Astonishing: The Prophecies of Destruction Fulfilled Completely

Within the prophetic system of the Torah, there are two similar prophecies written in two different portions. One prophecy is in the portion of 'Bechukotai' in the book of Leviticus and the other in the portion of 'Ki Tavo' in the book of Deuteronomy.

Both prophecies elaborately describe the destruction, exiles, and troubles that would come upon the Jewish people if they do not observe the Torah and mitzvot.

At first glance, it seems there are discrepancies in details between the two portions that appear to contradict each other. However, upon examining Jewish history, we can see^[1] that everything written in the first portion came true in the destruction of the First Temple^[2] and the subsequent exile, and everything written in the second portion was fulfilled in detail in the destruction of the Second Temple^[3] and the subsequent exile.

Let's now look at the verses, and afterward, we can compare them to the historical reality that occurred long after they were written.

In the portion of 'Bechukotai'^[4], it states:

"If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit... But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject My decrees and abhor My laws, failing to carry out all My commands and breaking My covenant, I will do this to you: I will set My face against you... [a] I will set your cities in ruin [b] I will lay waste to your sanctuaries... [c] I will make your land desolate and your enemies who live there will be appalled at it, [d] I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins."

Explanation of the intended meaning:

[a] I will set your cities in ruin – the cities that Israel lived in will be destroyed.

[b] I will lay waste to your sanctuaries – the Temple will be destroyed.

[c] I will make your land desolate, and your enemies who live there will be appalled at it – discussed further in chapter 3.

[d] I will scatter you among the nations – like chaff is scattered, so will Israel be spread among the nations.

[e] I will draw out my sword and pursue you – Israel will be a chased people, always at war.

And indeed, as history teaches, so it was.

Let's now proceed to the portion of 'Ki Tavo'^[5], which states:

"If you do not obey the voice of Hashem your God to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes... you will become [a] an object of horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations where Hashem will drive you... [b] Hashem will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth [c] as the eagle swoops down, [d] a nation whose language you will not understand... [e] Hashem will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known – gods of wood and stone... [f] Hashem will bring you back to Egypt in ships... [g] There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you."

Interpretation of the Destruction Prophecies

Explanation of the intended meaning:

[a] An object of horror – in terms of amazement, that whoever sees the Jewish people will be astounded by their lowliness. (According to Rashi on the spot)

Proverb - in terms of an example, that the Jewish people will become an example of something negative.^[6]

Byword – in terms of repetition/recurrence, that people will constantly talk about the Jewish people. (According to Rashi on the spot)

[b] Hashem will bring a nation against you from far away – the nation that will come to bring trouble to the Jewish people and take them into exile will come from afar.

[c] As the eagle swoops down – they will come as an eagle swoops, that is, there is some connection between that nation and the eagle.^[7]

[d] A nation whose language you will not understand – the Jewish people will not understand their language.

[e] Hashem will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other – the Jewish people will be scattered throughout the world. ^[8]

[f] Hashem will bring you back to Egypt in ships – the captors will take the Jewish people to Egypt in ships.^[9]

[g] You will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy – due to the abundance of slaves in Egypt, they will not want to buy more slaves.

Having seen the prophecies in the two portions, we can examine what actually happened long after they were written:

First, a bit of background:

As mentioned, the First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, and the Jewish people went into an exile of seventy years, at the end of which they returned to the land. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, who were not an ancient nation but rather a mixture of tribes that united to create a new nation.

If we consider the testimonies left from that difficult period of the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, and in the books of historians dealing with the study of that period, we stand amazed at the accuracy and correlation between the details foreseen and their fulfillment.

Rabbi Zamir Cohen reveals whether indeed certain events currently occurring are part of prophecies indicating the end of days? A fascinating and brief must-see lecture:

Historical Evidence from the Time of Destruction

• "An object of horror" – the nations of the world are amazed and astonished at the unusual and strange phenomenon of the Jewish people's suffering in exile.
• "A proverb" – the Jewish figure became a subject of mockery and ridicule, from theater shows in Rome to anti-Semitic caricatures in recent generations. The troubles and tribulations of the Jews became proverbial, "the exiled Jew" became a concept and symbol for those who suffer and are persecuted.
• "Byword" – the Jewish people are a very small nation, yet, surprisingly, they are the most discussed nation. (For example: millions worldwide die of hunger and conflicts between nations, and this barely receives attention in the world press, but any minor event or mishap of Israel 'garners' a worldwide condemnation and makes the headlines of international media).^[10]
• "Hashem will bring a nation against you from far away" – the Romans who came from Italy were not close to the land of Israel.
• "A nation you did not know nor did your fathers" – as mentioned, not long before, there was no such kingdom called Rome.
• "As the eagle swoops down" – as is known, the symbol of the Roman legion was an eagle^[11].
• "A nation whose language you will not understand" – the Roman language was not understood in the land of Israel.
• "Hashem will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other" – the Jewish people were exiled to almost every place in the world.^[12]
• "Hashem will bring you back to Egypt in ships" - the German historian Minter writes: "...prisoners, in an uncountable number, were sold into slavery, initially at the annual market, and those not sold there were taken to Egypt in ships".^[13]
• "You will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy" - the German historian Schirer writes: "The number of slaves in Egypt was so large that the price of a slave was the same as the cost of a horse's feed".^[14]

It turns out, therefore, that all the details of the prophecy, which could not have been anticipated, were fulfilled one by one.