זוהר, חיי שרה כ״זZohar, Chayei Sara 27

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (ישעיהו מ״ב:כ״ד) מִי נָתַן לִמְשִׁיסָה יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְבוֹזְזִים הֲלא יְיָ וְגו'. תָּא חֲזֵי, מִזִּמְנָא דְּאִתְחָרַב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא בִּרְכָאן לָא שַׁרְיָין בְּעַלְמָא וְאִתְמְנָעוּ, כִּבְיָכוֹל אִתְמְנָעוּ מֵעֵילָא וְתַתָּא, וְכָל אִינוּן שְׁאָר דַּרְגִּין תַּתָּאִין מִתְתַּקְפֵי וְאָזְלֵי וְשָׁלְטֵי עֲלַיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן גָּרְמוּ בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ.

R. Hizkiah discoursed on the verse: Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk? (Is. 42, 24). ‘Observe,’ he said, ‘that since the destruction of the Temple, blessings have been withdrawn from the world, if one might say so, both on high and here below, so that all the lower grades are reinforced and exercise dominion over Israel on account of their sins.

Segment 2ב׳

הַאי קְרָא לָא אִתְיַישְׁבָן מִלֵּיהּ דִּכְתִיב מִי נָתַן לִמְשִׁיסָה יַעֲקֹב, כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר מִי נָתַן לִמְשִׁיסָה יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל, מַהוּ חָטָאנוּ לוֹ, חָטְאוּ לוֹ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, וְאִי אָמַר חָטָאנוּ לוֹ, מַאי וְלא אָבוּ, וְלא אָבִינוּ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ.

Now the verse just cited requires elucidation. For while it begins by speaking of Jacob and Israel in the third person, it goes off into the first, saying “he against whom we have sinned”, and then reverts to the third person, saying “and they would not walk”.

Segment 3ג׳

אֶלָּא בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאִתְחָרַב מַקְדְּשָׁא וְאִתּוֹקַד הֵיכָלָא וְעַמָּא אִתְגְּלִי, בָּעְיָא שְׁכִינְתָּא לְאִתְעַקְּרָא מִדּוּכְתָּהּ וּלְמֵיהַךְ עִמְּהוֹן בְּגָלוּתָא, אָמְרָה אֵיהַךְ בְּקַדְמִיתָא לְמֶחמֵי בֵּיתָאי וְהֵיכָלָאי וְאֶפְקוֹד עַל דּוּכְתֵּי דְּכַהֲנֵי וְלֵיוָאֵי דְּהֲווּ פָלְחִין בְּבֵיתָאי.

The truth is that when the Sanctuary was destroyed and the Temple was burnt and the people driven into exile, the Shekinah left her home in order to accompany them into captivity. Before leaving, however, she took one last look at her House and the Holy of Holies, and the places where the priests and the Levites used to perform their worship.