The developing El Niño climate phenomenon is now the strongest on record, according to scientists monitoring Pacific Ocean temperatures. Daily sea surface temperatures in a key region of the central-eastern Pacific were 3.05C above average on 19 September – exceeding the previous record of 3.02C set during the very strong El Niño of 2015

The “super” El Nino weather event and the record global heat it is driving could cause almost half a million additional deaths worldwide over the next six months. The Sahel region of Africa, the semi-arid countries along the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, is expected to be hit hardest, with about 66,800 additional deaths linked to heat. Other hotspots include South and Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America, with researchers projecting about 19,400 additional deaths across the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, 19,300 in Indonesia, 15,800 in India and 13,300 in Brazil.

An apocalyptic image of destruction and redemption forms the theme of the synagogue readings from the Hebrew Prophets, prescribed for the first day of Sukkot and for the Sabbath that falls in its middle.

First comes Zechariah’s terrifying description of messianic birth-pangs (14:1-21): “God’s awaited day is coming; your spoils will be divided in your midst. I shall gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war” so they may be defeated.

Then Zechariah affirms, “All who will be left from among the nations that come upon Jerusalem … will ascend [there] every year to prostrate themselves before the King, the Lord, Master of Legions, to celebrate the festival of Sukkot.”

The Sabbath reading from Ezekiel (38:18-39:16) is in a similar vein. Here the cryptically identified tyrant, Gog of Magog, advances to make war on Jerusalem but is turned back by God’s forces. Then “the nations shall know; I am YHVH- the holy One of Israel.”

The festival concludes with another esoteric liturgical reference to the Messianic Age. At the end of the week of Sukkot we leave the sukkah and ask God for a blessing: “as I have fulfilled [this commandment] to dwell in this sukkah, so may I merit in the coming year to dwell in the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)