93. Moreover, we learned in the first part of the compilation that the Other Side prefers to have control over the righteous more than anything else, because it does not then care for the rest of the world. While they were still discussing this, a shade came upon them, and asked: How do we know THAT IT PREFERS TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THE RIGHTEOUS TO CONTROL OVER THE WHOLE WORLD? We know this from Job. For the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that generation was deserving of annihilation, and when the Satan came to denounce, the Holy One, blessed be He, THEN said to him: "Have you considered My servant, Job, that there is none like him on earth" (Iyov 1:8), in order to save through him the whole generation. The matter can be likened to a shepherd when a wolf comes to devour his flock and destroy them. Being wise, what does the shepherd do? He gives the wolf a lamb that is stronger, fatter, and larger than the others, the leader of the flock, and the wolf, out of his desire to have control over the lamb, forgets about the rest of the flock. What does the shepherd do next? While the wolf is preoccupied with that lamb, he flees with the flock and brings them to safety. Later, he returns to the lamb and saves it from the wolf.

94. This is exactly what the Holy One, blessed be He, did with the generation. He offered the righteous man for indictment in order to save the generation on his account. And if, like Jacob, THE RIGHTEOUS MAN is strong, the verse says of him: "and there a man wrestled with him" (Beresheet 32:25). This is even more the case when he overcomes THE ACCUSER until he says: "Let me go" (Ibid. 27). He said: O Shade, O Shade, that is just how it is. Happy is the portion of that righteous man who is strong in suffering afflictions, and how much more so the one who, by means of his AFFLICTIONS, manages to overcome his accuser who has SPREAD his control over the whole generation, and it is accounted to him as though he had saved them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, appoints him as shepherd over them in the place OF THE ACCUSER. This was how the Faithful Shepherd came to be the shepherd over Yisrael, and not only that, but he will control them in the World to Come. And this was because he saved them that they should not be lost TO THE WORLD TO COME, for he guided them in the Torah and good deeds.

95. While they were yet talking, the Faithful Shepherd himself came and said to them: And why was the right arm afflicted? Because the way of all healers is to let blood first from the right arm? Since the left arm is the one that is nearer the heart, why is blood not let from it? OR, TO PUT THE QUESTION IN OTHER WORDS: WHY IS IT THAT ONE RIGHTEOUS MAN IS AFFLICTED AND ANOTHER IS NOT? He answered: Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not want overly to strike, and one RIGHTEOUS MAN suffices. But if the illness is serious and spreads throughout the parts of the body, blood is let from the left arm ALSO, NAMELY OTHER RIGHTEOUS MEN ARE ALSO AFFLICTED.

96. He said to him: If the two of them were not (afflicted) at the same time, that would be fine, but what about the case of the two righteous men, one of whom suffers from diseases and troubles, while the other is treated with kindness? Why is it that if the disease, NAMELY THE SINS OF THE GENERATION, spread, blood is let from both of them, NAMELY BOTH THE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS, who are the two arms, so that healing may be given to all parts OF THE BODY, NAMELY THE WHOLE OF THE GENERATION. And in the case where the illness does not become more serious, and does not spread throughout the parts of the body, why is more blood let from the right arm than from the left? WHY IS ONE MADE TO SUFFER AND NOT THE OTHER? He said to him: Why don't you give the answer?

97. He said to him: Certainly the body and the two arms stand for the three patriarchs and the head for Adam. The right arm corresponds to Abraham and the left arm to Isaac, while the body represents Jacob. Within the body, the liver is on the right, the spleen to the left, THESE BEING THE TWO KLIPOT OF Esau and Ishmael. The heart is Jacob, between them. The lungs and kidneys represent Abraham and Isaac, the lung being water, HINTING AT CHESED, for THE LUNG draws in all sorts of potions, while the kidneys are fire, which cooks the seed that descends from the brain.

98. And since Abraham is water, NAMELY CHESED, IF, THEREFORE, HIS OFFSPRING IMPAIRS CHESED, He places his offspring in the exile of Edom, WHICH IS THE WASTE MATTER OF GVURAH FROM THE LEFT, AND THERE THEY RECEIVE THEIR PUNISHMENT: BECAUSE OF THEM BEING THE OPPOSITE OF THEIR NATURE. This is why the liver and the gall that is in the liver are to the right of Abraham, NAMELY TO THE RIGHT OF THE BODY, his sword, NAMELY MALCHUT OF THE KLIPAH OF ESAU being the gall (Heb. marah). About this it is said: "But her end is bitter (Heb. marah) as wormwood" (Mishlei 5:4). And if the sins increase among the children of Abraham, NAMELY AMONG THOSE WHO EXTEND FROM THE SIDE OF CHESED, who are placed in the exile of Edom, and the disease spreads over them from the side of the liver, they have to be smitten and blood has to be let from the right arm, NAMELY FROM THOSE RIGHTEOUS WHO COME FROM THE SIDE OF CHESED, AND NOT FROM THOSE OF THE SIDE OF GVURAH, FOR THE BLEMISH IS IN THOSE OF THE SIDE OF CHESED. And 'whoever has his money taken is as though his blood was spilled,' for he remains poor, and a poor man is considered as dead.

99. But if the sins increase among the children of Isaac, NAMELY THOSE WHO DESCEND FROM HIM IMPAIR THE QUALITY OF GVURAH, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ISAAC, they are THEN put into exile among Ishmael, WHO ARE THE KLIPAH OF THE RIGHT, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE NATURE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISAAC, IN ORDER TO INCREASE THEIR PUNISHMENT. The disease spreads from the side of the spleen, which is to the left OF THE BODY AND CONTROLS THE CHILDREN OF ISAAC WHO IMPAIRED THE NATURE OF THE LEFT. And blood has THEREFORE to be let from the left arm, THAT IS TO SAY, FROM THOSE RIGHTEOUS WHO COME FROM THE SIDE OF GVURAH, and not from any others. THIS IS BECAUSE THE IMPAIRED HERE ARE THOSE WHO COME NOT FROM ABRAHAM, THE RIGHT ARM, BUT FROM ISAAC, THE LEFT ARM.

100. And if sins increase amongst the children of Jacob, NAMELY THOSE WHO DESCEND FROM HIM IMPAIR HIS NATURE, WHICH INCLUDES BOTH SIDES, CHESED AND GVURAH, who are scattered IN EXILE among the children of Esau and Ishmael, NAMELY IN THE KLIPOT OF THE RIGHT AND OF THE LEFT, then the disease spreads over the body, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF JACOB, and blood has to be let from both arms. But if all three of them, NAMELY THOSE DRAWN FROM JACOB, FROM ISAAC, AND FROM ABRAHAM, are diseased together, NAMELY ALL OF THEM HAVE BLEMISHED THEIR OWN ROOTS, the disease then rises to the head, and blood has to be let from the veins that are in the head. And these three TYPES OF RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE, THOSE DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB, became a Chariot for Adam and the patriarchs, and acquire from them strength to suffer torments and protect the generation throughout the four winds of the world.

101. Woe to that generation that causes the patriarchs and Adam to be struck, and the righteous men amongst them as well, for there is no difference between the righteous OF A GENERATION and the patriarchs and Adam. This is because those RIGHTEOUS are their souls DRAWN FROM THEM and their distress, pain, and anguish reach to the patriarchs and Adam. It is like the sea when a number of rivers flow out of it and return to it, impure and dirty, and the sea receives their impurity and dirt. And because of the sea's strength, for it is strong, it does not hold their dirt, but throws it out, and the rivers remain clear and pure, without that dirt.

102. It can also be likened to a mother who cleans the dirt from her small children. In such a manner the patriarchs cleanse the sins and the dirt from their children, Yisrael, when there are among them people of righteous deeds who are strong enough to suffer torments for the sake of the generation. At that time there is no difference between them AND THE PATRIARCHS, FOR THEY CLEANSE THE SINS OF THE GENERATION LIKE THE PATRIARCHS. They all came and blessed him, THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD, and said to him: Sinai, Sinai, through whose mouth the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah speak, who is able to confront him in any MATTER? Happy is our portion that we have merited to revise and refresh new matters in this first part of the compilation through you, to illuminate the Shechinah in exile.