250. Next is the verse, "And Hashem rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah..." Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the verse, "Behold, the day of Hashem comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger..." (Yeshayah 13:9) "Behold, the day of Hashem comes" alludes to the earthly Courthouse, WHICH REFERS TO THE JUDGMENTS THAT ISSUE FROM MALCHUT, DURING THE TIME WHEN SHE IS AT THE STAGE OF ILLUMINATION FROM THE LEFT, BEFORE BEING COMBINED WITH THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS CALLED THE DECREE OF JUDGMENT. "Comes" is as explained IN REFERENCE TO THE PHRASE, "WHICH HAS COME TO ME," WHICH MEANS THAT SHE ALWAYS COMES AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY UNION. "Which has come to me" is so because it does not execute Judgment before it enters and receives permission. The same is explained by the verse, "The End of all Flesh has come before Me," WHICH MEANS THAT IT CAME TO ASK FOR PERMISSION.

251. Another explanation of "Behold, the day of Hashem comes" is that it refers to the Saboteur of Below, NAMELY THE ANGEL OF DEATH, when he takes the soul away. This is why THE VERSE CALLS HIM "cruel both with wrath...to lay the land desolate," ALLUDING TO Sodom and Gomorrah, WHICH WERE THROWN OVER AND DESERTED. The phrase, "and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it," REFERS TO those who inhabited that land.

252. After this, it is written, "For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof..." (Yeshayah 13:10) because it was from the heavens that He rained fire down on them and wiped them out of the world. Then, it is written, "I will make men more rare than fine gold..." (Ibid. 12). This is Abraham, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, raised up and cherished more than any other person in the world.

253. Rabbi Yehuda related these verses to the day when the Temple was destroyed. On that day, both the celestial and earthly beings darkened, along with the stars and heavens. Rabbi Elazar explained these verses as follows, The day on which the Holy One, blessed be He, shall raise the Congregation of Yisrael up from the dust, NAMELY AT THE TIME OF REDEMPTION, shall be known on high and down below. As it is written, "But it shall be one day which shall be known to Hashem..." (Zecharyah 14:7). And on that day, the Holy One, blessed be He, shall take revenge on the idol worshippers.

254. So when the Holy One, blessed be He, takes revenge on the worshipers of the planets and constellations, it shall be said, "I will make men more rare than fine gold." This is King Messiah, who shall rise up over all peoples of the world and be so honored that all of humanity will bow before him and obey him. This is as it is written, "They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him...the kings of Tarshish...shall bring presents..." (Tehilim 72:9-10).

255. Come and behold, even though this prophecy - REFERRING TO THE VERSES THAT READ "BEHOLD, THE DAY OF HASHEM..." AND "I WILL MAKE MAN..." - was said specifically about Babylon AS WRITTEN, 'THE BURDEN OF BABYLON' (YESHAYAH 13:1), it is said NEVERTHELESS about everything. It is also written in this same passage, "For Hashem will have mercy on Jacob...And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place..." (Yeshayah 14:1-2). IT SEEMS THAT THE SAGES OF THE ZOHAR HAD A DIFFERENT SECTIONING OF THE BIBLE, BECAUSE IN OUR BOOKS, THESE VERSES APPEAR IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER.

256. The phrase, "Then Hashem rained upon Sodom," refers to the level of the earthly Courthouse, which is granted permission from above. Rabbi Yitzchak said that the Judgment was executed with Mercy, as it is written, "from Hashem out of heaven," FOR THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI IMPLIES MERCY. This is so that Judgment will be mixed with Mercy. You might ask: What Mercy is there here? HE REPLIES, As it is written, "And it came to pass, when Elohim destroyed the cities of the plain, that Elohim remembered Abraham..." (Beresheet 19:29). And after this, two whole nations issued from LOT. And he had the honor of being the great ancestor of David and King Solomon.

257. See what is written, "And it came to pass, when they had brought them outside abroad, that he said, ESCAPE FOR YOUR LIFE" (Beresheet 19:17). Come and behold, we have learned that when Judgment hangs over the world, people should not be at the marketplace. This is because when Judgment comes, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. Therefore, one should not be there. And it has been explained that this is why Noah hid in the ark and did not look upon the world as judgment was executed. And so it is written, "And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning" (Shemot 12:22), THAT IS, until judgment is executed. And this is why it is written, "Escape for your life, look not behind you..."

258. As they were walking, Rabbi Yehuda said to Rabbi Yitzchak, The Judgment that the Holy One, blessed be He, executed at the Great Flood and the Judgment of Sodom were both Judgments of Gehenom, because the sinners in Gehenom are punished by water and fire.

259. Rabbi Yitzchak responded that Sodom was sentenced by the Judgment of Gehenom, as it is written, "Then Hashem rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Hashem out of heaven." One was punished with the aspect of water; the other with the aspect of fire; and both are the punishments of Gehenom. The sinners in Gehenom are punished with both these aspects of Judgment BECAUSE THERE IS THE 'GEHENOM OF SNOW,' WHICH IS WATER, AND THERE IS THE 'GEHENOM OF FIRE.'