Scriptural Sources of the World to Come (6)

The Fate of the Individual

Complete redemption must include redemption from the results of the three original sins: the sin of the Tower of Bavel, the sin of the generation of the flood, and the sin of Adam.  In the end of days, death will be annihilated as the people will repent and consequently will return to the Garden of Eden, through their repentance, in the end of days, where they will eat of the tree of life and live forever.

                These ideas can help us understand a traditional interpretation of the punishment of "karet" [lit: being cut off].  According to the traditional explanation, the soul  deserving of this punishment is cut off, or excluded, from the World to Come. The Torah writes that the sinning soul will be "cut off from its people." This phrase represents the phrase commonly used in the scriptures in reference to death, "gathered unto his people." Beyond the national and universal hope of redemption, the additional dimension of personal redemption, emerges in the book of Malakhi, where the prophet promises us that all the righteous will be rewarded on the Day of Judgment. The Book of Remembrance is inscribed with the names of the righteous, a "list" of righteous people who will rise again at the resurrection of the dead, thus vividly illustrating this idea.  Malakhi's description of Elijah the Prophet relates to this idea as well.  What is Elijah's role? Among his actions during his lifetime, the resurrection of the dead is paramount, and it is only fitting that he return just before the righteous are brought back to life.  Needless to say, Elijah's return is connected to the fact that he did not die. He is the scribe who records people's good deeds, he is the first citizen of the new world.

                What will people be like after the resurrection? Will they be the same as they were  - flesh and blood - or will this image be altered? In most places our Sages emphasize their own lack of knowledge regarding the Messianic era. However, our sources do speak of an altered appearance, a sort of "raiment of light [in Hebrew: 'or' with an aleph]" as opposed to our worldly "garment of leather ['or' with an ayin]": "in the World to Come there is no eating, drinking, copulation, jealousy, hatred, or competition. Rather, the righteous sit with crowns upon their heads and enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence, as it is written, 'and they saw God and they ate and they drank'" [Talmud Berakhot 16:b]. The use of this verse, which refers to the princes of Israel, according to this unique interpretation, implies that mystical experiences are an example of another life; the mystical experience is viewed as a brief experience of the World To Come.  Moses' sojourn on Mount Sinai and Elijah's ascent to the heavens also must have been examples of spiritual life in a "purified body." This idea is reiterated in the Midrash and Zohar and a similar concept exists in the Scriptures themselves: only Elisha witnesses Elijah's ascent. This is a prophetic vision, upon which the fulfillment of Elijah's promise depends.

                She'ol was created as a result of Man's sin; it signifies the banishment and distancing from the Divine Presence. Therefore death, like other outcomes of sin, is the source of impurity and distances man from what is holy and Godly.  However, Man's soul will be redeemed. Just as exile is followed by redemption, so too the soul of the dead will be redeemed from She'ol. If the soul is deserving, it will live again in the next world. In fact, the Scriptures indicate that even prior to the resurrection, the soul is not completely abandoned in She'ol, for the souls of the righteous will not even see She'ol. Even in She'ol a distinction between the righteous and the sinners is made. The fate of each person after death is determined the actions he and his family performed in their lifetimes [see for example Hasmoneans 2, 12, 46].  His fate will be a just one. Justice follows man even after death, and Ezekiel formulated the final statement of this belief when he declared that neither sorcery nor rites of worship can alter the ultimate fate of the sinner.

                Nevertheless, She'ol is always a prison, a place of punishment.  The soul in She'ol awaits redemption. Can man achieve immortality? Indeed, this is a central question in Scriptural history. Although there have been unsuccessful attempts to reach the heavens, a path does exist. What can Man do to live forever? Where is the Tree of Life? The commandments are the way, the Torah is the Tree for those who cling to it. God will create the Garden Of Eden on the Mountain of God as in days of old. That Mountain is "the place which God chose"; it is the place of holiness, the land of the living, the place of purity where death will vanish forever. Death exists; it is the end of each human life.  However, the Scriptures speak also of hope, hope for both the living and dead. It is the hope that was never lost, of the recovery of the Garden Of Eden during the final redemption. Man will live once again, on the Great Judgment Day.

Translated by Gila Weinberg