104. And now there is need of a doctor to know by how many degrees the pulse of the patient, YISRAEL, has increased in the exile of Edom, for it is said about him "that I am sick with love" (Shir Hashirim 5:8). For a number of doctors gathered over him to consider the pulse rate in order to know when his illness would come to an end, but not one of them could understand them, for no doctor is competent to read the pulse beats of this particular patient, for there are beats of T'kiah-Sh'varim-T'ruah-T'kiah, T'kiah Sh'varim T'kiah, T'kiah T'ruah T'kiah, as the prophet said about them: "Like as a woman with child, whose time of delivery draws near, is in pain and cries out in her pangs" (Yeshayah 26:17).

105. And all the ten Shofar blows, WHICH ARE T'KIAH SH'VARIM-T'RUAH T'KIAH, T'KIAH SH'VARIM T'KIAH, T'KIAH T'RUAH T'KIAH, are included in three T'kiah Sh'varim T'ruah. FOR THEY INCLUDE ONLY THESE THREE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS IN BLOWS. T'kiah stands for the length of the exile. Sh'varim TEACHES ABOUT the proximity of the exile, and T'ruah about the coming redemption, FOR THE SOUNDS OF THE T'RUAH teach about duress after duress with no respite between them. And clearly, since the other nations make Yisrael's exile more difficult, it is the duress that they suffer that brings the redemption closer. And so it is, too, in our case of the patient's pulse: AS the beats come faster, one after the other, with no space between them, the man's soul leaves him.

106. T'kiah Sh'varim-T'ruah T'kiah, T'kiah Sh'varim T'kiah, T'kiah T'ruah T'kiah, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF THE EXILE'S BEATS, AS ABOVE, make Kof Shin Resh (Heb. kesher - Eng. 'tie'), the initials of T'kiah Sh'varim T'ruah, by which falsehood (Heb. sheker, Shin Kof Resh) is removed from the world. Concerning this was the oath: "Hashem will have war with Amalek" (Shemot 17:16), FOR THE REDEMPTION WILL COME BY THE BEATS HINTED AT T'KIAH SH'VARIM-T'RUAH T'KIAH, T'KIAH SH'VARIM T'KIAH, T'KIAH T'RUAH T'KIAH. AND THEN a simple, double, triple and quadruple song will arise in the world, where the letters OF THE YUD HEI VAV HEI will multiply AND JOIN TOGETHER. FIRST WILL COME Yud, THEN Yud-Hei, THEN Yud-Hei-Vav AND THEN Yud Hei Vav Hei, WHERE YUD IS THE SIMPLE SONG, YUD-HEI DOUBLE, YUD-HEI-VAV IS TRIPLE AND YUD HEI VAV HEI IS QUADRUPLE, AND THEIR NUMERICAL VALUE TOGETHER TOTALS 72. AT THE TIME OF THE REDEMPTION THIS NAME OF 72 WILL AWAKEN. At that time THE PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED: 'And therefore (Heb. uv'chen) the righteous shall see and be glad, the upright exult and the pious rejoice in song.' THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF 'UV'CHEN,' IS 78, NAMELY 72 WITH THE ADDITION OF SIX, WHICH IS THE VALUE OF VAV. This added Vav REFERS TO the sixth millennium. The Second Temple was destroyed 172 years before THE FIFTH MILLENNIUM. THAT IS, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE CAME 172 YEARS EARLY, BEFORE THE FIFTH MILLENIUM. And afterwards IT WILL ARRIVE AFTER THE FIFTH MILLENNIUM at the end of Resh Ayin Bet (272) YEARS OF THE SIXTH MILLENNIUM. FOR THE EXILE IS SUPPOSED TO LAST 1,200 YEARS, TO FULFIL: "YOU, O SOLOMON, MAY HAVE THE THOUSAND, AND THOSE THAT KEEP ITS FRUIT TWO HUNDRED" (SHIR HASIRIM 8:12). WITH THE REVELATION OF THE NAME OF 72, IT AMOUNTS TO 1,272. THE 172 YEARS PRECEDING THE FIFTH MILLENIUM MAY OR MAY NOT BE PART OF THIS COUNT. HENCE IT SAYS "UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF 272...(HEB. RA'AV RESH, AYIN, BET)." As in the verse "At evening (Heb. erev, Ayin Resh Bet) and you shall know that Hashem has brought you out, etc." (Shemot 16:6), and, "For your servant became surety (Heb. arav, Ayin Resh Bet) for the lad" (Beresheet 44:32). You should know that all those dates mentioned in the Zohar refer to an awakening from above, which will occur at these times for redemption. But certainly it depends on the people actions and repentance. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).

107. While they were still sitting, they saw a shade standing over them that came and went, hither and thither in the house. They were astonished. Rabbi Aba said: Yosi, my son, I shall tell you what happened to me when I was with the Holy Luminary, THAT IS RABBI SHIMON, one day when we were walking in the Valley of Ono, and engaging in Torah the whole of that day, and because of the intensity of the sun's heat, we sat in a niche under a rock.

108. I asked him to explain to me why it is that, whenever the number of wicked in the world increases and Judgment rests on the world, the righteous among them are smitten on their account. For this is what we have learned about the sins of the generations: that it is the holy and righteous who are punished. Why should this be so. Could it be because they do not admonish the world about their deeds? For there are many who do admonish, but they will not accept it from them so they are subdued before those WHO DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. THUS WHY THEY ARE PUNISHED FOR THE SIN OF THE GENERATION. Or maybe it is because the world has no protector AND THE RIGHTEOUS ARE PUNISHED AND DIE SO THAT THE WICKED CAN EXIST ON THEIR MERIT? AND I ASKED HIM: Were the righteous not to die and not to be punished for the sins OF THE WICKED, BUT IF THE WICKED WERE TO PERISH, then would not this be a cause of joy for the righteous that the wicked should perish? AS IT IS WRITTEN "BUT WHEN THE WICKED PERISH, THERE IS JUBILATION" (MISHLEI 11:10).

109. He said to me: The righteous are certainly caught for the sins of the generation, and we have already discussed these matters. But when the righteous are caught with diseases and pestilence, it is in order to atone for the sins of the world, for then atonement is effected for the sins of the generation, SINCE THE SIDE OF HOLINESS IS THEREBY UPLIFTED AND THE OTHER SIDE SURRENDERS. How do we know about this? We learn it from all the parts of the body, for when all parts of the body are in trouble and a serious illness prevails in them, one limb has to suffer so that all of them should be healthy. And which IS THE LIMB THAT IS TO SUFFER? It is of course the arm, from which blood is let, and then all parts of the body regain health.

110. And so it is that all people are body parts together. When the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to grant healing to the world, He inflicts diseases and pestilence on one righteous man from among them, and, for his sake, gives healing to everyone. Where do we learn this from? From the verse: "But he was wounded because of our transgressions...and by his injury we are healed" (Yeshayah 53:5). "And by his injury:" this refers to the letting of blood, as one who lets blood from the arm, for in that injury "we are healed," that is to say, we, all the parts of the body, find healing.

111. And He never smites the righteous man unless it is in order to grant healing to the generation and to make atonement for their sins, for the Other Side prefers MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE that Judgment should have control over the righteous, for he does not then consider the rest of the world important and he doesn't watch over them because of his great joy that he has control OVER THE RIGHTEOUS. And the righteous person WHO SUFFERS BECAUSE OF THE GENERATION merits heavenly rule, in this world and in the World to Come. And WHERE THERE IS a righteous man with whom things are going well, the explanation is that the Holy One, blessed be He, is not concerned to make atonement for the world.

112. I said to him: BUT IF THERE ARE TWO RIGHTEOUS MEN, WHERE ONE OF THEM IS RIGHTEOUS WHO SUFFERS BADLY FOR HIM, WHILE THE OTHER IS RIGHTEOUS WHO FLOURISHES? If they do not live at the same time, THEN WHAT YOU HAVE SAID makes sense THAT IS, THAT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN WHO FLOURISHES LIVES AT A TIME WHEN THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, IS NOT CONCERNED TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR THE WORLD, WHILE THE RIGHTEOUS MAN WHO SUFFERS LIVES AT A TIME WHEN THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, IS CONCERNED TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR THE WORLD. But what about the case where there are two righteous men, one here and one here, both living AT THE SAME TIME, and the one suffers from diseases and pestilences while the other enjoys all the good things of the world? He said to me: One, or possibly two, righteous men are sufficient FOR THE ATONEMENT OF THE GENERATION, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not need to smite all of them, just as it is unnecessary to smite and draw blood from more than one arm in order to grant health to all parts OF THE BODY. Similarly, here too, one righteous man suffices.

113. But if the illness strikes all parts of the body, it is then necessary to let blood from both of the arms. So also in our case. If the number of serious sins in the world increases, then all the righteous have to be smitten in order to grant healing to the whole generation. But when they are not so many, then only one righteous man is smitten, and the other righteous live in peace, for the world is not in such need that all of them need to be smitten. And if the people are healed, the righteous are also healed, but it sometimes happens that THE RIGHTEOUS are inflicted with diseases throughout their lives in order to protect the generation, at a time WHEN THE SINS ARE HEAVIER. When THE RIGHTEOUS die, then everything is healed, and atoned for.