February 23, 2025

 

The books of the prophets are severely neglected by the Jewish people, just as our ancestors severely neglected their words when they were spoken. Our ancestors paid for this by being driven into exile and ultimately having prophecy removed from their midst to this very day. We continue to do the same things, and expect different results.

The overwhelming majority of Jews today — including “religious” Jews — routinely express some or all of the following beliefs:

• The IDF protects us, and the Jews in Israel would be slaughtered without them.

• We have the ability to achieve victory over our enemies through our might.

• If we destroyed our enemies, we would be safe.

• The only barrier to victory is the unwillingness of the leadership to fully unleash our military might on the enemy.

• We need leaders who will unleash our military might — regardless of whether these people are God-fearing and Torah-observant.

• The urgent need for a nationwide spiritual return to Hashem and Jewish law is an afterthought at best, something we might pay lip service to, but not the most essential determinant of our material and military success.

• As reflected by our media and our conversations, our primary attention and investment should be devoted to military and political machinations. This is what the Torah demands of us and Hashem expects of us.

• All men of fighting age (with extremely limited exceptions at most) have a mitzvah to join the IDF, and should even be compelled to do so.

• The larger the army, the safer we will be.

• We need America and/or other foreign nations for money, weapons, protection, and “support”, and we could not survive without this. Hashem expects us to pursue their friendship and support, cater to their expectations, and be ever-mindful of their attitude toward us — even at great sacrifice.

• The Jewish people would not have won some or all of their previous wars without foreign support.

• The support of the American President and/or other foreign leader is significant, even necessary to advance Jewish destiny.

• The support of Donald Trump is especially significant and necessary, to the point that he is a heaven-sent savior and protector of the Land of Israel, even a messianic figure.

All of these beliefs are outright kefira (heresy). Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Jews, including Torah-oriented Jews and many rabbis, maintain beliefs such as these, which severely endangers us. The “religious” media as well — all of it — routinely spreads kefira of this nature, misleading Jews by the thousands and mainstreaming these false ideas.

The direct consequences of thinking and behaving according to these beliefs are angering Hashem, losing His protection, being betrayed by the false idols and foreign nations we relied upon, and falling into the hands of our enemies, God forbid.

No matter how cleverly they try to kosher up these ideas with corruptions of bitachon and hishtadlus, foolish comparisons to gentile leaders such as Koresh (who Chazal inform us was not righteous, and to whom our spiritual leaders did not grovel), and lip service about everything coming from Hashem, they are engaging in outright kefira, and all but guaranteeing severe punishment to teach us the hard way, God forbid.

These are harsh words, but they are true, substantiated by the clear, direct words of our prophets. I present for your urgent consideration an extensive collection of prophetic messages that are especially relevant in our time, when millions of Jews have returned to Eretz Yisrael, and they enjoy at least a small degree of autonomy (albeit under the wicked rule of Erev Rav posing as authentic Jewish leaders). No Jew of sound mind and honest heart can dismiss these divine, timeless messages or explain them away.

Heed them.

 

Divrei Hayamim II 16:1-10 (translations mostly from Judaica Press, with minor revisions):

בשנת שלשים ושש למלכות אסא עלה בעשא מלך ישראל על יהודה ויבן את הרמה לבלתי תת יוצא ובא לאסא מלך יהודה: ויצא אסא כסף וזהב מאצרות בית יהוה ובית המלך וישלח אל בן הדד מלך ארם היושב בדרמשק לאמר: ברית ביני ובינך ובין אבי ובין אביך הנה שלחתי לך כסף וזהב לך הפר בריתך את בעשא מלך ישראל ויעלה מעלי: וישמע בן הדד אל המלך אסא וישלח את שרי החילים אשר לו אל ערי ישראל ויכו את עיון ואת דן ואת אבל מים ואת כל מסכנות ערי נפתלי: ויהי כשמע בעשא ויחדל מבנות את הרמה וישבת את מלאכתו: ואסא המלך לקח את כל יהודה וישאו את אבני הרמה ואת עציה אשר בנה בעשא ויבן בהם את גבע ואת המצפה: ובעת ההיא בא חנני הראה אל אסא מלך יהודה ויאמר אליו בהשענך על מלך ארם ולא נשענת על יהוה אלהיך על כן נמלט חיל מלך ארם מידך: הלא הכושים והלובים היו לחיל לרב לרכב ולפרשים להרבה מאד ובהשענך על יהוה נתנם בידך: כי יהוה עיניו משטטות בכל הארץ להתחזק עם לבבם שלם אליו נסכלת על זאת כי מעתה יש עמך מלחמות: ויכעס אסא אל הראה ויתנהו בית המהפכת כי בזעף עמו על זאת וירצץ אסא מן העם בעת ההיא

In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's kingdom, Baasha, the king of Israel, went up against Judah, and he built the Ramah, so as not to allow anyone either to leave or enter to Asa, king of Judah. And Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of the Lord and the house of the king, and he sent to Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, who dwelt in Damascus, saying: “There is a treaty between me and you and between my father and your father; behold I have sent you silver and gold. Go, abrogate your treaty with Baasha, the king of Israel, that he may depart from me.”

And Ben Hadad heeded King Asa, and he sent the officers of his army to the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijjon and Dan and Abel-Maim, and all the storehouses of the cities of Naphtali.

When Baasha heard this, he stopped building the Ramah and he discontinued his work. And King Asa took all of Judah and they carried away the stones of the Ramah and its wood, which Baasha had built, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and he said to him, "When you relied on the king of Aram, and you did not rely on the Lord your God; therefore, the army of the king of Aram escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and the Lubim a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the Lord — His eyes run to and fro throughout the entire earth to grant strength with those whose heart is whole toward Him. You have dealt foolishly in this matter, for from now on you shall have wars.”

And Asa was incensed against the seer, and he put him into the prison-house, for he was furious with him about this, and Asa crushed some of the people at that time.

This is the earliest case of a king of Israel turning to a foreign nation for military support. Although the tactic succeeded in the moment, the seer informed Asa that this was a foolish act, the punishment for which would be further wars instead of salvation from Hashem.

Asa was previously described as a righteous king, yet after relying on foreign support he was enraged by the rebuke of a seer, persecuted this holy man, and engaged in tyranny against righteous Jews who opposed his actions.

There is a remarkable Midrash in Seder Olam that elaborates on the consequences of Asa bribing Aram for military support. It is cited and explained by Rashi on Melachim I 11:39:

ואענה את זרע דוד למען זאת אך לא כל הימים

And I shall afflict David's descendants because of this, but not for all times.

Rashi explains:

אך לא כל הימים - כי לימות המשיח תשוב המלוכה אליו ובסדר עולם מצאתי ואענה את זרע דוד למען זאת כנגד שלשים ושש שנה שנתחתן שלמה את בת פרעה שנשאה בשנה הרביעית למלכו וכנגדו נגזרה גזירה על מלכות בית דוד ליחלק וראויה היתה המלוכה לחזור בימי אסא בשנת שש עשרה למלכו אלא שקלקל לשלוח שוחד למלך ארם ולא סמך על הקב"ה והוא שנאמר בדברי הימים (ב טז א) בשנת שלשים ושש למלכות אסא בנה בעשא את הרמה ואי אפשר שהרי אסא קבר את בעשא בשנת עשרים ושש למלכותו אלא שש עשרה שנה שלו הוא קורא שלשים ושש שהן סוף שלשים ושש לחלוקת המלכות והגיד הכתוב שבאותה שנה קלקל אסא אך לא כל הימים אלא שלושים ושש שנה

“But not for all times” — For in the days of the Messiah the kingdom will be restored to him. In Seder Olam (chapter 15) I found: “I shall afflict David’s descendants because of this” — Corresponding to the thirty-six years that Solomon was married to Pharaoh’s daughter, for he married her during the fourth year of his reign. Corresponding to this, the decree was promulgated on the kingdom of the house of David to be divided.  The kingdom should have been restored, however, in Asa’s time, in the sixteenth year of his reign, but he sinned by sending a bribe to the king of Aram (below 15:18), and did not depend on the Most Holy, Blessed be He. This is the meaning of that which is stated in Chronicles (II 16:1): “In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha built the high place.” This is impossible, since Asa buried Baasha [Baasha died] in the twenty-seventh year of his reign (Melachim I 15:33). Rather, the sixteenth year of his reign, Scripture calls “the thirty-sixth,” for they are the end of the thirty-six years from the division of the kingdom, and Scripture tells us that in that year Asa sinned. Thus we explain: “But not for all times,” but thirty-six years.

Asa’s pragmatic turn to Aram for military support directly prevented the reunification of the Jewish people under the kingdom of David in his time, a consequence that remains to this day.

 

Hoshea 5:13:

וירא אפרים את חליו ויהודה את מזרו וילך אפרים אל אשור וישלח אל מלך ירב והוא לא יוכל לרפא לכם ולא יגהה מכם מזור

And Ephraim saw his ailment, and Judah his pain, and Ephraim went to Assyria, and he sent to the king of Yarev, but he will not be able to heal you, and he will not remove the pain from you.

 

Hoshea 8:9

כי המה עלו אשור פרא בודד לו אפרים התנו אהבים

For they went up to Assyria, a wild donkey secluded to himself, they paid hire for love.

Turning to other nations for protection and support is frequently equated with harlotry, a wife cheating on her husband, and idolatry.

 

Hoshea 11:5

לא ישוב אל מצרים ואשור הוא מלכו כי מאנו לשוב

He shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria is his king, for they have refused to repent.

As Rashi and other commentaries explain, becoming vassals to other nations is a punishment for the Jews' failure to repent, and a consequence of seeking aid from them.

 

Hoshea 12:2-3

אפרים רעה רוח ורדף קדים כל היום כזב ושד ירבה וברית עם אשור יכרתו ושמן למצרים יובל: וריב ליהוה עם יהודה ולפקד על יעקב כדרכיו כמעלליו ישיב לו

Ephraim joins the wind and chases the east wind; all day he increases deceit and plunder, and they make a treaty with Assyria, and oil is brought to Egypt. Now the Lord has a contention with Judah, and to visit upon Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds He shall return upon him.

 

Hoshea 14:4:

אשור לא יושיענו על סוס לא נרכב ולא נאמר עוד אלהינו למעשה ידינו אשר בך ירחם יתום

Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any longer “our gods” to the work of our hands, for it is in You that the orphan is granted mercy.

 

Yirmiya 2:18-20

ועתה מה לך לדרך מצרים לשתות מי שחור ומה לך לדרך אשור לשתות מי נהר: תיסרך רעתך ומשבותיך תוכחך ודעי וראי כי רע ומר עזבך את יהוה אלהיך ולא פחדתי אליך נאם אדני יהוה צבאות: כי מעולם שברתי עלך נתקתי מוסרותיך ותאמרי לא כי על כל גבעה גבהה ותחת כל עץ רענן את צעה זנה

And now, what is there for you to go on the way to Egypt to drink the water of the Shihor, and what is there for you to go on the way to Assyria to drink the water of the [Euphrates] river? Your evil will afflict you, and your backsliding will reprove you, and you shall know and see that your forsaking Hashem your God is evil and bitter, and fear of Me was not upon you, says the Lord, God of Hosts. For from the days of old I broke your yoke, I tore open your yoke-bands, and you said, “I will not transgress,” but on every lofty hill and under every leafy tree, you recline as a harlot.

Turning to foreign nations for support is once again directly equated with harlotry and idolatry, and an absence of fear of Hashem. Jews who rationalize that turning to other nations is acceptable so long as one still “trusts in Hashem” are fooling themselves and deceitfully trying to turn hishtadlus of betrayal into a mitzvah.

 

Yechezkel 16:25-30

אל כל ראש דרך בנית רמתך ותתעבי את יפיך ותפשקי את רגליך לכל עובר ותרבי את תזנותך: ותזני אל בני מצרים שכניך גדלי בשר ותרבי את תזנתך להכעיסני: והנה נטיתי ידי עליך ואגרע חקך ואתנך בנפש שנאותיך בנות פלשתים הנכלמות מדרכך זמה: ותזני אל בני אשור מבלתי שבעתך ותזנים וגם לא שבעת: ותרבי את תזנותך אל ארץ כנען כשדימה וגם בזאת לא שבעת: מה אמלה לבתך נאם אדני יהוה בעשותך את כל אלה מעשה אשה זונה שלטת

At the head of every road you built your lofty place, and you made your beauty an abomination; you spread your legs to every passerby, and you increased your harlotries. You engaged in harlotry with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors great of flesh, and you increased your harlotry to anger Me. Now behold, I stretched out My hand upon you, and I diminished your ration, and I delivered you to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were embarrassed by your lewd way.

And you engaged in harlotry with the people of Assyria because you were not sated, and you played the harlot with them, but you were still not satisfied. And you increased your harlotry with the land of Canaan, with the Chaldeans, and even with this you were not sated. How degenerate is your heart, says the Lord God, when you do all these things — the deed of a harlot dominated [by lustful desires].

Now come the consequences:

 

Yechezkel 16:35-42

לכן זונה שמעי דבר יהוה: כה אמר אדני יהוה יען השפך נחשתך ותגלה ערותך בתזנותיך על מאהביך ועל כל גלולי תועבותיך וכדמי בניך אשר נתת להם: לכן הנני מקבץ את כל מאהביך אשר ערבת עליהם ואת כל אשר אהבת על כל אשר שנאת וקבצתי אתם עליך מסביב וגליתי ערותך אלהם וראו את כל ערותך: ושפטתיך משפטי נאפות ושפכת דם ונתתיך דם חמה וקנאה: ונתתי אותך בידם והרסו גבך ונתצו רמתיך והפשיטו אותך בגדיך ולקחו כלי תפארתך והניחוך עירם ועריה: והעלו עליך קהל ורגמו אותך באבן ובתקוך בחרבותם: ושרפו בתיך באש ועשו בך שפטים לעיני נשים רבות והשבתיך מזונה וגם אתנן לא תתני עוד: והנחתי חמתי בך וסרה קנאתי ממך ושקטתי ולא אכעס עוד

Therefore, harlot, listen to the word of the Lord. So said the Lord God: Because your bottom was uncovered and your nakedness was revealed because of your harlotries with your lovers, and because of all your abominable idols, and according to the blood of your sons, which you gave them. Therefore, behold I gather all your lovers with whom you mingled, and all whom you loved with all whom you hated, and I shall gather them against you from around and I shall expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness. And I shall judge you with the judgments of adulteresses and murderers, and I shall deliver you [to those who shed] blood with fury and zeal.

And I shall deliver you into their hands, and they will demolish your eminent place, and they will break down your lofty places and strip you of your clothing and take the vessels of your glory and leave you naked and bare. And they will raise up a mob against you and pelt you with stones, and they will pierce you with their swords. And they will burn your houses with fire and will inflict judgments upon you before the eyes of many women, and I shall stop you from being a harlot, and you will no longer give hire [for harlotry]. And I shall relieve My fury in you, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I shall be quiet and be angry no longer.

 

Yechezkel 23:5-10

ותזן אהלה תחתי ותעגב על מאהביה אל אשור קרובים: לבשי תכלת פחות וסגנים בחורי חמד כלם פרשים רכבי סוסים: ותתן תזנותיה עליהם מבחר בני אשור כלם ובכל אשר עגבה בכל גלוליהם נטמאה: ואת תזנותיה ממצרים לא עזבה כי אותה שכבו בנעוריה והמה עשו דדי בתוליה וישפכו תזנותם עליה: לכן נתתיה ביד מאהביה ביד בני אשור אשר עגבה עליהם: המה גלו ערותה בניה ובנותיה לקחו ואותה בחרב הרגו ותהי שם לנשים ושפוטים עשו בה

Then Oholah played the harlot under Me, and she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians, who were nearby. Attired in blue, governors and officers, all of them handsome youths, horsemen, riding on horses. And she bestowed her harlotries upon them, the choice of the sons of Assyria, all of them; and in all that she lusted, she was defiled with all their idols. And her harlotries from Egypt she did not abandon, for they had lain with her in her youth, and they had squeezed her virgin breasts and poured out their harlotry upon her.

Therefore, I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of Assyria, for whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and daughters, and they slew her with the sword, and she became a name for the women [a curse and disgrace], and they executed judments upon her.

The chapter continues with a similar harsh rebuke for the other tribes of Israel, referred to allegorically as Oholivah, failing to learn from her sister's misdeeds and punishment. On the contrary, she lusted even more than her sister, after the children of Babylon. As a result, Hashem became disgusted with them, and decreed that her lovers, the Assyrians and Babylonians, would come upon them with harsh judgments. This would abolish their lewdness and harlotry.

The reader is encouraged to study the entire chapter.

 

Yeshaya 10:5

הוי אשור שבט אפי ומטה הוא בידם זעמי

Woe that Assyria ia the rod of My wrath, and My fury is a staff in their hand.

This is one of many pesukim in Tanach informing us that Hashem uses other nations as a stick of punishment, but they have no independent source of strength or ability to harm us without a decree from Heaven. It is Hashem's fury, brought about by our sins, that gives the stick the power to harm us. Hence, our focus should be not on dealing with the stick, but with the sins.

This is further illustrated in the next source, a few pesukim later, which is a rebuke to Assyria for believing itself the source of its own power. Therefore, Assyria too would be put in its place.

 

Yeshaya 10:15

היתפאר הגרזן על החצב בו אם יתגדל המשור על מניפו כהניף שבט ואת מרימיו כהרים מטה לא עץ

Shall the axe boast over the one who hews with it, or shall the saw hold itself greater than he who wields it? It is as though the rod wields those who raise it. When the staff is raised, it is not the wood [Rashi: is it not the wood that raises it, but the man who raises it].

 

Yeshaya 10:20

והיה ביום ההוא לא יוסיף עוד שאר ישראל ופליטת בית יעקב להשען על מכהו ונשען על יהוה קדוש ישראל באמת

And it will be on that day that the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob shall not continue to lean on the one who smote them [Egypt], but he shall lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

This is an ancient illustration of Stockholm Syndrome, as the Jews relied on the very people who were their adversaries for support and protection. Furthermore, reliance on foreign nations, even with lip service paid to the idea that “everything comes from Hashem”, is exposed by the prophet at not leaning on Hashem in truth. This sort of hishtadlus is in fact a betrayal against Hashem, a desecration of His name as the protector of Israel, and not at all in line with proper physical efforts.

 

Yeshaya 9:8-12

וידעו העם כלו אפרים ויושב שמרון בגאוה ובגדל לבב לאמר: לבנים נפלו וגזית נבנה שקמים גדעו וארזים נחליף: וישגב יהוה את צרי רצין עליו ואת איביו יסכסך: ארם מקדם ופלשתים מאחור ויאכלו את ישראל בכל פה בכל זאת לא שב אפו ועוד ידו נטויה: והעם לא שב עד המכהו ואת יהוה צבאות לא דרשו

And the entire people shall know — Ephraim and the dwellers of Samaria — [the fallacy of what they spoke] with haughtiness and with arrogance, saying,”Bricks have fallen, so we will build hewn stones; sycamores have been cut down, so we will replace them with cedars. And the Lord strengthened the adversaries of Rezin over him, and He shall incite his enemies. He shall incite his enemies. Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they devoured Israel with every mouth; despite all this, His anger has not turned away, and His hand is still outstretched. And the people have not returned to the One Who smites it, and the Lord of Hosts they have not sought.

The commentaries explain that the Jews arrogantly responded to the fall of their previous king to Assyria that they would simply crown an even stronger leader, who would restore all that they had lost, if not more.

Today the Jews in Israel respond to losses and failures with calls for a tougher Prime Minister to lead them into war. In their warped winds, that's the solution. According to the Torah, this attitude only further angers Hashem, causes Him to further strengthen our enemies, and brings even greater destruction upon us, God forbid.

The proper response — the only proper response — is to recognize that the enemies are not the ones actually smiting us. They are merely sticks of punishment carrying out the decree of Hashem as a result of our sins. Hence, instead of focusing on the stick, we must seek the One who holds it — Hashem.

Of course, the enemies can and will be punished for their atrocities, for they commit them of their own free will, with evil intentions. However, if we merely double down on a military response, with lip service at most toward the true source of our troubles, we will only continue to be dealt harsh lessons, God forbid, until we finally learn.

 

Mishlei 11:14

באין תחבלות יפל עם ותשועה ברב יועץ

Without strategy the people fall, but with many counselors there is victory.

Rashi explains:

כשהצרה באה על ישראל ואינן נותנין לב להבין להתענות ולעשות תשובה יפול עם

When the trouble comes upon Israel and they do not put their heart to understand, to fast, and to repent, the people will fall.