143. “And [he] sent out the dove,” to exile in Edom, “and she did not return to him anymore.” That is, to this day, she has not repented and has not awakened her spirit. Had she repented, she would not have been in exile one day.
All the exiles that the assembly of Israel was exiled, the Creator set for her a time and an end, and she always awakened in repentance. But the last exile has no end or time. Rather, it all depends on repentance, as it is written, “And return to the Lord your God … and obey His voice,” as it is written, “Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and take you from there.”
144. Thus, how will it be that they will all wake up for redemption together? Those at the end of heaven, and those at the end of the earth, how will they join together to make repentance?
145. If the heads of the houses of assembly repent, or one house of assembly, all the exiles will gather thanks to them, since the Creator always waits for the time when they repent, and He will do good to them, as it is written, “Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you,” always waiting, when will they repent?
146. It is written, “[and she] did not return again to him anymore.” It is not written, “He did not return to her anymore,” which would mean that the Creator would not return to Israel. Rather, Israel did not return to Him anymore, meaning they have not repented. This means that the Creator is ready and waiting for when she will repent.
147. One day, Rabbi was sitting and looking at this matter. It is written, “When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you shall return to the Lord your God and obey His voice.” He said, “That which Moses said that would be in the latter days, all those troubles have already come, but until now, repentance has not been done.”
148. While he was sitting, Elijah came and told him, “Rabbi, with what are you preoccupied?” He told him,” With the Torah saying that when troubles come upon Israel in the latter days, they will immediately repent, as it is written, “In the latter days, you shall turn,” but until now, they have not repented.”
149. He said to him, “As you live, Rabbi, the Creator engaged in that matter on that day, and Michael, their great advocator, came and asked ‘When will His beloved children come out from under the exile in Edom?’ He said to the Creator, ‘You wrote in the Torah that they would receive these punishments for what they did, and it is written, ‘For the Lord your God is a merciful God.’’”
150. The Creator said to him, “Let Sam, the advocator of Edom, come, and I will answer him before Me.” Sam came, and Michael said this thing that he had said before.
Sam said, “Lord of the world, You are the one who said that the assembly of Israel would be under the governance of Edom until they are worthy before You, but to this day, they are all unworthy.”
151. At that time, the Creator chastised him for speaking hatefully about His children, and he ran three thousand miles. The Creator said to Michael, “Michael, you should have gone down to the beginning of the verse, where it is written, “And you shall return to the Lord your God and obey His voice,” and then it is written, “For the Lord your God is a merciful God,” but not before they repent.
152. Michael said, “Lord of the world, You should have had mercy on them, since You are merciful, and so You are called.” He said to him, “I took an oath on the day when the sentence was made before Me not to redeem them until they repent. And if the assembly of Israel opens as much as an eye of a needle in repentance, I will open for them great gates.”
153. It is written about Jacob, “And Jacob was left alone, and a man struggled with him until dawn.” At that time, permission was given to all the armies of heaven, to those ministers who have been appointed over the kingdoms, and were separated into those who will rule over those, and permission and government were given to the minister of Edom to rule over the nations.
154. At that time, it is written, “And Jacob was left alone,” since until now, he still did not have Benjamin, and Michael was still not an advocate in heaven. The Merkava [chariot/structure] is four angels: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael, each of them is appointed over three angels, and they are twelve. Opposite them, there are the twelve tribes of below. Since the twelve tribes have not been completed, the upper Merkava whose head is Michael, still did not protect it.
155. “And a man struggled with him” is Sam, the minister of Esau, who wanted Jacob to be given under the burden of Edom. But because of the great merit that Jacob had, he did not succeed.
156. At that time, all the armies of heaven gathered and wanted to answer Sam for Jacob. The Creator told them, “Jacob does not need any of you. It is his right to negotiate with him.” Promptly, “And a man struggled with him,” meaning argued with him.
157. It is written, “And he saw that he could not prevail over him,” since Jacob’s merit was great, and he could not prove to him with his words that he should become enslaved under the hand of Edom. Promptly, “and he touched his hip socket,” which are his children, progeny of his thigh [descendants], implying to him that his children, progeny of his thigh, would sin.
158. At that time, Jacob was weakened and could not argue with him, as it is written, “and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him,” when he argued with him, since Sam was given permission to enslave the descendants of Jacob under the hand of Edom, as long as they breach the Torah.