and many others are all angry at President Trump for starting this war.  They've all gone ballistic figuratively at the US Air Force and Israeli Air Force trying to stop Iran going ballistic literally.

And those nations who are happy with the President's decision are actually getting hit by Iran so they are trembling in a different way.

And Israel will tremble and be panicky and will say "Where will we come and go? Where will we come and go?"- ✔check

People in Israel are suffering from the every-90-minute sirens that don't let them sleep and don't let them go anywhere lest they be caught without protection from a bomb shelter.  May Hashem protect His people.

And He will say to them: "My children, do not be afraid! Whatever I made, I only made for your benefit! Why are you afraid?  Do not be afraid! The days of your redemption has arrived!" - not yet, but very close.  May it happen very soon.

---

For Hebrew speakers, see Rav Zamir Cohen on the current Geula situation as we approach the month of Nissan:

 

Also, for those who have not seen it yet, see the incredible shiur from Rav Yossi Saadeh that uses gematriot to show how 5786 is a year Mesugal for Geula (as seen on Shirat Devorah a few weeks ago):

As we approach the month of Nissan, may we see with our eyes the Final Redemption with mercy, Amen.

The Cosmic Clock and Aircraft Carriers

The Cosmic Clock on the sidebar of the blog shows that we're currently at about 12:51 PM on Friday afternoon. To explain this, an "hour" lasts about 41.666 (1000/24) years so a "minute" lasts about 0.69444 of a year.  Therefore, we have about 6.25 years to move 9 minutes to 1:00 PM (0.69444 x 9).  6:00 PM is the end of the "day", and therefore, the Millennium.  But as explained in the name of the Vilna Gaon, each hour also corresponds to an hour of Friday of Creation.

As the gemara in Sanhedrin 38b (text | Daf | English) explains, on the Friday of Creation, certain actions occurred with Adam Harishon on each hour of the daylight hours of the day.  These correspond to the second half of the Sixth Millennium. 

Hr	Time	Hebrew Dates	Secular Dates	Action with Adam
1	6-7AM	R"H 5501 - Sivan 5542	Sep 1740 - May 1782	his dust was gathered
2	7-8AM	Sivan 5542 - Shevat 5584	May 1782 - Jan 1824	his figure was fashioned
3	8-9AM	Shevat 5584 - R"H 5626	Jan 1824 - Sep 1865	his limbs were extended
4	9-10AM	R"H 5626 - Sivan 5667	Sep 1865 - May 1907	a Neshama was cast into him
5	10-11AM	Sivan 5667 - Shevat 5709	May 1907 - Jan 1949	he stood on his legs
6	11AM-12N	Shevat 5709 - R"H 5751	Jan 1949 - Sep 1990	he called the animals names
7	12N-1PM	R"H 5751 - Sivan 5792	Sep 1990 - May 2032	Hava was paired with him
8	1-2PM	Sivan 5792 - Shevat 5834	May 2032 - Jan 2074	2 arose to the bed, 4 descended
9	2-3PM	Shevat 5834 - R"H 5876	Jan 2074 - Sep 2115	he was commanded not to eat from the tree
10	3-4PM	R"H 5876 - Sivan 5917	Sep 2115 - May 2157	he sinned
11	4-5PM	Sivan 5917 - Shevat 5959	May 2157 - Jan 2199	he was judged
12	5-6PM	Shevat 5959 - R"H 6001	Jan 2199 - Sep 2240	he was expelled from Gan Eden

The USS Abraham Lincoln is currently in the waters near Iran.  The Pentagon is preparing to send the USS George H. W. Bush there as well.  These aircraft carriers are named for US Presidents who served right before the end of an "hour" but have more to do with the following one.  There is much to say about each era in regard to the formation of the United States, but let's just focus on the relevant ones.

President Lincoln served during the 3rd hour of "his limbs were extended", but was assassinated mere months before the 4th hour of "a Neshama was cast into him". During the 3rd hour, the US vastly expanded its borders to include the Western portion of the United States, thereby extending its limbs.  But at the end of the 3rd hour, America was fighting for its soul during the Civil War.  President Lincoln united the states and gave it back its soul.  And that soul remained for the 4th hour and beyond.

President George H. W. Bush served during the end of "he called the animals names" and during the beginning of "Hava was paired with him".  Like Lincoln's era, this was also a tumultuous time with the fall of the Soviet Union and the First Gulf War.  Many nations were formed and named during (and a bit before) the beginning of the 6th hour, including the State of Israel.  And many nations were formed and named during the end of the 6th hour, including the ex-Soviet and ex-Yugoslavian countries.  

When the 7th hour began, President George H. W. Bush ended his war against other Edomite nations, and in its place, started a war against Yishmael, the first of many during the 7th hour.  And Yishmael has been fighting Edomite nations ever since.  Adam (the stronger US) paired up with newly formed Hava (the weaker but newly united Europe) to fight the Pere Adam of Yishmael.  Whether it was Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and others, the vast majority of wars starting in the 7th hour were between Edom and Yishmael (Russia-Ukraine and Balkans notwithstanding).  This is a prelude to the Final War, as the Abravanel and Malbim predicted.

And we know that Paras is pretty much interchangeable with Yishmael, as the Maharal and Tosefot Rid both say.

So we now have the USS Abraham Lincoln sitting on the doorstep of the Islamic Republic of Iran, showing the regime that while the civilized world has a soul and eschews terrorism, the soulless Iranian regime openly supports it.  And they also murder tens of thousands of their own people who protest against it.  So it must be destroyed. 

And we have the USS George H. W. Bush getting ready to be deployed to the area, showing the regime that Paras will fall in the hands of Romi, as has happened during all American wars (at least during the fighting) during this 7th hour.  So it must be destroyed.

While the Lincoln represents the spiritual force, the Bush represents the physical force.  They both will work in tandem to defeat the enemy.

May all the enemies of the Jewish people be cut off speedily in our days, Amen.

Iran Threatens Global Jihad

JTV: 

Jihad as Deterrence: Iran’s Clerical Regime Issues Global War Threat as Protests Surge and Trump Turns Up the Heat 

Pesikta:

והחזיר מלך פרס והחריב את כל העולם כולו

The good news is that we know how this story ends.  It's the middle of the story that we need to pray for.

Iran Falling

Shirat Devorah brought down an interesting hint to what's happening to Iran from Megillat Esther.

Perhaps, there are other hints we can say as well.

Esther 9:22:

כב  כַּיָּמִים, אֲשֶׁר-נָחוּ בָהֶם הַיְּהוּדִים מֵאֹיְבֵיהֶם, וְהַחֹדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר נֶהְפַּךְ לָהֶם מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב; לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם, יְמֵי מִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה, וּמִשְׁלֹחַ מָנוֹת אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ, וּמַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיֹנִים.

22 the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Note that the letters in red - with a letter-skip of 5 - spells out התשל"ט - which is 5739, or the secular year 1979, the start of the Iranian Revolution. 

2 verses later (9:24), it mentions the very last המן in the Megilla.  As we know, the 2 rulers of Iran since the revolution are Khomeini and Khamenei.  Both are pronounced similar to המן.  Both hate Israel and are considered a צרר כל היהודים and חשב על היהודים לאבדם, as that verse says.  They can be considered the last המןs in history just as this verse is the last המן mentioned in the Megilla.

Back to the original verse (9:22), the verse says that the month will turn from sorrow to gladness and from mourning into a Yom Tov.  For the Purim story, this month is obviously referring to Adar, as it explicitly says in the previous verse.  But perhaps we can say that the standalone verse hints to our day, as the letter-skip hints to, and the month therein refers to perhaps Shevat or perhaps Nissan, as I will explain soon.  

In Megillat Esther, the exact phrase פרס ומדי appears (4 times).  Perhaps, the hint is:

פרס - Persia - namely, the government hinted to in Esther 9:22 - 

ומ - for 46+ years

די - it is enough!

It is not destined to complete 47 years.

In order for the regime to fall withing the month it was established, but before it reaches its anniversary (since we need that month to turn from sorrow to joy and it also cannot reach 47 years), there are 2 possibilities. 

In the Iranian Revolution in 5739, the monarchy officially collapsed on Leil Tu Bishvat.  Perhaps, the current regime will collapse within the month of Shevat, but before Tu Bishvat.

If the regime ח"ו survives past then, perhaps we can say:

In the Iranian Revolution of 5739, a referendum that was tallied on the 4th of Nissan "showed" that 98.2% of the people wanted the Islamic Republic, thereby establishing it.  Perhaps, the current regime will collapse within the first 3 days of Nissan.

Time will tell.  

(And if it falls even before Shevat, I won't be too upset about it 😏.)

Statue of Liberty in Brazil has Fallen

Many years ago, there was a video about the destruction of the Statue of Liberty being a sign of Mashiah.  It was based on R' Yaakov Nathan's find.

Here's the Hebrew-only version of the video. 

I couldn't find the version with English subtitles, but it did exist a couple decades ago.

To review, over 1500 years ago, the child-prophet Nahman Ketufa prophesied about the Colossus of Rhodes falling.  But many nowadays have interpreted it to be referring to the Statue of Liberty.  This is because the Colossus had been destroyed many years ago and the Geula has still not come.  It therefore makes sense to say that it refers to its close copy - the Statue of Liberty.  The video explains that Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus", is on a plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty. 

I referred to it a long time ago in this post, and the video is even older than that.

Sefaria has the prophecy along with an English translation of the introduction of The prophesy from Nahman Ketufa, but not of the prophesy itself, presumably since it is difficult to understand even for native Hebrew speakers.

Here is the relevant part of the prophey:

צ׳) צולמא דרודוס [דרודם], כד אתיהב לגרוס, קריב אגרוס, רומי למהרוס.

It is not clear, but it seems to say that when the Colossus will be destroyed, then Rome will be destroyed, and the Geula will come.

Due to strong winds, a replica of the Statue of Liberty - admittedly a copy of a copy of the Colossus - toppled in Brazil.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן יָשְׁבוּ לִשְׁתּוֹת

 

Source: Fulcrum

CBS:

Ahashveirosh praises Haman after Throne room meeting: "I want him to do a great job"

Mamdani and Mashiah

Rav Hayim Volozhin ZT"L predicted that America would be the last station of 10 exiles for Torah before Mashiah.

New York City has the biggest Jewish population for a city outside of Israel.

Matzav: Nearly A Million New Yorkers Ready To Flee NYC If Mamdani Becomes Mayor — Possibly Igniting Largest Exodus In History

Now, Mamdani became mayor.  We shall see if those threatening to flee will make good on their threats, who exactly are these people, and where exactly they will go.  But it seems that the exile from the last station of exile has commenced.

---

Some statements of Haza"l come to mind:

1) Socialism will now rule the day in New York City.  

אין בן דוד בא עד שתכלה פרוטה מן הכיס

אין בן דוד בא עד שיבקש דג לחולה ולא ימצא

2) And NYC will now have a pro-Hamas mayor, and government officials will now follow their leader in that sentiment:

אין בן דוד בא עד שתתהפך כל המלכות למינות

3) Those stuck in Mamdani's NYC will end up being fatalistic:

אין בן דוד בא] עד שיתייאשו מן הגאולה, - שנאמר 'ואפס עצור ועזוב': כביכול אין סומך ועוזר לישראל]

so based on these statements from Haza"l, there is hope coming from the terrible election news.

---

The following phrase:

ראש העיר ניו יורק זוהרן ממדאני

has the gematria (with the ן as 700) of 2231.  This is also the gematria of (Tehillim 132:17):

שָׁם אַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן לְדָוִד; עָרַכְתִּי נֵר, לִמְשִׁיחִי

Upon the Sheloshim of my Rosh Yeshiva - Rav Doniel Lehrfield ZT"L

Rabbi Lehrfield ZT"L was my Rosh Yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael, I was in his shiur for the better part of a year, and I merited to learn with him בחברותא for a certain period.  He will be missed.

Links:

Matzav: Rav Doniel Lehrfield zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Beis Yisroel, Yerushalayim

YWN: BD”E: Harav Daniel Lehrfield Zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Bais Yisroel In Eretz Yisroel

Mishpacha: He Saw What We Could Be

Hesped in Chicago

Old link on the Blog: Rabbi Doniel Lehrfield Shlit"a on Corona and Mashiah

The Hostage Release on Hoshana Rabba and Yosef's Release in Egypt

Parashat Miketz begins: 

א  וַיְהִי, מִקֵּץ שְׁנָתַיִם יָמִים; וּפַרְעֹה חֹלֵם, וְהִנֵּה עֹמֵד עַל-הַיְאֹר.

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.

This was the end of two extra full years in jail for Yosef, who, on his level, didn't completely trust in Hashem and was therefore punished by having to endure these extra 2 years in prison.  Yosef stands for the people currently in Eretz Yisrael as יוסף is the gematria of ציון - the people of the Zionist State of Israel.  We put our trust in the government to save us, but ולא זכר שר המשקים את יוסף וישכחהו - we were forsaken by our government.  We trusted in the conceptzia instead of trusting in Hashem to protect us.  When Hashem doesn't protect us, שוא שקד שומר - no one can protect us.

So now, we are exactly at the end of 2 years since the Simhat Torah massacre when the hostages were captured.  And at the end of these 2 years, it is a קץ.  As the Midrash here in Miketz says, quoting the verse in Iyov 28:3, "קץ שם לחשך" - Hashem is putting an end to the darkness.  This refers to the darkness endured by Yosef Hatzadik - and the hostages of today - in the dungeons of Egypt and its Gazan neighbor respectively.  

Daniel 12:1

א  וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל הַשַּׂר הַגָּדוֹל, הָעֹמֵד עַל-בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ, וְהָיְתָה עֵת צָרָה, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-נִהְיְתָה מִהְיוֹת גּוֹי עַד הָעֵת הַהִיא; וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יִמָּלֵט עַמְּךָ, כָּל-הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר.

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

In the End of Days, the Angel Michael will be our great defense attorney in the Heavenly Court against the attacks from the Yishmaelim (see Metzudat David on this verse) as it will be a time of great trouble that we never endured before, but at that time, the Jews will escape - if you were written in the book.  לולא דמסתפינא, perhaps, this time of trouble refers to the Simhat Torah Massacre and the people who escape refers to the remaining hostages who were written in multiple lists over the past 2 years.

Which brings me back to Miketz.  What occurred at the end of 2 years?

יד  וַיִּשְׁלַח פַּרְעֹה וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-יוֹסֵף, וַיְרִיצֻהוּ מִן-הַבּוֹר; וַיְגַלַּח וַיְחַלֵּף שִׂמְלֹתָיו, וַיָּבֹא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה.

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

When the 2 years were up, Par'oh - the most respected leader of the world's largest superpower at that time - sent for Yosef to be rushed out of the dungeon of Egypt to freedom.  And Yosef actually went to go meet this leader.

Similarly, after exactly 2 years were up, Trump - the most respected leader of the world's largest superpower of today - sent for the hostages to be rushed out of the dungeons of Gaza to freedom.  And reports are that Trump may make a surprise hospital visit to the hostages if time permits.  But even if he doesn't, Trump has seen many other released hostages in the past 2 years and will likely see the newly released ones soon.

Interestingly, the Sha"ch says that it's possible that the one who shaved Yosef and changed his clothes was the Angel Gavriel, who was the one who protected Yosef for many years and taught him 70 languages.  That was then when we were beginning the first exile of the Jewish people, so it required the attribute of Din, which Gavriel is associated with.

Now that we are at the end of our final exile, the Angel Michael, who is associated with the attribute of kindness, will be our defense against Yishmael, as the aforementioned verse in Daniel states.

The entire verse:

 וַיִּשְׁלַח פַּרְעֹה וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-יוֹסֵף, וַיְרִיצֻהוּ מִן-הַבּוֹר; וַיְגַלַּח וַיְחַלֵּף שִׂמְלֹתָיו, וַיָּבֹא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה.

when using final letters as big numbers - has the gematria of 5685.  When we add 101 for מיכאל, we get 5786.

On Hoshana Rabba, we say verses at the end of Hoshanot that have to do with the Final Redemption.  A couple of these verses seem appropriate for the hostage release:

Yeshaya 52:7:

ז  מַה-נָּאווּ עַל-הֶהָרִים רַגְלֵי מְבַשֵּׂר, מַשְׁמִיעַ שָׁלוֹם מְבַשֵּׂר טוֹב--מַשְׁמִיעַ יְשׁוּעָה; אֹמֵר לְצִיּוֹן, מָלַךְ אֱלֹהָיִךְ.

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, that announceth salvation; that saith unto Zion: 'Thy God reigneth!'

Only Mashiah can announce "Peace".  But we hope that a cessation of fighting in Gaza will bring peace.  Trump is optimistic.  Skeptics abound (including myself), but let us pray for it. 

Yeshaya 51:11:

יא  וּפְדוּיֵי יְהוָה יְשׁוּבוּן, וּבָאוּ צִיּוֹן בְּרִנָּה, וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם, עַל-רֹאשָׁם; שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּן, נָסוּ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה.

11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

No explanation needed on this verse.

May Hashem bring comfort to Kelal Yisrael in many ways.

חג שמח!

5786 is Starting Off Wild

שופר is gematria 586.

Add the 100 Kolot from the first day of Rosh Hashana and the 100 Kolot from the second day of Rosh Hashana and you get 786 - corresponding to the year 5786.

Before blowing Shofar, Sepharadim recite the piyut ה' בקול שופר.

Note how the entire piyut talks about Mashiah, but this stanza talks about the Ketz of Mashiah being revealed:

ה' בְּקוֹל שׁוֹפָר יְגַלֶּה קֵץ וּזְמַן

עֵת יִתְקַע וְהָלַךְ בְּסַעֲרוֹת תֵּימָן

וּמַלְכוּת הָרִשְׁעָה אֲזַי תִּהְיֶה פְרוּעָה

עָלָה אֱלֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָה ה' בְּקוֹל שׁוֹפָר

So the Ketz of Mashiah is revealed in the Kol of the Shofar.  Does that possibly mean the 200 Kolot we said on Rosh Hashana plus the gematria of Shofar - 586?

Note also how this stanza talks about the סערות תימן - referring to Zecharia 9:14 at the time of the Teki'a.  On the second day of Rosh Hashana, when shofarot were being heard, Yemen struck Eilat and injured over 20 people.  The next day, Israel struck back against the Houthis' military targets in Yemen.  Sounds like סערות תימן to me.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, Italy (and Spain) have sent warships to aid the flotilla that is headed to Gaza.  וְצִים מִיַּד כִּתִּים, anyone?

May we all be blessed with Mashiah's arrival speedily and with mercy in 5786.

All Alone

CNN:

Netanyahu admits Israel faces prolonged ‘isolation’ over war in Gaza

Bamidbar 23:9: 

ט  כִּי-מֵרֹאשׁ צֻרִים אֶרְאֶנּוּ, וּמִגְּבָעוֹת אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ:  הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב.

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

This verse has always been a part of who we are.  But in a sense, it is also a part of who we are destined to be.  This verse is both a Jewish obligation and the reality of how we are treated by others.

We use this verse to show how the Jewish people are separate and should be separate from the nations.  And that we don't count among them.  That is very true.

However, it also is a prophecy whereby we are ostracized and isolated by the global community - for better or for worse.  At first glance, it seems that it's for the worse, but I claim that it's for the better.

The gematria of הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב, when using 600 for the Final Mems and 700 for the Final Nuns comes out to 3823.  More on that soon.

The Midrash Rabba on the beginning of the verse says:

“For from the top of precipices I will see it” – this is to inform of the hatred of that wicked one, as from his blessings, you ascertain his thoughts. To what is the matter comparable? It is to a person who comes to chop down a tree. One who is not expert, cuts each and every branch and exhausts himself. But the clever man exposes the roots and cuts. So that wicked one said: ‘Why should I curse each and every tribe? I will go to their root.’ He came to harm them, but found that they were hard. That is why he said: “For from the top of precipices I will see it.”
Another matter, “for from the top [of precipices]” – these are the patriarchs; “and from the hills” – these are the matriarchs.

(And Rashi on this verse summarizes this Midrash as well.)  

In other words, Bil'am tried to harm the Jews from their roots, but found the roots to be solid.  And who are the roots of the Jewish people?  The Avot and Imahot, the first of whom are Avraham and Sarah.

Avraham, the founder of our nation was himself an עם לבדד - alone in his beliefs in relation to the rest of the world.  According to some, he recognized Hashem's uniqueness as the only G-d in the world at age 3.  But he could not become an עם - a nation - until 10 years later at age 13, his Bar Mitzvah.  (And we know that Avraham Avinu kept all the Mitzvot so being a Bar Mitzvah was significant.)

If Avraham was born in the year 1948 from Creation, then the year of his Bar Mitzvah was 1961.  

Sarah was born in the year 1958 from Creation, but, like Rivka after her, did not reach early womanhood and become eligible for marriage until age 3, again in the year 1961.  (Sources tell us that Sarah actually got married to Avraham later when she was age 15.)

So the beginning of the verse tells us that the צרים and גבעות refer to the Avot and Imahot, of whom Avraham and Sarah are the first.  And Avraham became a nation and Sarah became an early woman in 1961.  Add the 3823 from the gematria of the second half of the verse and we get 5784, the year of the October 7th Massacre.  That was the year when we ironically started becoming more isolated from the world in our beliefs and this isolation only increased ever since.  Eradicating evil should not be controversial.  And yet, Israel finds itself almost alone in this war.  It seems as if Hashem is moving us closer to an Avraham-style isolationism of thought and beliefs.  And this is a good thing for the Jews (not so for the rest of the world).

Why is it good? Because it shows the difference between the moral clarity of the (majority of the) Jews in Israel and the utter depravity of the nations.  It's similar to what the Apter Rebbe ZTVK"L says about how the Jewish nation gets merits on every January 1st.  This is because Hashem sees how Jews behave on our New Year and how the nations behave on their New Year. 

Another verse that contains the words אראנו and אשורנו comes a chapter later:

יז  אֶרְאֶנּוּ וְלֹא עַתָּה, אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא קָרוֹב; דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב, וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, וּמָחַץ פַּאֲתֵי מוֹאָב, וְקַרְקַר כָּל-בְּנֵי-שֵׁת.

17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; there shall step forth a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth.

This verse is referring to Mashiah's era.  Once the עם לבדד process is complete, Mashiah cannot be far behind.  May we witness his coming very soon.

1957 Years

 Bereishit 15:5:

ה  וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה, וַיֹּאמֶר הַבֶּט-נָא הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וּסְפֹר הַכּוֹכָבִים--אִם-תּוּכַל, לִסְפֹּר אֹתָם; וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, כֹּה יִהְיֶה זַרְעֶךָ.

5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.'

Hashem asks Avraham Avinu to count the stars in Shamayim and compares them to his descendants - the Jewish people.

On a deeper level, however, perhaps, we can say that Hashem was asking Avraham Avinu to count the word "הכוכבים" - meaning to count the gematria of הכוכבים, which equals 103.

A couple notes:

1. The word וספר is the first word in the Torah where a word with the Shoresh of ספר - meaning to count - appears in the Torah.  (The word in Bereishit 5:1 doesn't seem to mean "to count".)
2. The word הכוכבים is the first word in the Torah with the gematria of 103.

How is the number 103 significant?

We recently experienced Tish'a Be'av, when we commemorated the destruction of the 2nd Beit Hamikdash, the start of our current Galut.  According to traditional Jewish sources, the destruction occurred in the year 68 CE, כמנין חיים (3828).  (Others put the date 1 or 2 years later, but I'm going with the traditional Jewish sources.)

That means that we have been in Galut for 1957 years.  Many synagogues actually recite the number of years since the destruction at the end of Kinot on the night of Tish'a Be'av.

1957 is a multiple of 19, which we know is a significant number when it comes to counting years.  The מחזור הקטן - the calendrical 19-year cycle is how we reconcile the lunar to solar calendars.

So how many 19-year cycles have we experienced since the חורבן (the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash)?  Exactly 103.

Perhaps, Hashem was asking Avraham Avinu to count הכוכבים - to count 103 19-year cycles of Galut.  אם תוכל לספר אתם - if Avraham Avinu could bear counting such a long period of time of Galut without experiencing sadness due to its length.  And only then, כה יהיה זרעך - will the Jewish people be the powerhouse of a people that we were meant to be.

ו  וְהֶאֱמִן, בַּיהוָה; וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ, צְדָקָה.

6 And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.

Then, Avraham Avinu not only had the Emuna in Hashem, but והאמן - which is לשון הפעיל - he gave over this Emuna to his descendants to wait these 1957 years, always longing for the Geula.  And as he foresaw that the Jewish people may not be deserving of Geula, ויחשבה לו צדקה - he foresaw that this Geula is considered a Tzedaka - charity from Hashem even though we may not deserve it.  And that the only possible merit we have is due to our Emuna in the Geula, which was bequeathed to us by Avraham.

May we experience it very soon.

Mamdani and Korah

Rabbi Pini Dunner compares New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (YM"S) and Korah.

He writes:

Mamdani is reading straight from Korach’s script — only the costume has changed. He doesn’t want to improve New York; he wants to dismantle it. He doesn’t seek to reform flawed systems; he seeks to uproot and replace them with a radical ideology that divides rather than unites. To him, opponents aren’t fellow citizens with different ideas — they’re villains in a moral crusade.

...

And in the end, just like Korach, populists like Mamdani always go down with the ship they set ablaze.

Interestingly enough, the gematria of זוהרן ממדאני (with the final nun as 700) is 1063.

The only Pasuk in the Torah with the gematria of 1063 is Shemot 6:21:

כא  וּבְנֵי, יִצְהָר--קֹרַח וָנֶפֶג, וְזִכְרִי.

21 And the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

which is the first Pasuk in the Torah that mentions Korah.

Shmulik Sukkot - Beota Hashaa

From the words of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk