Ancient Jewish Religious Court Calls Israeli Victories “Divine Intervention” in Letter to “Sons of Ishmael”
The nascent Sanhedrin has issued a sweeping religious declaration to the Muslim world following Israel’s recent military strikes against Iran, asserting that Israel’s battlefield successes demonstrate divine favor and calling on Muslims to recognize the Jewish people as God’s chosen nation.
The declaration, dated the 28th of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar and bearing the organization’s official letterhead, addresses “all our cousins, the seed of Ishmael, and all Muslims everywhere in the world.” The religious court explicitly connects Israel’s military achievements to biblical prophecy, stating that “all of humanity now sees the Israeli attacks on Iran that amaze the entire world, and as believers, we all understand that the Creator of the world, the God of Israel, is the one who gives his children, the children of Israel, these wonderful successes and victories.”
The document directly challenges Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, describing him as “the seed of the wicked Haman” who “boasted of faithfulness to God and claimed that the people of Israel are the infidels.” The Sanhedrin argues that recent events prove the opposite, declaring that “whoever fights against the people of Israel fights against God.”
Historical Context of the Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin traces its origins to biblical antiquity, first mentioned in the Book of Numbers when Moses, overwhelmed by the burden of leading the Israelites, was instructed by God to gather seventy elders to assist in governing the people. According to Numbers 11:16-17, God told Moses: “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.”
During the Second Temple period (roughly 516 BCE to 70 CE), the Sanhedrin evolved into the supreme religious and judicial authority for the Jewish people. Composed of 71 members, including the High Priest who served as president, this Great Sanhedrin met in the Temple in Jerusalem and held authority over religious law, civil disputes, and criminal cases. The institution continued until the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, after which various attempts were made to reconstitute it throughout Jewish history.
The modern organization claiming the Sanhedrin name was established in 2004 by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and other religious figures, though it lacks the universal recognition that the ancient institution once held. While controversial within Jewish religious circles, this contemporary body seeks to restore what its members view as the proper religious governance structure for the Jewish people in anticipation of messianic times.
Religious and Political Implications
The declaration extensively cites biblical history, referencing the Exodus from Egypt 3,333 years ago and the revelation at Mount Sinai, where God spoke directly to the entire Jewish nation. The document emphasizes that this was “the only time in history that God spoke with an entire people, not through an angel and not through a prophet and not through any intermediaries, but directly to all of Israel.”
Central to the declaration is the assertion that God designated the Jewish people as “a kingdom of priests” with the mission of bringing the light of Torah to the world. The document states that “God said that the enemies of Israel are the enemies of God, and Israel is His people,” connecting contemporary geopolitical conflicts to ancient biblical covenants.
The religious court acknowledges the historical pattern of Jewish exile and return, noting that “about 80 years ago, God returned us, the people of Israel, to His land after almost 2000 years of exile.” The declaration emphasizes the uniqueness of Jewish survival, stating that “no people survived such a long exile” and that “throughout the generations, various peoples tried to destroy Israel and none succeeded.”
Universal Laws and Future Vision
The Sanhedrin’s message includes a detailed outline of what it describes as universal divine law for all humanity. While acknowledging that Jews are commanded to observe 613 commandments, the declaration states that for “all the rest of humanity, the Creator wants everyone to believe in universal justice” through seven fundamental principles of the Noahide Laws.
These seven laws include belief in one God without idolatry, prohibition against blasphemy, murder, theft, adultery, eating flesh from a living animal, and the establishment of courts of justice. The document promises that “whoever observes these commandments and recognizes that the people of Israel are the people that the Creator chose to teach the entire world how to serve the Creator will merit salvation from all wars and protection from the Creator.”
The declaration concludes with a prophetic vision drawn from Isaiah, stating that “in the future all nations will come to the Temple Mount and the Holy Temple and will ask Israel to teach them the ways of the blessed Creator, the God of Israel, and then all nations will live in peace and brotherhood.”
The Sanhedrin’s letter frames the current military conflict within the context of biblical prophecy and divine providence. The organization calls on Muslims to “acknowledge the truth that the people of Israel are not the infidels as you thought, but the children of Israel chosen by the Creator,” and to “accept the kingdom of the Creator as He wants and commanded in His Torah.”
This declaration comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the religious court positioning Israel’s military successes as fulfillment of ancient prophecies and calling for recognition of Jewish religious authority in preparation for what they describe as the complete redemption “with mercy and joy.”
