There are no coincidences...

5 Shevat 5771

We know that nothing is by coincidence. Every seemingly small and insignificant detail is managed from Above. We also know that everything that happens is a message to Am Yisrael. How much more so when the events center around Jews?

I imagine that most of the world by now has heard about the shooting of Jewish congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords from Arizona, along with her aide, Gabriel Zimmerman, who was killed. With its report, Yahoo featured a picture singling out Gabriella Applebaugh (see above), one of the locals who came out to pay respects to the dead and injured.

What are the odds that this name would be repeated three times in this report, all apparently Jews.

Gabrielle \
Gabriel.....>every possible combination of the name
Gabriella /
This is significant, but I can't work out exactly what we are meant to take from it. It immediately makes me think of the archangel Gabriel.

The Jewish Heritage Online Magazine tells us the following:

...Michael and Gabriel visited Abraham after his circumcision, Michael's task being to announce the future birth of Isaac while Gabriel's was to destroy Sodom. Together they recorded the birthright was sold to Jacob by Esau; accompanied God when He came down on Mount Sinai; refused to take Moses' soul when his time came to die; and then stood at either side of his' bier after his death.

Michael is made up entirely of snow and Gabriel of fire, and though they stand near one another they do not injure one another, thus indicating the power of God to "make peace in His high places." According to the Aggadah, Both Michael and Gabriel will be among those who will accompany the Messiah, and they will then contend with the wicked.

...Gabriel is God's messenger on numerous missions and the constant defender of the Jewish people. He saves Tamar from the fate of being burnt as punishment for her unchastity; protects Joseph against the evil designs of Potiphar, and teaches him the seventy languages of the world; causes the infant Moses to weep so that Pharaoah's daughter will feel compassionate towards him; and saves Moses' life when Pharaoh sets him to a test of loyalty (when the king sets before him coals of fire and jewels, the angel Gabriel pushes his hand to touch the coals, lest his reaching for the crown suggest his wish to usurp Pharaoh's place). Gabriel delivers Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the fiery furnace.

This is all very interesting, but tachlis, what does it mean for us today? I'm only guessing now, but I'll share my best guess and you can share yours in the comments section.

I picked up on something else from the Yahoo report. Seeing the 9 year old Gabriella in the picture reminded me of the 9 year old little girl who was killed. Her name was Christina. The article said she had "just received her first Holy Communion at St. Odilia's Catholic Church." It was further noted that the federal judge who was killed had just come from "Mass." The name Christina contains the name "Christ," so here are three connections to Christianity, the religion of Eisav and one of Israel's most formidable enemies.

And there is one more highly significant thing they say about Christina---she was born on Sept 11, 2001!

When 9/11 happened, I saw that as a big wake-up call to American Jews that the exile was ending and this was the big shofar blast to signal the time to come home. That was the beginning of the mass migration made possible by Nefesh b'Nefesh. If that was the beginning of the beginning, so to speak, could this event be the beginning of the end? Could this event be the signal that Gabriel is poised to deliver Eisav's destruction? And the moral of this story, so to speak, is that American Jews have run out of time?

One more thing. Those "Orthodox" Jews who "like" Sarah Palin had better pay attention...

(Quote taken from the Yahoo article): "For example, we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action," Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC. (Obviously before the shooting took place.)
________________________________
13 January addition...

...our Rav Yehuda went on to expound more on the issue of fire in Israel and its connection to the angel Gavriel and to the shooting in Tucson, Arizona.

Following is a faithful representation of what he said, to the best of my ability to remember and reproduce it. My apologies to the Rav if anything is amiss. I’m sure he’ll let us know if it is.

Our sages tell us that when Shlomo Hamelech intermarried with the daughter of Paro, avodah zarah was introduced into Eretz Yisrael and this was the beginning of the destruction of the Second Beit Hamikdash. On that day, the angel Gavriel threw a stick into the ocean and the island upon which Rome would be built emerged. From Rome would come those who would burn and destroy the Second Beit Hamikdash.

But that is just the beginning of a circle that is now being closed.

The angel Gavriel is made from both fire and water and he can represent both chesed and gevurah; positive or negative. There are many occasions when he worked for the benefit of Am Yisrael. Besides bringing destructive fire, he also regulates fire so that it can be of benefit to us. This was clearly demonstrated during the Carmel fire at which time we were benefitting from the lighting of the 44 nerot shel Hanukah at the same time that 44 lives were being lost to the destructive forest fire.

In Gemara Sanhedrin and Shabbat, it is told that at the End of Days, the nations will want to bring presents to the nation of Israel. First will come Egypt and then Africa and then Eisav and Edom will approach, but Hashem will send the angel Gavriel to stop them. Now, at the End of Days, the angel Gavriel is closing the circle and bringing the destruction back around to Eisav/Edom/Rome. And this is the message of the Tucson shooting.