Understanding today's 'vicious' antisemitism requires insight into Passover, says rabbi and spiritual leader.

A rabbi who has a global following through videos is emphasizing faith, hope, and understanding as Passover commences this year, amidst the unrest in and around Israel, including the recent missile and drone attacks from Iran, Israel's retaliatory strikes on Iran, and the ongoing global persecution of Jewish people.

In 2005, at the age of 33, Rabbi Warren Goldstein, the chief rabbi of South Africa, was the youngest person to be elected to this position, having grown up in Pretoria.

He holds a PhD in human rights and constitutional law and is also a judge.

He stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that he is always inspired by the biblical verse, "It’s not in the sky … It’s in your heart" (Deuteronomy 30), as he applies spiritual principles from heaven to the physical world.

The rabbi's online videos about world events and politics provide a deeper understanding of the spiritual dimension that people often overlook.

He described the miraculous survival of the Jewish people during Passover, which begins this year at sundown on April 22.

In Exodus, it is recorded that 3,300 years ago, God instructed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land of Israel through a series of miracles.

According to Rabbi Goldstein in his YouTube video, our freedom was not achieved through any liberation movement or natural process, but through the miracles of God, specifically the 10 plagues, the splitting of the sea, and the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham.

"There is something much bigger at play. It is … a great civilizational battle that touches on the essence of who we are."

The foiled Iranian attack on April 13, 2024, was viewed by many as a pre-Passover miracle akin to biblical events.

Israel's missile defense system successfully downed 99% of the more than 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran, with the aid of American, French, British, and Jordanian air-defense forces, according to multiple sources.

A Bedouin girl aged seven was critically injured by shrapnel in the attacks, according to reports.

In his video on the attack, Rabbi Goldstein stated that the deadly barrage of drones and missiles being shot down across the Middle East, which halted Iran's genocidal intent, made it clear that he had said at the beginning of the conflict: "This has never been about Gaza or the Palestinian cause. There is something much bigger at play. It is a war with Iran, a war of values, a great civilizational battle that touches on the essence of who we are."

"It all seems so surreal, what we’ve been through over these more than six months."

He said the survival of the Jewish people has always been a mystery.

Despite comprising less than 1% of the world's population, Jews have been persecuted for over two centuries by various groups, including the Romans, Russian Cossacks, Egyptians, and Spanish Inquisitors. Currently, they are facing the threat of Iran and its terrorist proxies.

Goldstein stated that the tools and principles historians use to analyze historical trends are not applicable to the Jewish people. He added, "To begin with, we shouldn't even be here."

The Jewish community worldwide has been left stunned and perplexed since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, as shared by the rabbi.

"Over these past six months, it feels like a dream, the experiences we've gone through," he remarked.

"Antisemitism is marked by its "unrelenting persistence for centuries, and its unique viciousness," said one rabbi.

Following the massacre of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 253 by Hamas terrorists, a wave of global antisemitism emerged, including on many American college campuses, with more threats of genocide against the Jewish people.

Rabbi Goldstein's video describes antisemitism as a persistent and vicious belief system that has lasted for centuries.

Some Jewish students on college campuses are questioning whether it's worth the struggle and risk to follow their faith.

He stated that some of them were at the brink of "finding a way out of everything by leaving our group."

The rabbi advised Jews not to let themselves be defined by others' hatred or antisemitism, as reported by Planet Chronicle Digital.

The Seder is a ceremonial meal symbolically reenacting the trials and tribulations the Israelites faced as they were leaving Egypt.

He described Passover as a "festival of freedom and human dignity from oppression" and stated that he believes the Seder is the ideal time to connect with the spiritual significance of being Jewish.

The Seder is a symbolic meal that commemorates the Israelites' trials and tribulations while leaving Egypt. Unleavened bread, known as Matzoh, is always consumed during a Passover Seder.

The Israelites were in a hurry to flee Egypt and did not have time to wait for their bread to rise while baking.

Bitter herbs are eaten as reminders of the harsh conditions of slavery.

The mixture of honey, apples, and walnuts known as Charoset represents the mortar used by the Israelites to build bricks, and its sweetness serves as a reminder to maintain hope and optimism during difficult times.

To commemorate the four times God pledged to deliver the Israelites from Egypt and save them, four cups of wine are consumed.

"Understanding that the story of our people is taking place on another plane [is] living proof of the presence of God."

Rabbi Goldstein predicted in his video that all events that have occurred to the Jewish people, including antisemitism, were foretold thousands of years in advance.

He recited the lyrics to a Passover song, "Vehi Sheamda," which state, "Not only one arose to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up to destroy us. And the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hands."

The Haggadah, a 2,500-year-old book meaning "telling" in Hebrew, contains the song.

The story of the Israelites' liberation from slavery is recounted during the Passover Seder.

At Seder tables, the somewhat discomforting words of Vehi Sheamda are sung with joy and pride, glasses raised in defiance, and with clarity of purpose.

Goldstein created his video, stating that global events are being viewed through a limited political and military perspective, and he believes it's essential to broaden the perspective and examine them from a spiritual standpoint.

The rabbi stated that the supernatural suffering and success experienced by our people for millennia, as foretold in the Torah, is evidence of God's presence, as we recognize that our story unfolds on another plane.

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