זוהר, ויחי ה׳Zohar, Vayechi 5

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (זכריה ד) וְהָיָה יוֹם אֶחָד הוּא יִוָּדַע לַה' לֹא יוֹם וְלֹא לַיְלָה וְהָיָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב יִהְיֶה אוֹר. רוֹצֶה לְמֵימַר, תְּרֵין מְעַרְעִין בִּישִׁין דְּאָתָן לִבְנוֹהִי לְמֶהוֵי בְּגָלוּתָא בְּאַרַע שַׂנְאֵיהוֹן, וְלָא יִסְתְּכֵי בְּהוֹן, כַּמָּה שְׁנִין סַגִּיאִין, עַל חוֹבֵיהוֹן בְּקוּשְׁטָא, הָכִי יִזְנַח יַתְהוֹן בְּאַרַע שַׂנְאֵיהוֹן. וְיִסַּב בְּנַיְיהוּ דְּאַרַע לְהוֹן בִּישִׁין אִלֵּין, וְיַדְבֵּר לְהוֹן לַאֲרַע טַב כְּפִירוּשָׁא דִקְרָא.

R. Jose discoursed on the verse: And there shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord — not day and not night; but it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light (Zech. 4). It means to say: two evil encounters that come upon His children, that they should be in exile in the land of their enemies, and He will not look upon them for many long years, for their sins in truth; so will He cast them off into the land of their enemies. And He will take their children, upon whom these evils befell, and lead them to a good land, according to the plain meaning of the verse.

Segment 2ב׳

וְהֲוָה תְּרֵי רַבְרְבָן סַגִּיאִין מַעַלְיָיאן הֲוָה מְטַרְקָן תְּחוֹת כָּרְסֵי יְקָרָא, דְּאַפַּטְרוֹפָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מְכִילָתָא חֲמִישָׁאָה, בְּדִיל דִּיְהוֹן בְּגָלוּתָא כָּל עִדָּנָא הָדֵין, וְאַרַע דְּנָשֵׁי יַתְהוֹן בְּאַרַע שַׂנְאֵיהוֹן.

And there were two great and exalted princes, striking beneath the Throne of Glory — for the advocate of Israel is the fifth attribute — so that they should be in exile all this present time, and it befell that He forgot them in the land of their enemies.

Segment 3ג׳

וְהוּא תְּרֵין מְכִילָתָן, בִּתְרֵין סָפִין, נָפַק חָדָא וּמַלִּיל לָקֳבֵל רִבּוֹן עָלְמָא, וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ דִּימַלֵּל כָּל מַאן דְּבָעֵי, וְחָזֵי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מִן גִּיסָא חָדָא לְמִגְזַר בְּהוֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּיִפְקוּן מִן גָּלוּתָא, בְּדִין אֲבָהַתְהוֹן. וּמִן גִּיסָא אַחֲרִינָא, רָעָא לְמִגְזַר עֲלֵיהוֹן, בְּדִיל חוֹבֵיהוֹן, דְּאָמְרוּ עֲלַיְיהוּ בִּישָׁא סַגִּיאָה. הָא ד' מְכִילָתָן, וְלָא הֲוָה בְּהוֹן מְכִילָתָא חֲמִישָׁאָה אַפַּטְרוֹפָּא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמַלִּילוּ כָּל דִּרְעוּ.

And these are two attributes, at two thresholds. One went out and spoke before the Master of the Universe, and He gave it leave to say all that it wished; and it looked upon Israel from one side, to decree concerning them, concerning Israel, that they should go out of exile in the judgement of their fathers; and from the other side it desired to decree against them, on account of their sins, of which much evil was spoken against them. Here, then, are four attributes; and the fifth attribute, the advocate of Israel, was not among them, and they spoke all that they wished.