The Dead Sea is retreating, losing up to a meter each year. The reason for this is that the waters of the Jordan River, which feed into it, are diverted into irrigation pipes to provide water to both Israel and Jordan. Dead Sea water is also evaporated by chemical companies for its rich phosphate and mineral supplies, which further accelerates the sea’s retreat.

As the Dead Sea evaporates, it leaves sink holes in its wake. There are now some 3,000 craters in the ground surrounding the Dead Sea, large enough to swallow up an unsuspecting hiker or tourist. Development plans along the Dead Sea coast have been scrapped because of the ground’s instability.

The World Bank has proposed a plan to build a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, 60 kilometers away. However, they have estimated the cost of building the canal at $15 billion, a price that the countries surrounding the Dead Sea cannot afford to pay. In the meantime, this ancient ecosystem is rapidly disappearing. If a solution is not found soon, it is expected that the Dead Sea will lose another 30 percent of its area over the next half century.

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What does this tell us, other than to hurry and visit the lowest place on earth before it disappears for good?

It is known that every physical phenomenon has its roots in the spiritual worlds, as described in depth in mystical Jewish teachings. One phenomenon predicted by our prophets that will happen in the era of Redemption is the resurrection of the dead. The restoration of long-buried bodies will be a combination of supernatural and biological processes. According to our sages, G-d will recreate the body from the indestructible luz bone, one of the vertebrae in the back. If a person was ill or injured before he passed away, he will first be resurrected in his original state and then healed.

Those who work in genetics and biochemistry now believe that the whole process of aging and death is not due to cells wearing out but is the result of built-in cellular mechanisms. Death has been a constant in our experience ever since the sin of Adam and Eve. With the coming of Moshiach, this process will be reversed – people will no longer die, and the dead will return to life. 

Now, for the first time in history, the Dead Sea is receding. The symbolic meaning is clear: In its place will soon wash in a new sea of life – the life of Torah, as the verse states, “And the world will be filled with knowledge of G-d, as waters cover the ocean.”