Rabbi Berel Wein, for many years a pulpit rabbi in the United States, and one of the world’s foremost experts on Jewish history, finds some disturbing parallels between the United States in 2012 and Babylon during the millennium leading up to the 1950’s (Hat Tip: Dan F).

Finally, Babylonian Jewry was riven by internal disputes between its religious and temporal leaders. Disputes, especially disputes that touch on religious matters invariably lead to extremist views and unacceptable behavior – all under the guise of following the will of Heaven.

There is much extremism under display in American Jewry today. Ah, but you will counter, how about the extremism in the religious circles in Israel. But there is a fundamental difference between Israel and America. Here in Israel the extremism is mostly political in nature – the quest for patronage and budget allocations, and the personal ambitions of politicians for office and power.

With all of the trappings of piety surrounding them, the contests here are basically much more personal than ideological. The anti-Israel groupings in Israel have waned in numbers and influence while, unfortunately, they have increased in the American Jewish society. More and more, the hareidi society in Israel sees itself as part of the general apparatus of the state, and the nineteenth century battle over Zionism has ended here. It is a moot question.

Not so in American Jewish society where actual hatred of the State of Israel exists in many sections of that society, from the intellectual Left to the extremists in the religious world on the Right.

When Babylonia saw itself as the substitute for Jerusalem as a safe haven for all eternity, its decline immediately set in.

Read the whole thing. 

By the way, no one on any side of the religious disputes here in Israel will admit that money or patronage plays a role in them. But it does.

via Israel Matzav: Is America the new Babylon?.

Categories: Prophecy