Pre-Messiah Heat Wave Shatters Israel’s 83-Year Temperature Records
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Israelis flooded beaches and national parks on Saturday as a historic November heat wave scorched the country, setting temperature records that stood for more than eight decades. Tel Aviv baked under 34.5°C (94°F), while Jerusalem—a city that sits at 800 meters elevation and rarely experiences extreme heat—reached an astonishing 32.3°C (90°F), the highest November temperature since 1942, before the State of Israel even existed.
The Israel Meteorological Service reported that Friday marked the single hottest late November day in Israel’s 77-year history as a nation. The heat wave persisted through the weekend, with temperatures across the country running 10°C (18°F) above seasonal averages. Coastal areas and the Shfela—the low-lying southern-central region—faced the most intense conditions, with multiple locations exceeding 34°C (93°F).
What does extreme weather reveal about the natural order established in creation?
The Sages teach that the regularity of seasons serves as testimony to the covenant between God and creation. After the flood, God declared: “So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). This verse establishes the divine promise of seasonal continuity—a rhythm embedded into the fabric of creation itself. When that rhythm breaks, when November feels like summer and winter arrives late, it awakens awareness of how dependent we are on the Creator’s ordering of nature.
The temperature readings paint a picture of a land defying its calendar. Herzliya registered 34.3°C (93°F). Eilat, the southern resort city, hit 37.2°C (98°F). Haifa reached 32.8°C (91°F), while communities along the Sea of Galilee faced highs between 32-35°C (91-95°F). Even the Dead Sea, already one of the hottest places on earth, recorded 34.2°C (93°F).
Historical climate data shows that November temperatures in Israel no