One of the clear signs of the coming Redemption, about which the Lubavitcher Rebbe SHLITA King Moshiach speaks, is the following: “The Egyptians will be struck through their first-born, for the mercy of G-d is everlasting.”
According to the Midrash, just before the last, tenth “execution of the Egyptians” — death of the Egyptian firstborn, these exact firstborn fought against Pharaoh’s army, trying to force him to let the Jews go, so that they would be saved from being killed. Six hundred thousand Egyptians died in that war. So, the Rebbe explains that just before the Redemption, those who will fight against “Egypt” will be the actual “firstborn of Egypt”.
As an example, the Rebbe refers to the war in the Persian Gulf, in which “the firstborn of Egypt,” that is, the powerful countries of the world, including Islamic and Arab countries, were themselves fighting against “Egypt”, in other words, against the regime of Saddam Hussein.
In the last decade, this sign of the coming Redemption has been enforced with particular strength. Almost all Arab countries were in turmoil and revolt. Many evil regimes have been overthrown, and civil wars are still raging in countries such as Syria, Libya and Iraq.
These internal conflicts are another manifestation of struggles within “Egypt” itself. Just as it was right before the Exodus, when the Egyptian firstborn fought fiercely against the Egyptian army. The people of Arab countries stood up to fight the armies and regimes of their countries, causing many dictatorships and tyrannies to fracture and collapse (as in Sudan, Algeria and Tunisia), and others become seriously weakened (as in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq).
In recent days we have witnessed another manifestation of the same prophecy.
On Thursday night, pro-Iranian groups attacked a U.S. base in Syria, resulting in casualties. The U.S. air force responded by attacking their bases, killing at least eight (maybe more) fighters.
In turn, the Iranian regime on Saturday night was threatening that it would hit back against any attacks on its bases. And in fact, American bases near two oil and gas fields in Syria were attacked afterwards. In these attacks, which were widely reported in the U.S., a U.S. serviceman was apparently wounded.
The U.S. again deployed its air force, planes and helicopters, sending them into the area of Syria’s Deir ez-Zour, and again attacked the bases of pro-Iranian groups there. There are reports that another 19 militants were killed as a result.
In other words, just before Pesach, we are seeing the sign of the coming Redemption coming true: “The Egyptians will be struck through their first-born”: the US is attacking the Iranian fighters, and the Iranian fighters are responding by firing at the Americans.
It is likely that these mutual attacks will continue.
May we all be blessed as soon as possible with the true and complete Redemption after these signs, as it is written, “In the month of Nisan they were freed; and in the month of Nisan may they be also blessed with the Redemption!”