Occasionally, the stories of tremendous natural disasters are mentioned as signs of the coming Redemption. In one of his holy talks (an Address of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Children, Lag BaOmer, 5750 (May 13, 1990), speaking about the holiday of Lag B’Omer in the year 5750 (1990), the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach SHLITA explains these aspects extensively.
Speaking to tens of thousands of people gathered for the “parade”, a huge festival parade dedicated to the holiday of Lag B’Omer in front of the Rebbe, he focuses, among other things, especially on the great importance of unity and love to Israel:
“Through the world behaving in a manner of peace and unity, with a recognition of the Creator and Conductor of this world, the source of all good and kindness, this adds even more in the drawing of G-d’s blessings into the world... What’s more, we don’t have to be afraid of anything unwanted, earthquakes etc, because even if in the past there were earthquakes, the true intention of them is to remind those, who for whatever reason have forgotten, or do not know there is a Creator and Conductor of the world, through scaring them for a moment through the earthquake, to shake them out of the mistakes they have been living with, and from now onwards they will know that the world is conducted by G-d, the source of good. Therefore there needs to be, and there is, an abundance of good in the world, to such a degree that this can silence and remove all the unwanted things in the world!”
In other words, the Rebbe explains to us that the purpose of earthquakes as well as other similar events — the Rebbe refers to them in the words, “anything unwanted, earthquakes etc” (that is, not only earthquakes, but also events similar to them in force, result, etc.) — is not to cause harm, G-d forbid, but only to make the misguided people realize their mistake, and live from now on, acknowledging G-d — the Creator of the world and his Master — who rules the world with kindness and grace.
Intriguing to note that in the commentary to this Talk, it is written in footnote 39 that this talk of the Rebbe was given by him about 6 weeks before the “earthquakes in Iran”.
As an extension of the same talk, the Rebbe says:
“And out of this derives the true perfection of all the above... Redemption is ahead of us... and it is clearly seen that everything created by G-d in His world... was created for the sake of His glory... And the essence of this glory (for which we praise G-d), is that the flesh’s sight see the increase of good, which G-d gives, and continues to give more and more from His holy, full and wide-open hand.”
The Rebbe later links this to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (author of the holy book of Zohar): “It is said in Zohar”: “With this composition of yours, Israel will be redeemed from exile with mercy.”, in other words, through the study of the book of Zohar with Chassidic commentaries on it, we will soon be granted true and complete Redemption."
And in note 46, the Rebbe clarifies a phrase from the Zohar: “In ’mercy,’ that is, without any difficulty at all, on the contrary, in joy and goodness.
Furthermore, the Rebbe connects this to Rabbi Maharash — Rabbi Shmuel — the fourth head of Chabad — explaining the phrase “I have separated and I will rectify” (chapter “Aazinu” 32:39), said in connection with the Redemption, “It begins and takes place through the works of the RASHBI (Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai) through the revelation of the essence of Torah — the lifting of the separation (‘I have disconnected and I will correct’) between the essence of Torah and its revealed part, which are studied together.”
And then the Rebbe adds that this is also connected to the chapter of Bechukotai, which is read in the same week and which says, “And I will bring peace to the land” (“Vayikra” 26:6), which the Rebbe explains as “it is peace in the whole world... up to and including peace in the land itself.” And he explains in note 55: “which shall not shake and such things shall not happen.”
This means that “peace” in the land itself involves the fact that there will be no earthquakes “and things like that. In simple words, it means that there will be nothing like earthquakes, such as eruptions from the depths of the earth itself, that is, disasters from volcanoes, and all other such kinds of natural disasters.
In short, natural events-such as earthquakes “and things like that”-are meant only to cause the Blessed Creator to be recognized. By the fact that we live in recognition of the Creator of the world and his ruling, in peace and unity — the blessings of G-d are multiplied, and therefore we should not fear natural disasters. Those who study the interpretation of the Zohar, as revealed in Chassidism, bring the Redemption closer in mercy, without any difficulties, in joy and in goodness!