"And it shall come to pass in the last days"

37. However, all that the Holy One, blessed be He, saw pertaining to the children of Yisrael is at this end of days, MEANING MALCHUT. And in this "last days," He will perform for them miracles and vengeance, as is written: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of Hashem's house shall be established on the top of the mountains" (Yeshayah 2:2). What is "the top of the mountains?" This is Abraham the patriarch, WHO IS CHESED, CALLED 'High Priest', MEANING CHESED THAT ASCENDED TO CHOCHMAH, which is the top of them all, BECAUSE CHESED IS THE TOP OF THE SEVEN LOWER SFIROT. And because he is the top of the Cup of Blessing, WHICH IS MALCHUT, he will be established at the top of the mountains. This is Abraham the patriarch, the first of the other mountains, BECAUSE CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET ARE CALLED 'MOUNTAINS', AND CHESED IS THE FIRST OF THEM. Thus, the Cup of Blessing, WHICH IS MALCHUT, has to be prepared on the right, WHICH IS CHESED.

38. "And shall be exalted above the hills" (Ibid.). THIS ALLUDES TO THE CUP OF BLESSING that should be raised above the table to the measure called a 'span', to bless the Holy One, blessed be He. This is the meaning of, "exalted above the hills." What is "above the hills?" HE ANSWERS: Binah, and between, "the virgins, her companions that follow her" (Tehilim 45:15), there is the measurement of a span. Therefore, the cup of blessing is definitely raised above the hills. Therefore, the good that will befall the firstborn son, NAMELY YISRAEL, will be in the last days.

39. He said to him: You have spoken well. This verse is certainly so. "On the top of the mountains," is right, which is Abraham the patriarch, who is certainly the top of the mountains, THE TOP OF CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET, THAT ARE CALLED 'MOUNTAINS'. "And exalted above the hills," MEANING the measure of hills, which are her companions. And you spoke well. "And all the nations shall flow to it" (Yeshayah 2:2): what is its meaning, ACCORDING TO YOUR WORDS THAT THE PASSAGE REFERS TO THE CUP OF BLESSING? He said to him: IT MEANS even women and children and the waiter who serves at the table. Even if one does not eat, one must listen TO THE BLESSINGS and answer: Amen, so that no one would say: if I do not eat, since I am not included in a quorum, I will not listen nor say Amen. THEREFORE IT SAYS, "AND ALL THE NATIONS SHALL FLOW TO IT," since everyone is obligated in it.

40. Another explanation of: "And all the nations will flow to it." Although women and children are exempted from commandments, everyone is obligated to the cup of blessing, only they have to know whom they are blessing. And this is the meaning of, "And all the nations shall flow to it." Rabbi Yosi came and kissed him. He said: How beautiful are these words, and how sweet to the palate!

41. Here we must point out that if "the last days" is the actual Cup of Blessing, MEANING MALCHUT, what is "the mountain of Hashem's house?" It should have been written thus: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, that it will be established on the top of the mountains.' What is the meaning of "in the last days, that the mountain of Hashem's house shall be established?" THIS IS A REPETITION, BECAUSE "THE LAST DAYS" IS MALCHUT, AND "THE MOUNTAINS OF HASHEM'S HOUSE," IS ALSO MALCHUT. He replies: "the last days," refers to the whole Tree, MEANING THE ENTIRE MALCHUT from top to end, which is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF 'IF HE MERITS, IT IS GOOD, BUT IF HE DOES NOT MERIT, IT IS EVIL'. And the passage came to refine "the last days," and extracted, "the mountain of Hashem's house," which is the good OF MALCHUT, without evil. This is surely "The mountain of Hashem's house," where the Other Side has no part, because the mountain of Hashem's house has been extracted from the Tree, which is "the last days." And this is the Cup of Blessing, which is established on the top of the mountains.

42. Rabbi Yosi said: Blessed is this path that we merited that interpretation. He said to him: From whom did you hear it? He said to him: One day, I was walking on the road and I heard and saw Rav Hamnuna Saba expounding upon this passage for Rabbi Acha. When I heard it, I rejoiced over it and kept it bound in the corner of my garment so that it should never leave me. He said: Certainly, this holy subject was illuminated by the holy luminary. Blessed is the generation that preserves the world, which pillars dwell in it. And if you tie this interpretation with a knot, so that it shall not leave you, I will tie it with thirty or forty knots in my pocket, so that it shall never leave me.

43. (THE BEGINNING OF THIS ESSAY IS MISSING). In this subject, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses that even though the children of Yisrael sin before Him in every generation, He does not wish anyone to slander them. How do we know this? From Hosea, as it is written: "When Hashem spoke at first with Hosea" (Hoshea 1:2). And we have established the matter, THAT HE ANSWERED THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, TO PASS THEM TO ANOTHER NATION, AS WRITTEN THERE. And hence: "And the number of the children of Yisrael shall be like the sand of the sea" (Hoshea 2:1). For because of this, He blessed them with many blessings to cause them to repent and return to their Father in heaven. And he did not move from there until the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave their sins and they were purified before Him.