LETTERS OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE
Who Could've Predicted This?
Aron Moss
Question: I feel like we are living in biblical times. Are events going on today somehow predicted in the Torah? Did the prophets say anything about the war going on now?
Response: There is a mysterious verse in the Book of Zechariah, describing events that will unfold before the arrival of the Final Redemption. If we unravel its message, we will see just how relevant it is to current events.
“G-d will show Himself to them (Israel), with arrows that flash like lightning. The Lord G-d will blow the Shofar, and advance in a storm from Teiman.”
The prophet is here envisioning a future time when G-d will become more revealed in the world, during a war described as “a storm from Teiman.”
That last phrase is curious. What does Teiman mean?
Some commentaries translate it as meaning “the south.” This is a chillingly accurate depiction of our times - a storm of terror in the south of Israel, and a spiritual awakening that comes amidst the storm.
Along with the shock, sadness, pain and anger that we have experienced since October 7th, we have also witnessed an undeniable awakening of the Jewish soul. People everywhere are turning to G-d, renewing their faith, connecting with prayer and seeing the power of doing a mitzvah. We are more Jewish than ever.
This is G-d showing Himself to us. The flashes of lightning over the skies of Israel, the storm that raged in the south, these were the nefarious attacks of our enemies that intended to bring us down. But the opposite has happened. We have woken up. We have united. We have heard the call of the Shofar.
This Shofar is not a sound from the outside, but a voice from within. It is a loving call from our Father in heaven to come home, to return to our true selves, to reconnect with our souls. This is the inner meaning of everything we are going through right now. We are being reminded of who we are. We are Jews, G-d's people.
This is what the prophet foresaw: G-d appearing to us, calling us back, while a storm rages from Teiman, the south.
But there is another way to translate the word Teiman. It is the Hebrew name for Yemen. Of all the countries in the world, Yemen, a mediaeval backwater that nobody thought about, suddenly threatens international shipping and world stability. And all this just to wake up the slumbering souls of Israel. Who would have predicted that? The prophet Zechariah.
