Earthquake

The Rebbe's response to a person who was concerned about reports of an earthquake that was expected to happen soon in his place of residence, and asked the Rebbe's opinion about it:"Everyone says that it's impossible to know except (hours or) moments before it happens. What is the name of the scientist who says otherwise?"

An earthquake, called "raash" in the Bible, is a natural phenomenon that occurs as a result of friction between the tectonic plates that make up the Earth, and in negligible cases as a result of volcanic eruptions.

Earthquakes have enormous damage potential when they occur in populated areas, as they can topple and destroy hundreds and thousands of buildings, and cause tremendous destruction to life and property, according to the intensity of the earthquake, with a lower effect the further populated areas are from the epicenter.

The damage of earthquakes depends on the intensity of the earthquake, which is commonly measured on the 'Richter scale' (an earthquake above 5 on the Richter scale is considered a strong and dangerous earthquake), and also depends on the type of soil on which the buildings are located, the quality of construction, and more.

In Judaism

Earthquakes appear in several places in the Bible. For example, King David says in Psalms: "He looks at the earth and it trembles" [Tehillim], and also in the book of Isaiah: "The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again" [Yeshayahu], and in the book of Ezekiel the prophet describes an earthquake that will occur in the future during the war of Gog and Magog before the redemption: "On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel...and the fish of the sea...shall quake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground" [Yechezkel], and similarly in the book of Zechariah regarding the Mount of Olives.

In the days of King Uzziah, an earthquake occurred in the land of Israel as punishment for his sin of entering the Temple and offering incense there despite not being a kohen.

In Chazal it is explained that the causes of earthquakes are sins such as failure to separate terumot and maasrot (tithes), avoiding mourning for the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, immodest conduct between a person and his fellow at the most severe level, dispute and quarrels.

The midrash connects earthquakes with changes in leadership.

According to halacha, after an earthquake one should recite the blessing 'Oseh maaseh bereishit' or 'Shekocho ugevurato maleh olam'.

Earthquakes in Chassidic History

In 5594 (1834), an earthquake occurred in Tzfat that caused many members of the Chassidic community to leave the city. Later that year, Arabs carried out pogroms against the Jewish community, and despite the severe losses in life and property, the community in Tzfat tried to rebuild itself. But before the community managed to recover, on 24 Tevet 5597 (1837), a particularly deadly earthquake occurred, which severely damaged buildings on the hillside of Tzfat where most of the Jewish residents lived, and over a thousand Jews from Tzfat were killed, including several Chabad chassidim, among them R. Uri Orenstein. The two events together were the decisive factor in the departure of the entire Chabad chassidic community from the city, in favor of establishing and consolidating the Chabad community that had been established in Jerusalem.

Three years later, in 5597 (1837), the great earthquake in Tzfat occurred, when Rabbi Avraham Dov of Ovruch was saved from danger with a group of worshippers when the beit midrash collapsed.

At the beginning of the month of Adar 5720 (1960), a deadly earthquake occurred in Agadir, Morocco. The building of the local Chabad yeshiva collapsed, 25 students were killed, and many were injured. Rescue efforts took time, and in some cases, parents, acquaintances, and others rescued children and transferred them to medical centers or to their family members. The rescue took many months, with Rabbi Shlomo Matusof repeatedly coming to Agadir to supervise the rescue work. Some of the surviving students were transferred to the Chabad yeshiva in Casablanca, where they were accepted as full-time students.

In 5771 (2011), after significant earthquakes, the Vaad Rabbonei Lubavitch issued an unusual announcement about the need to check the integrity of mikvaot after the earthquake, and how to check them.

The Rebbe's References

On Shabbat Parshat Toldot, 4 Kislev 5750 (1989), the Rebbe referred to changes in the world indicating the fact that we are in a period when the world is shaking as part of the period of ikveta d'meshicha (footsteps of Moshiach), linking this among other things to the earthquakes that had occurred recently, and explained the relevance of these events to the Jewish people:

1. Recognition of God's greatness and gratitude for the magnitude of His kindness regarding the Jewish people, that these events did not harm them.
2. Increase in faith in the coming of Moshiach and that it is close to arriving.
3. Strengthening faith and knowledge that all events in the world depend on the observance of Torah and mitzvot by the Jewish people and their influence on the nations of the world to fulfill the seven Noahide laws.

On Lag B'Omer 5750 (1990), during the parade, six weeks before the great earthquake that struck Iran, the Rebbe expressed that there is no need to fear earthquakes, and explained that the true intention for which earthquakes occur is to remind those who have forgotten about God's governance of the world, and by frightening them for a moment with an earthquake, to shake them from the mistake they have been living in, so that from now on they will know that the world was created and is governed by God, the source of good.

In the talk of Parshat Korach, 3 Tammuz 5751 (1991), the Rebbe again referred to this, regarding the revelation of God's power through earthquakes.

Among chassidim it is traditionally accepted through oral tradition that the Rebbe instructed to fix the tzedakah box on the wall of the children's Tzivos Hashem room, and this is a segulah to be saved from earthquakes.

Further Reading

Rabbi Israel Elfenbein, "The Earth is Trembling and Moshiach is Approaching," Kfar Chabad Weekly Issue 1765, page 58