Eleven Days of the Omer
Eisav's end is very, very near. Whatever awaits it in Syria will likely bring it to its doom. And when Eisav falls, the exile will truly be over.
Neshama's blogpost inspired me to look up this source. (See Yeshayah 21:11, 12) - "A prophecy concerning DUMA...." The commentary says: "The name DUMA is a reference to EDOM (Rashi). In this prophecy, God says that Israel cries out to God, its Watchman, because of the oppression of the night, i.e., exile, inflicted by Edom, whose homeland was Seir. Deliverance is at hand, but the night will continue for the wicked. Only repentance will bring the long-awaited salvation."
An alleged poison gas attack on a village called Duma in Syria appears to be leading the world straight into WW3 and the ultimate downfall of Edom.
So, since it looks like the war could start on Friday night, I went looking to the parashah and haftarah for connections and this is what I found.
Commentary on the haftarah for Parashat Metzora: "This story...deals with Aram, the persecutor of the Jews.... King Ben-Hadad of Aram mounted a siege of Samaria."
Davka, this week, the haftarah points to Syria!
Yeshayah 7.8 identifies it further: "For the capital of Aram is Damascus...."
Damascus Is Doomed
Yeshayah 17.1: "A prophecy concerning Damascus - Behold, Damascus will be negated from being a city, and it will be a heap of rubble."
Yirmiyah 49.27: "...And I will set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad."
Furthermore, according to Rav Yekutiel Fish, Ben-Hadad is equal in gematria to Assad.
