THE SHEMITAH CYCLE IN AMERICAN (AND WORLD) HISTORY
America’s history has been to be an “isolationist” nation. We did not want to become involved in Europe’s disputes and wars. In fact, our early settlers were fleeing Europe to get away from disputes and religious wars. Geographically we have two great oceans separating us from Europe and Asia. That in itself helped America to be isolated from the rest of the world. We focused on our hemisphere--north and south America.
America grew strong as the world moved into the 20th Century--but she stayed out of Europe’s affairs. When World War 1 began America did her best to stay out of it. Eventually she had to become involved and was responsible for the victory which came to France and Britain in 1918.
In his book Mr. Cahn shows us an interesting cycle of Shemitah’s beginning in the year the year 1916-1917 (the determination of Shemitah years is based on the cycle currently followed in the nation of Israel). That was the time that America entered into World War 1 and began to ascend to greatness. America still was reluctant to become involved with world events--but her impact on the result of World War 1 put her in a powerful position.
Europe was rebuilding from the war and France and Britain has spent enormous amounts of money to wage war. They had become debtor nations. America, however, had become a creditor nation during this time. The time America entered World War 1 was during the 1916-1917 Shemitah cycle. Was this a coincidence?
As America grew in power prior to World War II she began to build the world’s tallest buildings. In Hebrew the word for power is migdal. It means =“To increase, to be lifted up, to wax great, to be enlarged.” America was becoming great and the skyscrapers we built were signs of that greatness.
In the Shemitah year 1930-1931 America completed three great towers in Manhattan, New York City. First was the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building which stood at a height of 928 feet. Thirty days later the Chrysler Building became the world’s tallest building on the planet exceeding 1,000 feet.
In the midst of the Shemitah year 1930-1931 the Empire State Building was completed. It would be the world’s tallest building standing at 1,454 feet to the top of it’s spire. It would reign as the world’s tallest building for forty years. It became an American and global icon. It stood as a symbol of human and American achievement. Was this a coincidence that all this took place during a Shemitah cycle?
The next Shemitah cycle would take place during the 1938-1939 period. This would be the period that Hitler started World War II. This was the greatest world conflict of all time. This was also the period of the Holocaust. Millions of Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Millions of other people died in warfare. Europe was ravaged by this war. It came to an end in 1945. The year 1945 was in the next Shemitah cycle.
In 1945 at the end of World War II America had become the most powerful nation on earth. A new world order had begun. A new world financial system was put in place with the U.S. dollar becoming the world’s reserve currency in place of the British Pound Sterling. Britain was broke from the ravages of war. America became the great world power in her place.
The World Trade Center was first conceived in 1945 at America’s most prominent moment of power. In 1946 the New York State legislature authorized the creation of the World Trade Corporation to develop the World Trade Center. Was it a coincidence that this happened in a Shemitah year?
Years later on August 5, 1966 a giant concrete wall was sunk into the ground as part of the ground breaking ceremony for the World Trade Center--it was a Shemitah year! This Shemitah cycle began on September 27, 1965 and concluded on September 14, 1966. Before the Shemitah year ended the construction on the towers began. Coincidence?
The World Trade Center and its twin towers were officially completed and inaugurated in a ceremony held on April 4, 1973. The Shemitah cycle had begun on September 9, 1972 and ended on September 16, 1973! That same year the World Trade Center surpassed the Empire State Building to become the tallest building on earth. The World Trade Center was finished and dedicated during the seven year Shemitah cycle. America stood at the pinnacle of power as leader of the new world order establish at the end of World War II.
These are surely an amazing set of “coincidences” that have been taking place. Next post we will continue to look into the amazing things that Mr. Cahn has written about in “The Mystery of the Shemitah."
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