THE MIYSTERY OF HISTORY

The Mystery of History

October 9, 2012

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.’” — Zechariah 8:4

Sometimes there is more meaning in the English language than we ever intended. Sometimes, one word has an entire message in it. Two such examples are the words “history” and “mystery.”

For example, if we break the word history apart, we get “his-story.” And that’s what history is. It is man’s story about himself, the past as we see it.

But then there is mystery. Break mystery into two (with a little word play), and we can get the words “my-story.” This is the story of humanity according to God. Many things in life we don’t understand or don’t even know about. They are beyond human comprehension. To us, so much is a mystery. But God calls it “My story.” To Him, it all makes sense and only He sees the whole story of mankind.

In Judaism, we believe that God interacts with humanity in two different ways: the “hidden face” and “revealed face.” When God’s face is revealed, there is no mystery in life. Divine Providence is obvious, like when He parted the Red Sea. But there are other periods of time when God’s face is hidden and His ways are mysterious. It’s extremely difficult to see His plan for our lives.

For thousands of years, the world has been enveloped in mystery. Humanity has been through very dark and troubled times. God’s face was well hidden. But open your eyes and you will see that times have changed. We are in a stage where God is obviously present and guiding the destiny of humanity.

Thousands of years ago, the prophet Zechariah prophesized about the miraculous return of the Jewish people to their homeland. He wrote, “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there” (8:4). My friends, that time is now!

I cordially invite you to visit Jerusalem. If you want to speak to God, join the many of us at the Western Wall, the only remnant still standing of the Temple. But if you want to see God – to see His face and His providence – walk the streets of Jerusalem. The old and young that you will find there reveal that the mystery of our history is all becoming clear.

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President