Know that this is what it means that the children of Israel are redeemed only after the wisdom of the hidden is revealed to a great extent, as it is written in The Zohar, “With this composition, the children of Israel emerge from exile.” This is because at that time, there was hope for redemption, as the writing of The Zohar, which began in the days of Rashbi, was during the days of Bar-Kokhva. Rabbi Akiva, Rashbi’s teacher, said about him: “There will step forth a star out of Jacob.” Also, after the ruin of Beitar, there was great hope.
Because of this, Rashbi permitted himself and disclosed the wisdom of the hidden in his books, The Zohar and the Tikkunim. However, it was with great care, since he permitted only Rabbi Aba to write, for he could disclose with intimation, so only the sages of the children of Israel would understand, and the sages of the nations would not understand, for fear that the wicked would know how to serve their masters. For this reason, as soon as they saw that the time was too soon for Israel’s redemption, they hid it. That was at the time of the sages, the Savoraim, since we find much that our sages, the Savoraim, wrote their matters inside The Zohar.
Indeed, it was the Creator’s will that it would appear. This is why it wandered onto the widow of Rabbi Moshe de Leon. She inherited the manuscript from her husband, and he probably told her nothing of the prohibition to disclose, and she, by chance, put it up for sale.
Indeed, to this day, this matter caused many ruins in the house of Israel for the above reasons.
However, there is no bad without good. Therefore, this control that the nations have obtained by stealing the secrets of Torah gave a big thrust to the development of holiness. In my assessment, we are in a generation that is standing at the very threshold of redemption, if we only know how to spread the wisdom of the hidden to the masses.
Apart for the simple reason of “He has swallowed down riches, and he will vomit them up,” for this will reveal to all what is between my son and my father-in-law, and the difference between the core of the nucleus and the upper Klipa [shell], from which all the sages of the nations in the world peeled. This is because all the camps of Israel that have denied the Torah are sure to return to the Creator and to His work.
There is another reason for it: We have proof that there is a precondition for redemption—for all the nations of the world to acknowledge Israel’s law, as it is written, “And the land will be full of knowledge,” as in the example of the exodus from Egypt, where there was a precondition that Pharaoh, too, would acknowledge the true God and His laws, and would allow them to leave.
This is why it is written that each one from the nations will hold a Jewish man and lead him to the holy Land. It was not enough that they could leave by themselves. You must understand from where the nations of the world came by such a will and idea. Know that this is through the dissemination of the true wisdom, so they will evidently see the true God and the true law.
The dissemination of the wisdom in the masses is called a “Shofar.” Like the Shofar, whose voice travels a great distance, the echo of the wisdom will spread the world over, so even the nations will hear and acknowledge that there is Godly wisdom in Israel.
This task was said about Eliyahu the prophet, since the disclosure of the secrets of Torah is always referred to as “the disclosure of Eliyahu.” It is as they have said, “Let it rest until Elijah comes,” and also, “The Tishbi will answer the questions and problems.” This is why they said that three days (a known intimation) prior to the coming of the Messiah, Elijah would walk on the hilltops and blow a great horn, etc.
You must understand these intimations: This issue of the Shofar is only the disclosure of the wisdom of the hidden in great masses; it is a necessary precondition that must be met prior to the complete redemption.
And the books that have already been revealed through me in this wisdom will testify to it, that matters of the greatest importance have been spread out like a gown for all to see. This is a true testimony that we are already at the threshold of redemption, and the voice of the great Shofar has already been heard, though in the distance, for it still sounds very softly.
Indeed, every greatness requires prior smallness, and there is no great voice if it is not preceded by a soft sound. And this is the way of the Shofar: Its voice grows progressively. And who better than I knows that I am not at all worthy of being even a messenger and a scribe for disclosing such secrets, much less to understand them down to their roots. So why has the Creator done so to me? It is only because the generation is worthy of it, as it is the last generation, which stands at the threshold of complete redemption. For this reason, it is worthy of beginning to hear the voice of the Shofar of the Messiah, which is the revealing of the secrets, as has been explained.