Salvation Belief
"I believe with perfect faith that the dead will be brought
back to life when G-d wills it to happen."
Rambam's DefinitionIn his Discourse on the Resurrection, Rambam writes: "The concept of Resurrection - which is well known among our people and accepted
throughout all its circles, and which is often mentioned in the prayers and aggadic teachings and supplications
(written by the prophets and the foremost Sages) with which the Talmud and the Midrashim are replete - signifies
the following: The soul will return to the body after they have been separated [by death]. No Jew has disputed this
concept, and it cannot be interpreted other than literally. One may not accept the view of any Jew who believes
otherwise.
"As I shall explain in the
present discourse: Why should we not interpret these verses [regarding the Resurrection] allegorically, as we have
done with many other Biblical verses, departing from their literal meaning? The reason is as follows: The concept
of Resurrection, namely, that the soul will return to the body after death, is expressed by Daniel
12:2
| ב וְרַבִּים, מִיְּשֵׁנֵי
אַדְמַת-עָפָר יָקִיצוּ; אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם, וְאֵלֶּה לַחֲרָפוֹת לְדִרְאוֹן עוֹלָם.
{ס} |
2And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting
abhorrence.{S} |
in such a manner that it cannot
be interpreted other than literally:
Daniel was likewise told by the angel, Daniel
12:13
| יג וְאַתָּה, לֵךְ לַקֵּץ;
וְתָנוּחַ וְתַעֲמֹד לְגֹרָלְךָ, לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין. {ש} |
13But go thou thy way till the end be;
and thou shalt rest, and shalt stand up to thy lot, at the end of the
days.'{P} |
The Talmud in Sanhedrin
90a teaches that those who deny
Resurrection will have no share in the World to Come, and Rambam in Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Teshuvah
3:6 rules that this teaching has the
authority of Halachah.
Selections From The Talmud
[R. Elazar HaKapar[Avos ("Ethics of the Fathers")
4:22used to
say: "Those who are born are destined to die: those who are dead are destined to live again" (another
version: 'to be resurrected')."
All Israel
(Sanhedrin 90a, in the
mishnah) have a share in the World to
Come....(1) The
following, however, have no share therein: He who maintains that Resurrection is not a Biblical
doctrine....[2]
How is Resurrection
deduced from the Torah? (See at length in Margaliyos HaYam on
Sanhedrin 92a, sec. 3.)
It is written, Num 18:28
| כח כֵּן תָּרִימוּ גַם-אַתֶּם, תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה, מִכֹּל מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶם,
אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וּנְתַתֶּם מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת-תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה, לְאַהֲרֹן
הַכֹּהֵן. |
28Thus ye also shall set
apart a gift unto the Adonia of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and
thereof ye shall give the gift which is set apart unto the Adonia to Aaron the priest. |
But would Aharon live forever?! After all, he did not enter
the Land of Israel and thereby make it possible that terumah be given to him! Rather, this verse teaches that he
will ultimately be resurrected, and the Jewish people will give him terumah....
| ב אֶרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ: תָּמִיד, עֵינֵי
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ--מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה, וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה. {ס} |
12a
land which the Adonia thy Elohim careth for; the eyes of the Adonia thy Elohim are always upon it, from
the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.{S} |
| יג וְהָיָה, אִם-שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה
אֶתְכֶם, הַיּוֹם--לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וּלְעָבְדוֹ, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם,
וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם. |
13And
it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this
day, to love the Adonia your Eloheinu, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your
soul, |
| יד וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ, יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ; וְאָסַפְתָּ
דְגָנֶךָ, וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ. |
14that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter
rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. |
| טו וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ, לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ; וְאָכַלְתָּ,
וְשָׂבָעְתָּ. |
15And
I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied. |
| טז הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם, פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם; וְסַרְתֶּם, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם
אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם, לָהֶם. |
16Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve
other Elohims, and worship them; |
| יז וְחָרָה אַף-יְהוָה בָּכֶם, וְעָצַר אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה מָטָר,
וְהָאֲדָמָה, לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת-יְבוּלָהּ; וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה, מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה,
נֹתֵן לָכֶם. |
17and
the anger of the Adonia be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no
rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the
Adonia giveth you. |
| יח וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת-דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה, עַל-לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל-נַפְשְׁכֶם;
וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאוֹת עַל-יֶדְכֶם, וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם. |
18Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall
bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your
eyes. |
| יט וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת-בְּנֵיכֶם, לְדַבֵּר בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ
וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ. |
19And
ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. |
| כ וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזוּזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ. |
20And
thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; |
| כא לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם, וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר
נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם--כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, עַל-הָאָרֶץ.
{ס} |
21that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which
the Adonia swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the
earth.{S} |
| כב כִּי אִם-שָׁמֹר תִּשְׁמְרוּן אֶת-כָּל-הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי
מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם--לַעֲשֹׂתָהּ: לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, לָלֶכֶת
בְּכָל-דְּרָכָיו--וּלְדָבְקָה-בוֹ. |
22For
if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love the Adonia your
Eloheinu, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him, |
| כג וְהוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה אֶת-כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה, מִלִּפְנֵיכֶם; וִירִשְׁתֶּם
גּוֹיִם, גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִכֶּם. |
23then will the Adonia drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall
dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. |
| כד כָּל-הַמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרֹךְ כַּף-רַגְלְכֶם בּוֹ--לָכֶם יִהְיֶה:
מִן-הַמִּדְבָּר וְהַלְּבָנוֹן מִן-הַנָּהָר נְהַר-פְּרָת, וְעַד הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן--יִהְיֶה,
גְּבֻלְכֶם. |
24Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the
wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your
border. |
| כה לֹא-יִתְיַצֵּב אִישׁ, בִּפְנֵיכֶם: פַּחְדְּכֶם וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם יִתֵּן
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרְכוּ-בָהּ, כַּאֲשֶׁר, דִּבֶּר לָכֶם.
{ס} |
25 There shall no man be able to stand against you: the Adonia your Eloheinu shall lay
the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath spoken unto
you.{S} |
| כו רְאֵה, אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם--הַיּוֹם: בְּרָכָה,
וּקְלָלָה. |
26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: |
| כז אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה--אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ, אֶל-מִצְוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, אֲשֶׁר
אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם, הַיּוֹם. |
27 the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the Adonia your Eloheinu,
which I command you this day; |
| כח וְהַקְּלָלָה, אִם-לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם,
וְסַרְתֶּם מִן-הַדֶּרֶךְ, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם: לָלֶכֶת, אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים
אֲחֵרִים--אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְדַעְתֶּם. {ס} |
28 and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of the Adonia your
Eloheinu, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other Elohims, which
ye have not known.{S} |
| כט וְהָיָה, כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-אַתָּה
בָא-שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ--וְנָתַתָּה אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה עַל-הַר גְּרִזִים, וְאֶת-הַקְּלָלָה עַל-הַר
עֵיבָל. |
29 And it shall come to pass, when the Adonia thy Elohim shall bring thee into the land
whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse
upon mount Ebal. |
| ל הֲלֹא-הֵמָּה בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, אַחֲרֵי דֶּרֶךְ מְבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ,
בְּאֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי, הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּעֲרָבָה--מוּל, הַגִּלְגָּל, אֵצֶל, אֵלוֹנֵי
מֹרֶה. |
30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the
land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the terebinths of
Moreh? |
| לא כִּי אַתֶּם, עֹבְרִים אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן, לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת-הָאָרֶץ,
אֲשֶׁר-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם נֹתֵן לָכֶם; וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֹתָהּ, וִישַׁבְתֶּם-בָּהּ. |
31 For ye are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Adonia your
Eloheinu giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. |
| לב וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם לַעֲשׂוֹת, אֵת כָּל-הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת-הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, אֲשֶׁר
אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם, הַיּוֹם. |
32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you
this day. |
R. Simai says: "Whence do we learn Resurrection from the
Torah? - From the verse, 'And I also have established My covenant with them
(i.e., the Patriarchs) to give them the Land of Canaan.' The verse does not say 'to give you' but 'to give them.'
[Since, as Rashi points out, the Land was given to their descendants, and has not yet been given to them
personally,] their future Resurrection is thus proved from the Torah."
Sectarians asked Rabban Gamliel:
"From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, will resurrect the dead?"
He answered them from the Torah,
the Prophets and the Hagiographa....
Queen Cleopatra said to R. Meir: "I know that the dead will
live again, for it is written,
Psalms 72:16
טז יְהִי פִסַּת-בַּר, בָּאָרֶץ--
בְּרֹאשׁ הָרִים:
יִרְעַשׁ כַּלְּבָנוֹן פִּרְיוֹ; וְיָצִיצוּ מֵעִיר, כְּעֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ. |
16 May he be as a rich cornfield in the land upon the top of the
mountains;{N}
may his fruit rustle like Lebanon; and may they blossom out of the city like grass of the
earth |
'And they shall blossom out of the city like grass from the
earth'; but when they arise, will they arise naked or
clothed?"
He replied, "You may deduce the answer by observing a wheat
grain.[3] If a
grain of wheat, which is buried naked, sprouts forth in many robes, how much more so the righteous, who are
buried in their garments."
An emperor said to Rabban
Gamliel (Sanhedrin
90b.): "You maintain that the dead will live again; but they turn to dust - and can dust
come to life?!"
Thereupo the [emperor's] daughter said to [Rabban Gamliel]: "Here, let me answer him. In our town there are two potters: one
fashions his vessels from water, and the other from clay. Who is the more praiseworthy?"
Eccl 1:9
| ט מַה-שֶּׁהָיָה, הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, וּמַה-שֶּׁנַּעֲשָׂה, הוּא
שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה; וְאֵין כָּל-חָדָשׁ, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ. |
9 That
which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and
there is nothing new under the sun. |
"He who fashions them from
water," replied [her father]. Rashi: "From a
drop of semen which resembles water."
She concluded: "If He can fashion man from
water,surely he can do so from clay. (See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVIII, p.
247.)
According to the School
of R. Yishmael, Sanhedrin
91a. [in the above exchange the emperor's daughter answered her
father with] a different analogy: If glassware, made by the breath of mere flesh and blood, can be
reconstituted when shattered, then how much more so man, who was created by the breath of the Holy One,
blessed be He.
A[22] sectarian challenged R.
Ami: "You maintain that the dead will live again; but they turn to dust - and can dust come to
life?!"
He replied, "Let me offer you a parable. A mortal king
commanded his servants to build him great palaces in a place where there was neither water nor earth [for making
bricks]. They went and built them. After some time they collapsed, so he commanded them to rebuild them in a place
which did have water and earth, but they said, 'We cannot.' The king was indignant: 'If you could build in a place
that had neither water nor earth, surely you can build in a place where there is!'" (Rashi offers
two alternative ways of understanding this parable: (a) If G-d can create man from a small drop which is
almost intangible, surely He can create him from dust; (b) G-d created the entire universe out of
chaos.)
R. Ami concluded: "And if you do not believe [that G-d can
form creatures from dust], go out to the field and you will see a certain mouse; today it is part flesh and part
dust,
Num 9:6-
| וַיְהִי אֲנָשִׁים, אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ טְמֵאִים לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם, וְלֹא-יָכְלוּ
לַעֲשֹׂת-הַפֶּסַח, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא; וַיִּקְרְבוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, וְלִפְנֵי אַהֲרֹן--בַּיּוֹם
הַהוּא. |
6 But there were certain men, who were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could
not keep the passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. |
| ז וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵמָּה, אֵלָיו, אֲנַחְנוּ
טְמֵאִים, לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם; לָמָּה נִגָּרַע, לְבִלְתִּי הַקְרִיב אֶת-קָרְבַּן יְהוָה בְּמֹעֲדוֹ,
בְּתוֹךְ, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. |
7 And those men said unto him: 'We are unclean by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we
to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of the Adonia in its appointed season among the
children of Israel?' |
| ח וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם, מֹשֶׁה: עִמְדוּ
וְאֶשְׁמְעָה, מַה-יְצַוֶּה יְהוָה לָכֶם. {פ} |
8And Moses said unto them: 'Stay ye, that I may hear what the Adonia will command concerning
you.'{P} |
| ט וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. |
9And the Adonia spoke unto Moses, saying: |
| י דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר: אִישׁ
אִישׁ כִּי-יִהְיֶה-טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ אוֹ בְדֶרֶךְ רְחֹקָה לָכֶם, אוֹ לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח,
לַיהוָה. |
10 'Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If any man of you or of your generations
shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover
unto the Adonia; |
| יא בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם,
בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם--יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ: עַל-מַצּוֹת וּמְרֹרִים, יֹאכְלֻהוּ. |
11 in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall keep it; they shall eat it
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; |
| יב לֹא-יַשְׁאִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד-בֹּקֶר, וְעֶצֶם לֹא
יִשְׁבְּרוּ-בוֹ; כְּכָל-חֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח, יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ. |
12 they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof; according to all
the statute of the passover they shall keep it. |
| יג וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר-הוּא טָהוֹר וּבְדֶרֶךְ לֹא-הָיָה,
וְחָדַל לַעֲשׂוֹת הַפֶּסַח--וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא, מֵעַמֶּיהָ: כִּי קָרְבַּן יְהוָה, לֹא
הִקְרִיב בְּמֹעֲדוֹ--חֶטְאוֹ יִשָּׂא, הָאִישׁ הַהוּא. |
13 But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover,
that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he brought not the offering of the Adonia in its
appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. |
| יד וְכִי-יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר, וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח
לַיהוָה--כְּחֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח וּכְמִשְׁפָּטוֹ, כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה: חֻקָּה אַחַת יִהְיֶה לָכֶם, וְלַגֵּר
וּלְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ. {ס} |
14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Adonia:
according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do; ye
shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.'{S} |
and yet by tomorrow it has become entirely
flesh. And should you say that this metamorphosis takes a long time ['and hence argue that G-d does not revive the
dead in an instant' - Rashi], go up to the mountain; there you will see but one snail, whilst after tomorrow's rain
the mountain will be covered with snails ['which are generated immediately' - Rashi]."
A sectarian said to Geviha
ben Pesisa: "Woe to you, you wicked ones, who maintain that the dead will revive! The living indeed die, but shall
the dead live?!"
He replied: "Woe to you, you
wicked ones, who maintain the dead will not revive. If those who never lived, now live, surely those who have
lived, will live again!"
Resh Lakish contrasted
two verses: "One verse promises,
Jeremiah 31:7
| ז הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן, וְקִבַּצְתִּים
מִיַּרְכְּתֵי-אָרֶץ--בָּם עִוֵּר וּפִסֵּחַ, הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת יַחְדָּו: קָהָל גָּדוֹל,
יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה. |
7 Behold,
I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and
with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together; a greatcompany shall they return hither. |
'I will gather them in...; among them there will be the blind and the lame, the woman
with child together with the woman in labor.' Another verse, however, states:
Isiah 35:6
| ו אָז יְדַלֵּג כָּאַיָּל פִּסֵּחַ, וְתָרֹן
לְשׁוֹן אִלֵּם: כִּי-נִבְקְעוּ בַמִּדְבָּר מַיִם, וּנְחָלִים בָּעֲרָבָה. |
6 Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb
shall sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. |
How so? - They shall rise with their defects and then be healed."
Ulla contrasted two verses: "It is written,
Isiah 25:8
| ח בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח, וּמָחָה אֲדֹנָי
יְהוִה דִּמְעָה מֵעַל כָּל-פָּנִים; וְחֶרְפַּת עַמּוֹ, יָסִיר מֵעַל כָּל-הָאָרֶץ--כִּי יְהוָה,
דִּבֵּר. {פ} |
8 He will swallow up death for ever; and the Master Elohim will wipe
away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth;
for the Adonia hath spoken it.{P} |
'He will destroy death forever, and G-d will wipe away tears
from all faces,' whilst elsewhere it is written,
| כ לֹא-יִהְיֶה מִשָּׁם עוֹד, עוּל יָמִים וְזָקֵן,
אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְמַלֵּא, אֶת-יָמָיו: כִּי הַנַּעַר, בֶּן-מֵאָה שָׁנָה יָמוּת, וְהַחוֹטֶא, בֶּן-מֵאָה
שָׁנָה יְקֻלָּל. |
20 there shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man,
that hath not filled his days; for the youngest shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a
hundred years old shall be accursed. |
However, this presents no difficulty: one verse refers to Jews, the other to heathens.
But what business have heathens there? - The reference is to those of whom it is written,
Isiah 61.5
| ה וְעָמְדוּ זָרִים, וְרָעוּ צֹאנְכֶם; וּבְנֵי
נֵכָר, אִכָּרֵיכֶם וְכֹרְמֵיכֶם. |
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and aliens shall be
your plowmen and your vinedressers. |
Rava also contrasted two quotations: "It is written,
Deut 32:39
| לט רְאוּ עַתָּה, כִּי אֲנִי אֲנִי הוּא,
{ר} וְאֵין אֱלֹהִים, עִמָּדִי: {ס} אֲנִי אָמִית וַאֲחַיֶּה, {ר}
מָחַצְתִּי וַאֲנִי אֶרְפָּא, {ס} וְאֵין מִיָּדִי, מַצִּיל. {ר} |
39 See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no Elohim with Me; I
kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My
hand |
'I kill, and I make alive.' [Rashi: 'This
implies that a man is resurrected in the same state (e.g., wounded) as he was at the time of death.'] The same
verse goes on to say, 'I have wounded, and I heal!' [Rashi: 'This implies that a wounded man is resurrected
whole.'] Yet there is no contradiction here, for in this verse the Holy One, blessed be He, is saying: 'What I kill
I make alive' [i.e., in the same state], and 'What I have wounded, I then heal.'"
On Sanhedrin 91b the verse,33 "I kill, and I make alive," our
Sages commented: "One might understand this to mean, 'I kill one person and give life to another,' as is the
way of the world, ['so that one man dies and another is born' - Rashi]. The same verse therefore goes on to
say, 'I have wounded, and I heal.' Just as wounding and healing [obviously] refer to the same person, so
putting to death and bringing to life refer to the same person. This is an answer to those who maintain that
Resurrection is not intimated in the Torah."
R. Meir said: "From where do we learn Resurrection from the
Torah? - From the verse, Shmos
15:1 Oz Yoshir
Moshe('Moshe and the Children of Israel then sang this song to G-d').
The literal meaning of the verb is not 'sang' but 'shall sing.' Thus Techiyas HaMeisim is taught in the
Torah." (Margaliyos HaYam cites many sources
for this teaching in the Zohar)
R. Yehoshua ben Levi[25] said: "Where is Resurrection derived
from the Torah? - From the verse,
Pslams 84:5-6
| ה אַשְׁרֵי, יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ--
עוֹד, יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶּלָה. |
5 Happy are they that
dwell in Thy house, they are ever praising Thee. Selah
|
| ו אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם, עוֹז-לוֹ בָךְ;
מְסִלּוֹת, בִּלְבָבָם. |
6 Happy is the man
whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways |
Ashrei Yoshvei Beisecha, Od Yehalelucha Selah('Happy are those who dwell in Your house; they shall praise You forever'). The verse does not
say, 'they praised You,' but 'they shall praise you.' Thus Techiyas HaMeisim is taught in the Torah.
R. Chiya bar Abba said in the name of R. Yochanan: "Where in
the Torah do we learn of Resurrection? - From the verse,
Isiah 52.8
| ח קוֹל צֹפַיִךְ נָשְׂאוּ קוֹל, יַחְדָּו
יְרַנֵּנוּ: כִּי עַיִן בְּעַיִן יִרְאוּ, בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה צִיּוֹן. |
8 Hark, thy watchmen!
they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see, eye to eye, the Adonia returning to
Zion. |
'The voice of your watchmen is raised aloft: together shall
they sing.' The verbVeranenudoes not
mean 'sang' but 'shall sing'. Here, then, is a source in the Torah for Techiyas HaMeisim."
Rava said: "Where is
Resurrection derived from the Torah? - From the verse,
Devarim
33:6.
| ו יְחִי
רְאוּבֵן, וְאַל-יָמֹת; וִיהִי מְתָיו, מִסְפָּר. {ס} |
6 Let Reuben live, and
not die in that his men become few. {S} |
May Reuven live and not die.' [This seeming repetition implies:] 'May Reuven live in
this world, and not die in the next."
Daniel 12:2-4
| ב וְרַבִּים, מִיְּשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַת-עָפָר יָקִיצוּ; אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם,
וְאֵלֶּה לַחֲרָפוֹת לְדִרְאוֹן עוֹלָם. {ס} |
2 And many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and
everlasting abhorrence. {S} |
| ג וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים--יַזְהִרוּ,
כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ; וּמַצְדִּיקֵי, הָרַבִּים, כַּכּוֹכָבִים, לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.
{פ} |
3 And they that are wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn the many to righteousness as
the stars for ever and ever. {P} |
| ד וְאַתָּה דָנִיֵּאל, סְתֹם
הַדְּבָרִים וַחֲתֹם הַסֵּפֶר--עַד-עֵת קֵץ; יְשֹׁטְטוּ רַבִּים, וְתִרְבֶּה
הַדָּעַת. |
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut
up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased.' |
Ravina said it is derived from this verse:3, "Many of those
who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting
contempt."
"The verse does not say 'all who sleep...shall awaken,' because this... would include all of mankind, and G-d
made this promise only to Israel; hence the verse says, 'Many of those who sleep...shall awaken.' Moreover: the
phrase, 'some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting contempt,' does not mean that among those
who are resurrected some will be rewarded and some punished, for those who deserve punishment will not be
resurrected at the time of the Redemption. Rather, it means that those who awaken will have everlasting life, and
those who will not awaken will be destined to reproach and everlasting contempt. For all the righteous [including
those] who repented, will live; only the unbelieving and those who died without repentance will remain. All this
will happen at the time of the Redemption." - R. Saadiah Gaon, Emunos VeDeos, ch. 7.
See also Ibn Ezra (ad loc.); Rambam, Peirush HaMishnah, on Sanhedrin, ch. 10; Ramban, Shaar HeGemul, ch. 11; Or
HaShem, Part 3, 4:4, p. 77. See, however, Abarbanel, Maayanei HaYeshuah, p. 11a.
R. Ashi said it is derived from
this verse:4 "Now go your way to the end and rest, and you shall arise to your destiny at the end of
days."
R. Tavi[39] said in the name of R. Yoshia: "What do we learn
from the following text?
Rashii sites Isiah 27:13
| יג וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר
גָּדוֹל, וּבָאוּ הָאֹבְדִים בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר, וְהַנִּדָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם; וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ
לַיהוָה בְּהַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ, בִּירוּשָׁלִָם. {פ} |
13 And it shall come
to pass in that day, that a great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in the land
of Assyria, and they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship the Adonia in the
holy mountain at Jerusalem. {P} |
'There are three things that are never satisfied:...
Provers 30:15-16
the grave and the womb....' How comes the grave next to the womb? - This juxtaposition teaches you that just
as the womb takes in and gives forth again, so the grave takes in and will give forth again. Moreover, if the womb
which takes in silently gives forth with loud noise [i.e., the crying of the infant], does it not stand to reason
that the grave which takes in with a loud noise [i.e., the wailing of the mourners], will give forth [those who are
revived] with a loud noise?
Rashi cites the verse (Yeshayahu
27:13)
| יג וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר
גָּדוֹל, וּבָאוּ הָאֹבְדִים בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר, וְהַנִּדָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם; וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ
לַיהוָה בְּהַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ, בִּירוּשָׁלִָם. {פ} |
13 And it shall come
to pass in that day, that a great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in the land
of Assyria, and they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship the Adonia in the
holy mountain at Jerusalem. {P} |
]Here is an answer for
those who deny that Techiyas HaMeisim is taught in the Torah."
Tanna dvei Eliyahu[39] states: "The righteous whom G-d will
resurrect will not revert to dust, for it is said,[44]'And it shall come to pass that he who is left
in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy: everyone in Jerusalem who is inscribed for
life.' Just as the Holy One endures forever, so too shall they endure forever."
Three[45]keys have not been entrusted to an agent: the
keys to birth, rain and Resurrection.[46]
R. Eleazar[47] said: "The illiterate will not be
resurrected, for it is written,[48] 'The dead will not live...,' but
since this might be assumed to refer to all, the verse goes on to say, 'The shades of the dead shall not
rise,' thus alluding specifically to him who is lax in studying the words of the Torah."
Said R. Yochanan to him: "It gives no satisfaction to their
Master that you should speak of such people in this manner.[49] That text speaks of a man who was so
lax as to worship idols!"
Replied [R. Elazar]: "Then let me base my exposition [to the
same effect] on another text. It is written,[50] '[Your dead shall live, my dead body
shall arise; awake and sing, you who repose in the dust.] For Your dew is a dew of light, and the earth shall
cast down the shades of the dead.' This means that he who makes use of the light of the Torah, him will the
light[51] of the Torah revive, but as to him
who does not make use of the light of the Torah, him will the light of the Torah not
revive."
Observing however, that [R. Yochanan] was [still] distressed,
[R. Elazar] said to him: "Master, I have found a remedy for [the illiterate] in the Torah, for it is
written,[52] 'But you who cleave to the L-rd your
G-d are all alive today.' Now is it possible to cleave to the Divine Presence, concerning Whom it is
written,[53] 'For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming
fire'?! The meaning is this: Any man who marries his daughter to a scholar, invests on behalf of scholars, or
benefits scholars from his estate is regarded by the Torah as if he had cleaved to the Divine
Presence."
R. Chiya bar Yosef[47] said: "A time will come when the
righteous will break through the soil and rise up in Jerusalem, for it is written,16 'And they shall blossom out of
the city like grass from the earth'[17] - and 'city' can allude only to Jerusalem, as in the
phrase,[54]'For I shall defend this city"
In the Hebrew text, the literal translation of the above-quoted phrase is not "in the World
to Come" but "to the World to Come". See Margaliyos HaYam, citing Ruach Chaim, for an explanation of this
observation and others.
The phrase "to the World to Come" calls to mind a
teaching of the Rebbe Rayatz on the following phrase from the Mishnah (Berachos 1:5) that is quoted in the
Haggadah:"The phrase 'All the days of your life' includes (lit., 'is to bring')
the Messianic Era." The plain meaning of this phrase is that the Exodus is to be recalled not only during the days
of our present life, but even in the days of the Messianic Era. Noting the literal meaning of the verb lehavi ("to
bring"), the Rebbe Rayatz perceived an additional teaching in these words: Throughout all the days of your life,
your avodah should be directed to bringing about the days of Mashiach.
Along these lines, in the phrase "All Israel have a share
to the World to Come" one may perhaps find a hint that every Jew should play an active role in hastening the advent
of the World to Come
Rashi comments: "I.e., he denies the validity of the Scriptural
interpretations - at the [non-literal] level of derush - through which the Gemara below proceeds to derive
Scriptural authority for the concept of Resurrection. Even if he concedes and believes that the dead will be
resurrected, but denies that this belief is alluded to in the Torah, he is a heretic (kofer). Since he denies
its Biblical source, of what value to us is his faith? From where does he know that this is the case?
Accordingly, he is unequivocally considered a
heretic."
The Gemara often draws analogies with the
wheat grain. (In Kesubbos 111b the Gemara cites the same answer in the name of R. Chiya bar Yosef.) Ben Yehoyada
(on Sanhedrin 91a) points out that arguments of this kind are intended merely to provide additional support for
beliefs which are based on Biblical verses. He aptly quotes the verse (Devarim 8:3), "Man does not live by bread
alone: man lives on that which comes forth from G-d's mouth," and concludes: Ultimately, our faith is not nourished
by arguments based on a grain of wheat, but by the words that come forth from G-d's mouth.
|
need to do, how to guarantee your
place in G-ds
Kingdom