A wave of excitement has swept through the Torah world following the discovery of a remarkable passage in a centuries-old sefer that appears to allude to current events in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially linking them to the war of Gog uMagog.
Sunday morning, Rav Moshe Chaim Schneider, a close talmid and confidant of the tzaddik Rav Dov Kook of Tiveria, visited the home of his rebbi. Rav Schneider, editor of the Torah bulletin Sifsei Kohen, presented Rav Kook with a rare manuscript excerpt from the sefer Kli Paz, authored over 500 years ago by the renowned mekubal Rav Shmuel Laniado, also known as the Ba’al HaKelim for his series of works, including Kli Paz, Kli Chemdah, and Kli Yakar.
Rav Shmuel Laniado, who lived in Aram Tzovah (modern-day Aleppo, Syria), penned a comprehensive commentary on Sefer Yeshayah. The original manuscript was printed posthumously in Venice nearly four centuries ago and became known as Kli Paz.
The passage Rav Schneider shared with Rav Kook generated tremendous excitement due to its astonishing relevance to recent geopolitical developments. In his commentary on the verse “Ki zevach laHashem b’Botzrah” (Yeshayah 34:6), Rav Laniado writes chilling words: “There is a country far from Bavel called Botzrah, situated between the border of Ashur and Paras and the border of the land of Edom—‘Hormuz.’ It is currently under the control of the Yishmaelim, and blessed is He who knows the truth of these matters. Perhaps the war of the End of Days will pass through there.”
These words have taken on dramatic new significance in light of the current tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime artery that links Iran to global trade and military interests. As has been widely reported, Iran has recently threatened to attack any American vessel attempting to pass through the strait. The Kli Paz‘s identification of Hormuz as a potential flashpoint for the war of Acharis HaYamim raises chilling implications, potentially casting modern-day conflicts in the region in a prophetic light.
Upon being shown the passage by Rav Schneider, Rav Kook was visibly moved. Turning to his talmid, he said, “Fortunate are you to have merited such a revelation—one that may awaken thousands of Jews to teshuvah. The merit of publicizing it is immense.”

{Matzav.com Israel}