“So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea for a fourth, I will not relent; for taking entire communities into captivity and delivering them to Edom. I will send fire onto the walls of Gaza, and it shall devour its palaces.”(Amos 1:6-7)
כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי עַזָּה וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־הַגְלוֹתָם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה לְהַסְגִּיר לֶאֱדוֹם:
The book of Amos is an ancient, timeless text that is meant to teach us not simply about a historical event in the past, but about a permanent spiritual reality that continues to have relevance in every generation. The prophet Amos issued stern warnings to the nations that lived in the Land of Israel and specified the decree that would lead to their demise, then and today.
Let us follow the text and see where we may see parallels to current events:
- a fourth transgression, an overflowing of sin, will seal the divine judgment upon Gaza.
- the sin in question, will be the taking of entire communities into captivity.
- the purpose of the abduction will be to deliver them to Edom
- the punishment will be a fire that will devour the palaces of Gaza
Those who have eyes can see.
The “Green Prince”, Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of one of the founders of Hamas declared in his interview with Piers Morgan on October 27th, 2023:
“Hamas did not only bring the wrath of Israel over Gaza, Hamas brought the wrath of G-d.”
Lucy Aharish, a Muslim Israeli journalist, quoted the simple words of an elderly Arab man on October 7th:
“Where will you escape from Allah? These are innocent people. Where will you escape from Allah?”
The sin of the taking of entire communities was exhibited in Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Be’eri, Alumim and Mefalsim amongst others, where total devastation remains to the day. Hamas murdered, tortured and captured anyone present without regard to their age, status or gender.
The purpose of the abduction, of course is manipulaton, but how does this relate to Edom, and who is Edom today? Jewish tradition refers to the Edomite Kingdom as the predecessor to the Roman Empire. When Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity, Edom’s spiritual legacy became intertwined with the Christian faith and the great nations that exist today.
In a move perhaps guided by intuition, the families of the hostages have turned to beg for mercy primarily from the powerful nations of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the like, requesting to speak with politicians and funding advertising campaigns. Yet if Edom is not at all complicit in the abductions, how can it be held to account for the return of the captives?
The truth is that although we cannot say that the abductees have been “delivered to Edom” we are aware that if the United States chose to, they could have made it clear that not returning at least hostages with an American nationality would result in dire consequences for Hamas. In chosing not to do so, we find a sort of cozying up to the enemy.
Rather than the stance of rebuke that one might have expected, on March 9th, in an interview with MSNBC, President Biden announced that Israel would “cross a red line” by attacking Rafah, in effect requesting a “ceasefire”. This declaration essentially destroys the only remaining chance of a hostage rescue and sabotages Israel’s victory. Biden’s statement surges against the word of G.d, who has decreed the punishment to follow the crime.
Truly only the great overseeing Eye is tending to the breath of his captive children. He will be the ultimate Judge for their destiny. Let us turn to the One True G.d and overcome the temptation to put our faith in human idols.
Makhtub, an Arabic word meaning “it is written,” implies that whatever happens is already known to the “One” true G.d.
The fire devouring the walls of Gaza, along with Hamas’s palaces, can only be deemed as makhtub. It needs to be viewed in the context of divine justice being established in the world.
Batya Ayala Darmon lives with her husband and daughter in Eli and recently started a long-term transcription project of Likutei Moharan on Wikisource.