זוהר, ויחי ב׳Zohar, Vayechi 2

Segment 1א׳

וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת. רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר, חֲמָא דָא עַקְתָא דְגָלוּתָא דְּהֲוָה עָרְעָן לִבְנוֹהִי, קְרִיבָא אֲנַפְשֵׁיהּ וּדְחִיקַת לִמְמָת, לָא אִשְׁתָּאַר חַי, כַּד הֲוָה נָחִית מִדַרְגִין, בְּדִיל חוֹבֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לָא נָחִית עִמְּהוֹן בְּגָלוּתָא, זַכָּאָה חוּלְקֵהוֹן, דְּאִי לָא נָחִית עִמְּהוֹן בְּגָלוּתָא, אִשָׁתָּאֲרָן בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא, וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ (ישעיהו נ׳:ב׳) מַדּוּעַ בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ קָרָאתִי וְאֵין עוֹנְה. וְאֵין עוֹנֶה, דָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ, דָּא שְׁכִינָה. הַקָּצוֹר קָצְרָה יָדִי מִפְּדוּת וְאִם אֵין בִּי כֹּחַ לְהַצִּיל הֵן בְּגַעֲרָתִי אַחֲרִיב יָם אָשִׂים נְהָרוֹת מִדְבָּר. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב חוּלָקָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּלָא יִשְׁלוֹט רַבְרְבָנָא אָחֳרָא בְהוֹן. נָחֲתוּ לְגָלוּתָא, שְׁכִינְתָּא עִמְּהוֹן וְהוּא רָחִיק מִמַּטְרוֹנִיתָא:

AND THE DAYS OF ISRAEL DREW NEAR TO DIE. R. Hizkiah said: He saw this affliction of the exile that was to befall his children; it came near to his very self and pressed him to death, and he did not remain alive. When he was descending from the grades, because of the sins of Israel, he did not descend with them into exile. Happy is their portion — for had he not descended with them into exile, they would have been left among the nations. And you say: “Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer?” (Is. 50, 2). “And there was none to answer” — this is Israel. “I came and there was no man” — this is the Shekinah. “Is My hand too short to redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness.” The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel a portion such that no other chieftain should rule over them. They went down into exile; the Shekinah was with them, and He is far from the Matron.