The haftaros of Succos paint a frightening picture of the End of Days. The comparisons to present-day conflicts are all too real
The Syrian crisis and the furor surrounding it are reflected with amazing accuracy in the prophecies of our neviim who describe a future scenario in which mighty armies will fight wars around Eretz Yisrael and Hashem will save the Jewish People and their Land.
We read about these wars in the haftaros of Succos. And now as Succos approaches the frightening reality of war seems closer than ever. In this post-Hiroshima generation we know the devastating potential of war. We live in the age of ballistic missiles of nuclear weapons stockpiles and the threat of chemical warfare – now a shocking reality in Syria. And with the Iranian threat looming the apocalyptic images painted by the haftaros of the first day of Succos and Shabbos Chol HaMoed are no mere horror fantasy.
The pesukim (Yechezkel ch. 38; Zechariah ch. 14) describing the war of Gog and Magog paint the scene in bold grim colors. The war to take place at the End of Days will be a world war and its location is defined. “On the mountains of Israel” says Yechezkel and Zechariah says “to Jerusalem.” Many nations will take part: “And I shall gather all the nations to Jerusalem to war and the city shall be captured” (Zechariah 14:2).
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