Is Our Modern Government a Foreshadowing?

Ancient Jewish texts, called midrashim, are not always meant to be taken literally. Often there's a deeper meaning hidden within, and the real interpretation can differ from an initial superficial reading. According to Jewish tradition, we should avoid personal interpretations of prophecies, relying only on what has been confirmed by great sages.
We cannot point out or predict the coming of the Messiah or make calculations, as the sages say "Let the bones of those who calculate the end be blown up". However, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef told in his sermons that the Malbim calculated the end in his book, and when asked about this, the Malbim replied that the prohibition of calculating the end was only during the time of the sages, far from the redemption, because then despair might arise due to the length of exile, but now that we are close to the time of redemption, it is permitted to calculate the end of the exile.

So without making concrete claims or declarations, let's discuss an intriguing midrash from the book "Avkat Rochel" (page 2, part b), mentioned in "Otzar HaMidrashim" (page 390). This midrash presents ten signs that will occur before the coming of the Messiah, and the first sign describes the government that will exist in the land. Reading it, one cannot help but notice the remarkable resemblance to the current situation.

1. The midrash states that three rulers will dominate the state, portraying themselves as upholders of Torah and commandments, but this is an illusion, deceiving the people. In reality, these rulers deny Hashem and His Torah. Here's the midrash's wording: "Hashem will bring about ten signs before the Redeemer comes. The first sign is that Hashem will put in place three kings who are apostate in their minds, deceiving and pretending they serve Hashem to the people, but they do not serve Him, leading others astray and confusing the nations and the people."

2. The midrash continues to describe that this government will issue decrees against the Torah and commandments. It's evident that the primary goal of the current government is the erasure of Judaism and nothing more. Decree after decree – conversion reform, changing the kashrut system, approving the draft law, canceling daycare subsidies for religious scholars' children, canceling property tax discounts for Torah scholars' families, reducing Torah study hours in yeshivas, opposing legislation allowing separate swimming times at beaches and nature reserves, proposing a law allowing same-gender couples to adopt, a proposal that anyone who tries to encourage minors towards Judaism will face six months of imprisonment, a law to cancel kosher phones, and a plan to promote public transportation on Shabbat nationwide. Missed something? It’s hard to keep track. Those in power have a clear agenda – uprooting the Torah from our state and people.

3. The midrash also predicts that the government will impose various taxes on the people, each time introducing a new decree that will economically burden the population. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

"In the time of the revelation of the Messiah, a generation goes and falls due to the harsh and bewildering decrees issued by these three kings..

"And they will decree to deny the Temple, Hashem, and the Torah, and Hashem decreed that the wicked kingdom would rule nine months from end to end, as it says, 'Therefore he will give them until the time of giving birth', and there is no 'Therefore' without an oath, as it says, 'Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli'. And they decree harsh decrees and double the tax on Israel by elevenfold, whoever gave ten gives a hundred, and whoever gave eight gives eighty, and whoever cannot pay, they cut off his head.
All these nine months, decrees renew one after another, worse than the previous, and at that time Israel cries out and says: 'Woe woe', and the children of Israel become frightened and hide each one under his father and mother and say: 'Woe woe, Father, what can we do', and their fathers answer them: 'Now we are close to the redemption of Israel'".

The Talmud says "The Son of David won’t come until a kingdom oppresses Israel for nine months" (Tractate Sanhedrin, page 98b), explained in the commentaries: "As it says: "Therefore, he will give them until the time she who is in labor has given birth, and the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel". "The time she who is in labor" is nine months of birth, and the verse indicates that during this time Hashem gives Israel into the hands of the wicked kingdom. Afterward, they will return from exile, as it says in the following verse "they will return, for now, he will be great to the ends of the earth", interpreted as "and they will return from their exiles". This is what is mentioned at the end of the previous verse: "and the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel", meaning the entire world where Israel is scattered".

It's interesting that the end of nine months from the current government's inauguration coincides with the month of Nisan, the month of redemption. As the sages have said: "In Nisan they were redeemed and in Nisan they will be redeemed again" (Tractate Rosh Hashanah, page 11a). So does the midrash refer to our time? Is this the real thing? Time will tell.

Rabbi Raphael Ohayon offers a fascinating lecture on the government in Israel at the end of times, according to the holy Zohar. Watch:

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