Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

Iran in Prophecy

As we witness incredible events in the Middle East, it is worth reviewing and summarizing ancient prophecies that speak of Iran at the End of Days. First is Ezekiel’s prophecy of Gog u’Magog (Ch. 38-39), where he lists Persia (Paras) as the first ally of Gog in the final apocalyptic war against Israel. The Persian regime goes on to be described as the main adversary in many rabbinic prophecies. Nearly two millennia ago, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught that “If you see a Persian horse tied up to the graves of the land of Israel, expect the footsteps of Mashiach.” (Shir haShirim Rabbah 8:9) In other words, when Persian military might is causing deaths in Israel, God forbid, the Final Redemption is near. Tragically, one woman was killed today in Tel-Aviv from an Iranian missile. Let us pray it is the last grave in Israel caused by a “Persian horse”.

In the 7th century Sefer Zerubavel (explored fully and in depth in the recent class on ‘Trump, Iran and the Year of the Horse, Part 2’), Persia again plays a big role. We are told that the king of Persia, referred to as “Seroy”, will launch attacks against Israel: “Seroy the king of Persia will attack Nehemiah ben Hushiel and Israel, and there will be great suffering in Israel.” Here, Nehemiah ben Hushiel is the title given to Mashiach ben Yosef. The suffering won’t last long, though, and Hashem “will place a spirit of confusion upon [the Persian army], and they will kill one another, each (slaying) his companion or his countryman. The wicked one [Seroy] will die.” The Persian king will die early on in the war, perhaps at the very beginning. This is important to keep in mind as we now have reports confirming the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khameini. Meanwhile, Iran’s remaining leadership is in disarray, and some of them are calling for mercy and “de-escalation”. (Incredibly, Sefer Zerubavel begins by stating that the prophecy was relayed on the 11th of Adar—precisely the date on which Khameini was eliminated!)

A 1987 gold-plated medal minted by Saddam Hussein, depicting his own face alongside Nebuchadnezzar’s.

The death of Khameini is significant, especially on Shabbat Zachor (when we read about Amalek), and on the cusp of Purim, which commemorates the death of another genocidal Persian figure, the Amalekite Haman. The alliteration of Haman and Khameini is unmissable. Moreover, the Zohar (II, 58b) prophecies that at the End of Days, God will bring back all the old oppressors of Israel and punish them one last time: “The Holy One, blessed be He, shall resurrect those kings that distressed Israel and Jerusalem, such as ‘Adrianus’ [Vespasian] and ‘Lupinus’ [Titus], Nebuchadnezzar and Sancheriv, and all the other kings of the world that took part in the destruction of His House…” In the past, I’ve noted how Saddam Hussein believed himself to be the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. He spoke about it openly, built his palace over the archaeological remains of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, and minted coins superimposing his face over Nebuchadnezzar’s, among other things. Saddam was president of Iraq, which is modern-day Babylon. It is quite possible that Iran’s Khameini is the modern-day version of ancient Iran’s Haman.

Another well-known prophecy about Persia in the End of Days is in the Talmud (Yoma 10a). Here, the Sages debate whether Rome will ultimately fall to Persia, or will Persia ultimately fall to Rome? Now, it is important to remember that in the time when the Talmud was written, the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire were locked in a centuries-long war. In fact, the Roman-Persian War is one of history’s longest, officially dated from 54 BCE to 628 CE, a whopping 681 years! The peshat here in the Talmud is that the Sages were debating how that Roman-Persian war they were mired in at the time would end. Some thought Rome would win and some thought Persia would win. The debate concludes with Rav Yehuda citing a teaching from Rav (in Sanhedrin 98b) that “The son of David will come only when the wicked kingdom of Rome spreads its dominance throughout the world for nine months.” This implies that Rome would ultimately win over Persia. Right now, we are certainly seeing the modern-day “Roman Empire” displaying its dominance over the whole world, Persia included.

Sasanian and Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empires in 600 CE, before the rise of Islam

Finally, no discussion of Iran in prophecy would be complete without the well-known Midrash in Yalkut Shimoni II, 499 (worth reading the whole passage!) Amidst a long discussion of the Light of Creation and the Light of Mashiach, we are told that “In the year that King Mashiach will be revealed, all the kings of the nations of the world will taunt each other. The king of Persia will taunt the king of Arabia. And the king of Arabia will go to Aram to get advice from them…” Standard versions of the text today typically say “Aram” (ארם) here, but it is far more likely that original manuscripts said “Edom” (אדם), which makes a lot more sense both then and now. It is interesting to note that Iran responded today by attacking neighbouring Arab countries as well, and one of the first victims (outside Iran) was a citizen in the United Arab Emirates. Also revealed in the news now is that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was encouraging Trump to launch the attack on Iran despite presenting himself publicly as being opposed to it.

The prophecy continues to say that in the midst of this war “the king of Persia returns and destroys the entire world…” A desperate Persian regime will, it seems, unleash something terrible upon the world. Not to worry, though, because Hashem says “My children, do not be afraid! All that I have done, I have only done for your sake. Why are you afraid? Do not be afraid, the time of your redemption has arrived!” Shortly after, Mashiach is revealed (referred to here in the Midrash as “Ephraim”) to bring an end to the war and peace and prosperity to Israel: “At that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up Mashiach to the highest Heavens, and spread upon him some of His glory, before the nations of the world and before the wicked Persians. They tell him: ‘Ephraim, our righteous Mashiach, judge them and do as you wish with them…’”

Here, the Midrash describes that Persian forces are not alone in the area, but that “Not one or two kingdoms come upon him, but one hundred and forty kingdoms surround him.” As I first suggested a couple of years ago in this shiur on Mashiach ben Yosef, this may be referring to the United Nations peacekeeping forces which officially have troops from about 140 nations. In addition, Trump’s “International Stabilization Force” in Gaza (with its headquarters in Kiryat Gat, Israel) will soon bring in troops from all over the world, including 8000 already committed by Indonesia (the world’s largest Muslim country, no less). Just this past week, I spoke to a friend in Indonesia who told me his taxi driver’s soldier son is already on the way to Gaza!

The Midrash does not provide an exact timeline, but does mention one clue: “Our Rabbis taught: The Patriarchs are destined to stand in Nisan and say: ‘Ephraim, our righteous Mashiach, even though we are your forefathers, you are better than us because you suffered the sins of our children and harsh and evil things have befallen you which have not befallen the former ones or the latter ones…’” The Patriarchs are worried that Mashiach will not want to save his people because of all the torment they caused him, but he reassures the Patriarchs that “All that I have done I have only done for you and for your children to enjoy this goodness that the Holy One, blessed be He, has bestowed upon Israel.” The Patriarchs reply: “Ephraim, our righteous Mashiach, rest your mind for you have rested the mind of your Maker and our minds.” Hopefully, the Nisan referenced to here is the forthcoming Nisan next month.

‘Zerubbabel shows Cyrus the Great a plan of the rebuilt Jerusalem’ by Jacob van Loo (1614-1670)

Finally, it is worth remembering that it was the Persian emperor Cyrus who liberated the Jews some 2500 years ago and allowed them to rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. We read in Isaiah 45:1 that Cyrus is surprisingly referred to as God’s meshicho, “anointed one”. Our Sages (Megillah 12a) discuss this puzzle and conclude that, of course, he was not the Messiah. So what might we learn from it instead? Perhaps it is a prophetic allusion for the present day: that Mashiach has a Persian connection, that we should expect Iran to once again play a big role, and that they will once again pave the way for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, speedily and in our days.

Wishing Everyone a Happy & Meaningful Purim!

Purim Learning Resources:
Secrets of Purim (Video)
Who is Ahashverosh?
Queen Esther’s Kabbalah (Video) 
The Secret, Secret Story of Stalin’s Purim Death
A Mystical Peek Into Megillat Esther

The Last Oppression

As we tremble and mourn the senseless carnage in Israel over the last several days, we begin a new Torah reading cycle as well. Beresheet opens by telling us that the first thing God created was light. This was a special, divine light which was subsequently hidden away for the World to Come. It is therefore known as the or haganuz, the “hidden” or “concealed” light. The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni II, 499) states that this light has the power to destroy all evil instantly. For now, it is stored away under God’s Throne, to be revealed only at the End of Days. Unfortunately this means that, at the moment, the world is more like it was before God brought forth this light, when the cosmos was “chaotic and void, with darkness over the face of the abyss” (Genesis 1:2). Indeed, the Midrash teaches that this verse is speaking of the future Four Exiles of the Jewish people: “chaotic” being an allusion to Babylon, “void” to Persia, “darkness” to the Greek, and the “abyss” to the Edomite (Beresheet Rabbah 2:4).

At the same time, our Sages taught that each exile actually has two parts, and is a partnership between two oppressors. (The term “oppression” or “persecution” is probably more accurate than “exile” since, for instance, the Greek oppression happened in the Holy Land and did not involve exile.) Babylon only finished what the Assyrians started in the decades before by destroying the northern Kingdom of Israel and banishing the Lost Tribes. Persia was allied with Media, and the Greek oppression began with Alexander, who was a Macedonian. Similarly, while Edom began the final exile, it is Ishmael who concludes it. This is alluded to in several places in the Torah, including when “Esau went to Ishmael and took for a wife, in addition to the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael.” (Genesis 28:9) The Vilna Gaon taught, in his commentary on Sifra diTzniuta, that in the End of Days, too, the world of Edom will “marry” the world of Ishmael to oppose Israel.

This is precisely what we see today, where Israel’s terrorist Ishmaelite oppressors—Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and their main financier, Iran, among others—are enabled and supported by Western countries. European nations are quick to condemn Israel and send “aid” to the terrorists. The Western mainstream media constantly paints Israel as the aggressor, and describes the real villains as the poor and oppressed victims. Russia pretends to have good relations with Israel, but keeps Iran as one of its closest allies, arms them, and props up the Iranian regime. It even invited Iran to join its CSTO military defense pact. (Though not currently a full member, Iran is the only non-Soviet nation to be part of the CSTO.) Nor is the United States off the hook since, despite its valuable aid, it has often thrown Israel under the bus. It was George W. Bush’s “roadmap to peace” that pressured Israel to give up Gaza for nothing, and create the huge disaster we are mired in. And it is no coincidence that this current war began just weeks after the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian funds, supposedly for “humanitarian” purposes. (Internal memos reveal that the Biden administration was aware the money might go to terrorists, and they proceeded with the deal anyway.)

Make no mistake, nearly the whole world is complicit here in some way. Let’s not forget that the United Nations spends much of its time attacking Israel, and has passed more resolutions against Israel than any other country (than most other countries combined, in fact). Long ago, our Prophets predicted that God would “gather all the nations” against Israel (Zechariah 14:2), and “many nations” would join the wicked Gog against Israel at the End of Days, first among them Persia (Ezekiel 38:5-6). King David foresaw that those who “secretly conspire” against the Jewish people come from both “the tents of Edom and Ishmael” (Psalm 83:7). He goes on to list Moab and Ammon (today’s Jordan), Tyre (ie. Lebanon), Syria, the “Philistines” and, of course, Amalek.

The Torah presents us with 70 root nations in the world, from which all others branch out. These were divided up between “the tents of Edom and Ishmael”, which is why we often see reference not to 70 nations, but to 72 nations. The Vilna Gaon found further proof for this from Psalms 20:8, which says “These [call] on chariots and these [call] on horses, but we call in the name of the Lord, our God.” The word these, eleh (אלה), has a value of 36, alluding to the fact that 36 nations under the umbrella of Edom stand on one side, and 36 nations under the Ishmaelite umbrella stand on the other side. All of this reinforces the notion that the final exile and oppression is an Edom-Ishmael partnership.

Throughout ancient Jewish texts, it is Ishmael who is described as starting the final war in the End of Days. The Midrash (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 30) says they will launch a three-pronged attack to start the conflict, with an assault in the wilderness, an invasion by sea, and in a “big city”. This is highly reminscent of what we witnessed earlier this week, with terrorists slaughtering helpless young people at a nature party in the wild, landing at the Zikim Beach from the sea, and taking over the city of Sderot, and neighbouring kibbutzim.

Within the wider world of Ishmael—the whole house of Islam—who is it in particular that is the main culprit? Not surprisingly, the Midrash identifies Paras, Iran, as the one that’s really behind the war that “destroys the world” (Yalkut Shimoni II, 499). This is tremendously prescient, since Paras back then was not Muslim, and not yet Ishmaelite. It was only in the 7th and 8th centuries that the Islamization of Persia occurred. And today, Iran is the undisputed leader of Ishmaelite extremism.

Amazingly, the Midrash here says that Iran will do this precisely at a time when the “king of Arabia” will head west for council and diplomacy. Indeed, in recent weeks we saw how Israel and Saudi Arabia were getting closer and closer to a long-awaited peace deal. Iran could not let this happen, and made sure to use their terrorist proxies to attack Israel and axe any such deal. Iranian weapons, training, and funds are behind the deadly massacres we witnessed. Nearly two millennia ago, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught that “when you see the Persian horse tied to the graves of the land of Israel, expect the footsteps of Mashiach.” (Shir haShirim Rabbah 8:9) In other words, when Iranian armaments are causing graves in Israel, the coming of Mashiach is imminent.

The multitude of graves we see today in Israel are beyond tragic, and there are no words to describe the unspeakable crimes committed by the Ishmaelites. While it is no consolation whatsoever, this terror was foreseen, and the Midrash even states that God deeply “regrets” having created four things, foremost among them is Ishmael (Yalkut Shimoni II, 424). The Talmud describes some of these Ishmaelites as se’irim shel beit hakis’e, like “demons of an outhouse” (Kiddushin 72a). We certainly saw such demonic beings in the grotesque crimes committed against innocent civilians, helpless youths, and little children—may Hashem avenge their blood.

Foreseeing these tragedies, the Sages declared: “Let [Mashiach] come but let me not see him!” They would rather not be alive to witness such things. The same Midrash cited above (Yalkut Shimoni II, 499) says the Jewish people will be so confounded at the End of Days that they will repeat over and over again l’eikhan navo v’nelekh? “Where do we go from here?” But God will reveal Himself soon after, and restore the primordial light of Creation—that hidden or ha’ganuz first mentioned at the start of this week’s parasha. We will bask in this light, glow with it, illuminate the whole world, and finally enjoy the era of peace and prosperity we’ve been awaiting for so long.

May we merit to see it very soon.

The War in Israel and How to Help

Perspectives on the sensless catastrophe in Israel – and how these horrific events may tie into ancient Biblical, Talmudic, and Midrashic prophecies – followed by three simple but powerful ways to spiritually assist our brothers and sisters in Israel.