Abraham was worthy of visions and prophecy. He was the first in a chain of sages descended from him who were worthy to have the Divine Inspiration (Ruach HaKodesh) speak to them. This week's Zohar piece is an amazing prophecy about the current age we are in, relating the name of G‑d to numbers and years and connecting it to the reestablishment of the Divine Kingdom on earth. It predicts the Industrial Revolution, explains why everything is speeding up all the time and why the technological advances of the last 160 years are greater than the previous thousands of years.

In the 600th year of the 6th millennium [1840 CE] the supernal gates of wisdom will be opened…

Rabbi Yehuda said [to Rabbi Yossi] we have already learned that ["one day" the Shechinah will arise from the dust]. Come and see the secret that I have been taught. At the time when the Community of Israel was exiled from its place, the letters of the Divine Name also became (as if) separated. The [lower] hei became separated from the vav.

Because of this separation, the Shechinah sits in the dust during the entire period (day) of the Exile. The name of G‑d is made up of the letters yud, hei, vav and hei. With the destruction of the Temple, the final letter hei became separated from the vav. As a result, divine influence became more remote and the keepers of the esoteric wisdom became involved in reunifying the name. The vav represents Zeir Anpin and the final hei malchut. The letter vav has a numerical value of 6 and hei a value of 5.

The verse in Psalms 39:3 sums this up, saying, "I was struck dumb with silence". This was because the vav was separated from the hei [and that hei represents the sefira of malchut, which is also called "Speech". The separation dries up the source of inspiration of speech.] The Voice [Zeir Anpin] is not present which is why Speech has become mute. Because of this [separation] the Shechinah sits in the dust that whole Day of the [letter] Hei. What is this [Day of the Hei]? It is the 5th millennium [since the Creation - corresponding to the years 240 to 1240 of the Common Era]. When the 6th millennium arrives…the vav will awaken the hei

Hei is the fifth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet, and thus the "Day of the Hei" can also mean the "Day of the Fifth". A "day" of G‑d is 1000 years, which we learn from the verse: "For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day gone by" (Psalms 90:4). These 1000-year periods, like the modern centuries, start from the first day of the first cycle. Thus the year 5762 is the 762nd year of the 6th thousand-year cycle.

Even though the Exile came before the 5th millennium [the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE at the end of the 4th millennium], the secret of the letter hei [represents the bulk of the Exile]. Now, when the 6th millennium arrives, which is the secret of the letter vav [in the name Havayah], then the vav will awaken the hei. The time of 6 times 10 is the completion of the vav. This is because vav rises up to yud.

Zeir Anpin comprises the 6 sefirot chesed, gevura, tiferet,netzach, hod and yesod, and reaches up to and connects with the yud of the name Havayah. This yud in turn represents the sefira of chochma. Thus, the vav receives bursts of wisdom in 60 year intervals all the way through the 6th millennium until it eventually rejuvenates the letter hei and brings it back into unity. Every 60 year cycle of the 6th millennium the hei [malchut] will be energized…

The vav also goes down [to revive the] hei [in the Holy Name]. After 10 times 60 the Vav will be completed and the Shechinah will start to rise from the dust [in the year 5600]. Every 60 year cycle of the 6th millennium the hei [malchut] will be energized and will rise a level to be strengthened.

This will prepare the world for the 7th millennium like a person prepares himself on Friday for Shabbat, as the sun begins to wane.

In the 600th year of the 6th millennium [1840 CE] the supernal gates of wisdom will be opened [the spreading of Zohar, Chasidut and the inner dimension of Torah] and also the wellsprings of wisdom below [the Industrial Revolution and technological advances like radio, Boolean Algebra (which led to the possibility of computers), the locomotive, telephone etc.]. This will prepare the world for the 7th millennium like a person prepares himself on Friday for Shabbat, as the sun begins to wane. So it will be here [all the world will hurry up its preparations, physically and spiritually, for greeting the 7th millennium]. There is a hint about this in the verse "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life …all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Gen. 7:11).

Thus the flood of new inventions and spiritual awakening is connected to the imminent arrival of the 7th millennium when the world will be in a state of rest and the spiritual will take precedence - as it does on the 7th day of the week, the Shabbat.


From the Zohar, Page 116b; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

(Commentary with help from the RaMaKOhr Yakar, and Matok MiDvash.)

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