“Did I not warn you what the people of Tzfas must do to be saved from this terrible decree?"

Tzfas 1500

After the incident with Reb Chaim, it was only a matter of time before the Arizal’s prediction became true. He was learning outside, surrounded by his students, when the sky turned dark and an ominous cloud appeared overhead.

The Arizal looked up and then spoke.

“A plague is coming. As many of you remember, last year a plague had been decreed upon Tzfas, but through our prayers, we managed to avert the danger. But now the satan has stirred up accusations against us On High, and our entire beloved city is slated to be utterly destroyed. Much of the blame rests upon an evil man in our city who is cruel and takes advantage of the destitute of Tzfas. But we cannot just wait until the decree comes to pass. We must fight to destroy it through our learning and prayer.”

The Arizal fought valiantly to annul the harsh decree and he taught his students that the most important thing was ahavas Yisrael. If the Jews loved one another and got along, then this would create a power that would crush the Satan’s harsh accusations. The Arizal stressed this theme over and over again, all the while giving over more and more shiurim to his students. He sensed that there was not much time left for him to impart his incredible knowledge to them.

Then, tragically, a fight broke out in the city. It started with something trivial, an argument involving children. Then the mothers joined in the dispute and soon after, the fathers began arguing. Fingers were pointed at each other, voices were raised, and a great anger hung in the air. It was not the atmosphere Tzfas needed. This was not the aura of love and kindness the Arizal had warned the people to have.

On Erev Shabbos, the fighting became extremely intense and the sound of shouting echoed through the city streets. As the Arizal walked into the fields with his students to greet the holy Shabbos Queen, his face lacked its usual shine and joyful countenance.

“Did I not warn you what the people of Tzfas must do to be saved from this terrible decree? Now the satan has been empowered by the baseless hatred that permeates the air of our city,” the Arizal confided to Reb Chaim. “This evening I saw a malach with a thousand eyes holding a parchment that said “You and your king shall die” (I Shmuel 12:25). The message was clear to me. Many will die in the oncoming plague, and I will be among those who pass on to the Next World. Some of the students here with us now will also be taken.”