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Is there any correlation of an uptick in natural disasters and ימים נוראים? The basis is from the gemara in yevamot

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר אֲבִינָא: אֵין פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הִכְרַתִּי גוֹיִם נָשַׁמּוּ פִּנּוֹתָם הֶחֱרַבְתִּי חוּצוֹתָם״, וּכְתִיב: ״אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ תִּירְאִי אוֹתִי תִּקְחִי מוּסָר״. Rabbi Elazar bar Avina said: Calamity befalls the world only due to the sins of the Jewish people, as it is stated: “I have cut off nations, their corners are desolate; I have made their streets waste” (Zephaniah 3:6), and it is written: “I said: Surely you will fear Me, you will receive correction” (Zephaniah 3:7). This indicates that other nations were punished so that the Jewish people would mend their ways.

And the explanation of rashi there:

בשביל ישראל - ליראם כדי שיחזרו בתשובה: To frighten them so they shall repent and return to G.od.

Not that I need any factual proof of the G.ods or the gemaras veracity; it's just that my curiosity got the better of me. Feel free to knock some sense into me

Shababnik
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  • Which uptick in natural disasters? Is there any data showing they are increasing before yamim noraim? – mbloch Sep 10 '23 at 03:27
  • That is my question @mbloch. – Shababnik Sep 10 '23 at 03:31
  • Though just today there were, at least three significant earthquakes – Shababnik Sep 10 '23 at 03:31
  • I am only aware of Morocco but there are many earthquakes a week, of different levels of impact. It is easy to let oneself be deluded. If you pick any week/month in the year, you will find fires, earthquakes, floods, etc. You would have to prove your assertion there are more around the Yamim Noraim (or 9 days which is often said as well). This site won't be able to provide such data for you – mbloch Sep 10 '23 at 09:02
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    It means that there are many mitzvah opportunities to rescue people. – Shalom Sep 10 '23 at 10:43
  • @mbloch some are seasonal, like hurricanes – Double AA Sep 10 '23 at 13:00
  • The gemara in Rosh Hashanah (32b) implies that Rosh Hashanah is more dire for non-Jews, so contradicts your source. אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! מִפְּנֵי מָה אֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה לְפָנֶיךָ בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וּבְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים? אָמַר לָהֶם: אֶפְשָׁר מֶלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא דִין, וְסִפְרֵי חַיִּים וְסִפְרֵי מֵתִים פְּתוּחִין לְפָנָיו — וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה – The GRAPKE Sep 10 '23 at 13:50
  • @TheGRAPKE how does that contradict? – Shababnik Sep 10 '23 at 17:40
  • @Shababnik Because the implication of the gemara in Rosh Hashanah is that really the benei yisrael should say hallel on Rosh Hashanah (because they are betuchim sheya'aseh Hashem imahem nes) but the reason this is inappropriate is that Hashem is judging the rest of the world as the king. Which contradicts the implication of the source as quoted in the question which is that it is the other way around, so that Hashem brings calamity on the nations of the world as a warning to the Jewish people. – The GRAPKE Sep 11 '23 at 05:44

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