Basra, the Fall
Isaiah asks: “Who is this who comes from Edom, who comes from Basra?” A stage before the redemption will take place in that city, in Iraq.
The Talmud explains that the Samer Mem knows this is his end: he will try to save his skin, but will make three mistakes.
He picks the wrong city, he killed deliberately, and he is an angel: a city of refuge saves neither the act nor him.
Rashi: he will fall first in the Basra above, then in the Basra below. The Ben Ish Hai: he will clothe himself in a wicked man and flee toward Basra.
“Who is this who comes from Edom, his garments full of blood, who comes from Basra?” — Isaiah 63:1
The Creator answers: “It is I! I come from there and I deliver you.”
There is a stage before the redemption that will take place in the city of Basra. Where is Basra? In Iraq.
The Talmud explains: the angel Samer Mem (the Satan) knows that this is his end. He murdered the people of Israel for 2000 years. He is going to be called to account.
He will try to save his skin. But he will make three mistakes.
1. He picks the wrong city. A city of refuge that saves a murderer is called Betser (east of Jordan). He goes to Basra (in Iraq). It is not a city of refuge!
2. He killed deliberately. A city of refuge saves only the unintentional murderer. He killed deliberately. So even Betser would not have saved him!
3. He is an angel. A city of refuge saves a man, not an angel!
Rashi says: he will fall first in the Basra above (spiritually), then in the Basra below.
The Ben Ish Hai (100 years ago) writes: “It would seem that he will clothe himself in a wicked man like himself, and he will flee toward Basra, and there he will fall.”
Did you follow the lesson?
Five questions on the seventh signpost.