"In the seventh year - wars"

10 Av 5782

Tisha b'Av (Fast Observed)

We are now in the 'home-stretch' of the seventh year of the current shmitta cycle.  It is only seven weeks until the New Year 5783.  News of the war between Russia and Ukraine seemed to be put on the 'back burner' last week as the world waited to see how far China and the US would go in their dispute over Taiwan.  But the week had not even ended since Pelosi's provocative trip when suddenly Israel was back at war in Gaza - a war already being dubbed the "Tisha b'Av War" - the great significance of which is that we are expecting a Third Messianic War which will restore Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount and bring about the building of the Third Temple.

Just to catch you up with the highlights:

There has been an escalation and significant situation developing in Ukraine: A nuclear power plant - "much larger than Chernobyl" -  has been damaged and is variously reported as leaking fuel or having to be shut down. (See Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant)

Regarding the situation with Taiwan, it is becoming more dire by the day.  Here is a small sampling of current headlines...

Now, with regard to what is developing in Israel, this article will tell you how it started. We went into Shabbat with the news that Israel had made a surprise attack and eliminated a top PIJ leader in Gaza, along with about 15 of his men.  We were informed that bomb shelters were being opened and iron domes placed.

When we came out of Shabbat and into the fast, we found that hundreds of rockets had already been fired into highly populated areas like Tel Aviv, Rishon L'Tzion, Holon and Modiin; coastal areas like Ashdod and Ashkelon; as well as Sederot and other areas bordering the Gaza Strip.  Iron dome appears to be effective into the upper 90s percentile - little damage, few injuries on our side.  However, the government claims they expect this operation to take a week to complete.  

Hamas has not elected to join in - YET - but they might get pulled in, ready or not, and as Hizb'allah is connected to the PIJ - both of them answering to Tehran - I think it highly likely that Nasrallah will open a second front from the north.  If this is the war we've been waiting for, I'd say it's a given.

Sadly, this is the way redemption comes when we haven't earned it and it comes "in its time" - frightening and depressing, not knowing what tomorrow holds in store.  But, remember - "lo lefached klal"!  Trust HKB"H!!

The Israeli Military has dubbed this operation "Breaking Dawn" (Alot HaShachar).  Someone must have been under prophetic influence when they chose that name as nothing could be more descriptive of a redemptive war.  The Redemption is always likened to the arrival of the dawn!

Yeshayahu, chapter 58...

"Then your light shall break forth as the dawn, and your healing shall quickly sprout, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall gather you in. Then you shall call and the Lord shall answer, you shall cry and He shall say, 'Here I am,'...."

~ Have an easy, meaningful and successful fast ~