There is an undeniable increase in global natural disasters, particularly those related to weather and climate.
Key Trends: Increased Frequency, Intensity and severity especially floods, storms, heatwaves, and wildfires.
Climate change is widely recognized as the main factor.
Rising global temperatures lead to more intense rainfall and increased flood risks due to the atmosphere holding more moisture.
Stronger and wetter hurricanes and tropical storms, with increased wind speeds and storm surges.
Longer and more extreme droughts, contributing to wildfires and water scarcity.
The number of natural disasters causing over a billion dollars in damage has significantly increased. In the U.S. alone, the average number of such disasters per year has risen from 3.3 in the 1980s to over 17 from 2014-2023.
Floods are the most frequently occurring natural disaster globally, while wildfires are growing in scale, frequency and intensity in many regions, as well as tropical cyclones and storms.
Overwhelming evidence points to a genuine and significant rise in natural disasters, and some claim they are largely driven by the accelerating impacts of climate change.
But the question is, the immediate cause of the increase in global natural disasters could well be climate change, but if so, what is causing the climate change?
Prophecy
The idea of Hashem’s retribution towards nations who have in the past and the present harmed the Jewish people is a prominent theme throughout the TaNach linked to historical events and end-times prophecies.
For example:
The Covenant (Brit) with Avraham (Bereishiet 12:3): "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be (eventually) blessed through you."
Zecharya 2,12: "For this is what the Lord Almighty says, After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you: for whoever touches you, touches the apple of his (own) eye, I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves (or foreign residents) will plunder them."
Ovadya 1,15: "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head."
Joel 3:1-2: "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land."
The prophecies of Yechezkel, Yishayahu and Yirmiyahu contain extensive prophecies against nations as a consequence of their treatment of Am Yisrael.
Consequences
In the year preceding the Exodus from Egypt Hashem brought upon the Egyptians ten plagues for their part of putting into practice the deprived commands of Paro.
Blood, Frogs, lice, Wild Animals, Pestilence, Boils, Hail, Locust, Darkness and the “coup de grace” - Death of the Egyptian firstborns.
We are now witnessing so-called “enlightened nations” who are threatening Medinat Yisrael with economic and political sanctions over our defensive war against Arab Islamic Nazis fueled by thousands of years of their anti-Jew hatred.
The leaders of this are the “enlightened” European nations and others - all members of the U.N. - who are now “suffering” conscious pangs for the long-suffering unfortunate peace-loving residents of Gaza.
Their ranks include western nations which were once friendly but are now moving towards our worst enemies in an act of betrayal.
In this week’s Torah reading, which includes the section called Tochacha (admonishment; warning of what will happen if we do not obey the Torah) that enumerates graphically one by one, the punishment Hashem has for the Jewish nation if we depart from the Torah way of life. Unfortunately, each one has come about and even some that are not mentioned on the list.
We might be seeing now the beginning of the period where one evil nation wages war on another evil one, while in the background their countries are being ravaged by Hashem’s manipulation of natural disasters.
Time will tell.
Rabbi Nachman Kahanais a Torah scholar, author, teacher and lecturer, Founder and Director of the Center for Kohanim, Co-founder of the Temple Institute, Co-founder of Atara Leyoshna – Ateret Kohanim, was rabbi of Chazon Yechezkel Synagogue – Young Israel of the Old City of Jerusalem for 32 years, and is the author of the 15-volume “Mei Menuchot” series on Tosefot, and 3-volume “With All Your Might: The Torah of Eretz Yisrael in the Weekly Parashah” (2009-2011), and “Reflections from Yerushalayim: Thoughts on the Torah, the Land and the Nation of Israel” (2019) as well as weekly parasha commentary available where he blogs at https://NachmanKahana.com