Backflips and Geula
Thursday, 03 January 2019
Everyone in Israel, as well as Israel's friends abroad, are in shock today; that is, except for our cherished friends - may Hashem bless you - who read the Beams. No one (except us) can believe that POTUS Trump just now handed Syria on a platter to Iran.
We know that the Geula is happening fast, but it looks like that Hashem has just shifted into a higher gear. Just two days ago, we wrote here that Trump is very similar to Achashverosh in a number of ways, especially in his topsy-turviness. Yet, today's backflip would win a gold medal if there were Political Olympics; look at this:
Exactly a month ago on Dec. 4, 2018, the Atlantic quoted the Trump Administration and said that American forces would remain in Syria as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias. Yet yesterday, a mere 4 weeks later, POTUS Trump said Iran can do whatever they want in Syria, because American troops are going home.
Have you ever seen a more complete backflip than that? 9.98 rule the judges, Gold Medal for Mr. President...
I have a secret for you - Trump did not initiate the backflip; Hashem did. King Solomon says so: "The king's heart is in the hand of the Hashem...He turns it wherever He wants" (Proverbs 21:1). Hashem doesn't want Israel depending on America or on American troops to protect against Iran, who will now complete its control over and presence in Syria our next-door neighbor, so Hashem is pulling the USA out of Syria.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains that a lack of emuna is what delays the Geula (see Likutei Moharan I:7). Hashem wants us all to believe in Him, not in any flesh-and-blood of any shape or form.
This week's Haftara, Ezekiel 29, is the real news - Israel thought that Egypt would protect them against Nechadnezzar and the Babylonian army; Hashem tells Israel that leaning on Egypt is like leaning on a reed; in other words, undependable.
I remind everyone once more what we said two days ago: to quote Sota 49b, we have no one to lean on but Hashem. The sooner we internalize that, the quicker we'll say the splendor of Geula, speedily and in our days, amen.