During the Yom Kippur War, Aryeh Morgenstern served as the Director of the Department of Education and Culture of Israel in the United States and Canada. He related that on Simchat Torah, during the war, he met with the Rebbe King Moshiach at „770,“ and the Rebbe demanded that he influence the conquest of Damascus. During that conversation, the Rebbe quoted various sources stating that Damascus must fall and be conquered, and that this would mark the final victory in the conflict between Israel and the Arab nations.
The Rebbe explained that the name „Damascus“ (דמשק) corresponds to the word „Temple“ (מקדש) according to the writings of the Arizal. Therefore, that city must fall and be conquered.
A Prophecy Concerning Damascus
In the book Otzar Midrashim, the process of Redemption is described as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai heard it from an angel while hiding in a cave from the Romans. Within this Midrash, there is a passage that apparently refers to our own time, since it describes events that have occurred recently in Syria.
„And this shall be the sign for you: If you see the fall of the Eastern Nero in Damascus, then the entire dominion of the Eastern peoples will have fallen. At that time, the proper tranquility for Israel will flourish, and Moshiach, son of David, will come.“
One commentator (r. Avraham Feldman) writes that the gematria (numerical value) of נרון מזרחי (Eastern Nero) equals that of באשאר אסאד (Bashar Assad) when including the internal values, totaling 571. By „Eastern Nero,“ it is referring to the ruler of the country east of Israel — Syria, and its president Bashar Assad.
The prophet Amos states (Amos 1:1–5):
„The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, concerning what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, King of Israel, two years before the earthquake. He said: The Lord will roar from Zion and give forth His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds shall wither, and the summit of Carmel shall dry up. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment, because they threshed Gilead with iron threshing instruments. I will send fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. I will break the gate-bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from Bik’at-Aven, as well as the one who wields the scepter from Beth-Eden; and the people of Aram shall go into exile in Kir,“ says the Lord.
Note that the gematria of the name „Ben-Hadad“ = 65 = Asad!
After the Yom Kippur War began, the Rebbe, regarded by Chabad Chassidim as the King Moshiach, asked Yosef Ciechanover to approach Moshe Dayan — then the Minister of Defense — and tell him that it was necessary to enter Damascus and level it completely. When Dayan refused, the Rebbe said: „Let it be known that they have made a great mistake, and they will regret it.“
We hope that now this mistake will be rectified — at least by the hands of the rebels currently active in Syria...