Duvi Honig is founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber Of Commerce and J-biz Expo.
On a day that carries deep historical significance, the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av), a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Lebanon, as reported by the US Geological Survey. The tremor, which originated 10 kilometers below the Earth's surface, occurred on the very day Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, had vowed to exact retaliation, hoping this day is one of of bad luck to the Jewish nation. This is the same way Haman miscalculated by choosing the day Moses died as a day of bad luck to the Jews, also hoping that G-D would let him succeed destroying the Jewish nation on that day.
This timely seismic event cannot be casually dismissed as mere coincidence; it appears to bear the unmistakable Hand of Divine Providence.
One does not need to be a professional geologist to comprehend the destruction potential of a deep underground quake of such magnitude. With minimal surface impact, without a doubt this caused significant physical underground damage as well as a psychological price.
It is not farfetched to conclude that the disturbance below the earth functioned effectively to distract and destabilize, preempting any potential attacks planned for Tisha B'Av with it most likely destroying some Hezbollah underground networks and burying soldiers underground.
ה׳ ילחם לכם ואתם תחרישן - G-d will fight for you and you will remain silent (Exodus)
Divine Defense Strategy
In a statement, the Israeli military highlighted their evolving strategies for counterterrorism, which include identifying and destroying underground tunnels before addressing threats on the surface. Intriguingly, this earthquake seems almost serendipitously aligned with these proactive defense measures, hinting at a Higher Power intervening on behalf of the Jewish nation.
A Message to Iran and the World
In Jewish tradition, there is a concept of "Mida K'neged Mida," or measure for measure justice. This was exemplified in the Biblical narrative when the Egyptians, who had drowned Jewish infants, were themselves drowned in the Red Sea. The parallels are striking—an enemy seeks to destroy Israel, and in turn, faces sudden, Divine retribution.
Iran's President recently tweeted before his death in Hebrew, boasting that with G-d's Help, using the worlds Bezrat Hashem, they would destroy Israel. However, this assertion appears to have been met with a response from the very Divinity they invoked when striking Israel from the air with hundreds of missiles that were deflected. G-d retaliated in the exact same way by bringing the Iranian president’s end with his helicopter crashing and resulting in his death.
So Iran went back to the planning board and thought they could use a day of bad luck for the Jews to succeed in destroying the Jewish Nation; God’s intervention seems to have taken the form of this well-timed earthquake, sending a clear message: “With My help? Let Me show you what that means.”
This served as a Divine message mirroring the Book of Esther, the story that took place in today’s Iran, in which Haman's evil calculations backfired. Iran and other adversaries have historically miscalculated the significance of Jewish mourning days, believing them to be moments of vulnerability. However, they fail to realize the dual nature of these days. Moses died on the 7th of Adar but it was also the day he was born, to become the redeemer of the Jewish nation. Iran chose Tisha B’Av — a day of lamentation for the destruction of the Temples and a day to attack, but this same day also holds the promise of future redemption and the birth of Mashiach.
There is no doubt how a 10 kilometer deep earthquake in the northern border of Lebanon from where the attacks on Israel were to be launched by Hezballah most definitely created an astronomical underground shake - even possibly destroyed infrastructure and weapons, hindering and even preventing an attack on the Jewish nation.
This modern day miracle serves as an unmistakable sign of G-d’s continuous role in the world, protecting His children and thwarting their enemies with a precision that defies human understanding.
This event teaches us a profound lesson: even in our times, Divine protection is ever-present, guiding the fate of nations and ensuring that the Jewish people remain safeguarded against all adversaries.
Let us all unite and thank Hashem for this open miracle and pray for the redemption of the Jewish Nation.