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Questions & Answers
10 Questions about Resurrection
Based
on essay by the Lubavitcher Rebbe |
At what stage will the Resurrection of the Dead take place?
The Redemption will follow this sequence: the building of the Beis
HaMikdash, the Ingathering of the Exiles, and - forty years later
- the Resurrection of the Dead. Until the era of the Resurrection,
the world will remain unchanged and the laws of Nature will continue
their course.
Where will the Resurrection take place?
Both for those buried in Eretz Yisrael and for those buried outside
the Land (to which the bodies will be brought by the angel Gavriel),
the Resurrection will take place in Eretz Yisrael. For since G-d
swore that he would rebuild Jerusalem indestructibly, the soul will
enter the body only in a place that will stand forever, so that
the soul likewise will live in the body forever. (In this context,
the entire Land of Israel is subsumed in Jerusalem.)
Who will arise at the Resurrection of the Dead?
All of Israel, without exception, have a share in the World to Come
(i.e., the Resurrection of the Dead). Even as to those of whom the
Sages said that they do not have a share in the World to Come, this
means that:
(a) their body will decompose, while the Divine soul, which is eternal,
will be resurrected in a different body, and
(b) they have no known and separate share, but they do derive benefit
and sustenance from the storehouse of charitable bequests which
are hidden away for those who were not found worthy of entering
the World to Come.
In what manner will the body be resurrected?
As a person leaves [dies], so will he come - whether blind, deaf,
clothed, or whatever; as G-d says, "Let them arise as they left,
and I shall heal them." Some understand "clothed" as referring to
the shrouds in
which a person was buried, others understand it as referring to
the clothes he was accustomed to wear.
Will the entire Jewish people be resurrected simultaneously?
The first to be resurrected will be the dead of the Land of Israel,
after them the dead of other lands, and then those who died in the
wilderness (or, according to other views, the Patriarchs). Some
hold that the order will be: the dead of the Land of Israel, after
them the dead of other lands, and then "those who slumber in Hebron"
(i.e., the Patriarchs) in order that the fathers of the Jewish people
should awaken in joy, when they behold their offspring who have
arisen from their graves, in a world filled with righteous and pious
folk.
The tzaddikim will take precedence over other men, and masters in
the study of the Torah will take precedence over masters in the
performance of the commandments. They will all be called by name
in alphabetical order, except that the first to be resurrected will
be those who are humble of spirit.
What of the people who will be alive at the time of the Resurrection?
They too will die, and G-d will immediately resurrect them, in order
that no trace whatever should remain of the defilement of this world
- so that there will be a new world, G-d's handiwork.
[This should not be a matter of concern: Imagine you see everyone
lying down for a moment -- and then 'wake up' completely refreshed.
Would you hesitate to do the same?]
This process is necessary due to the curse given to Adam (Genesis
3:19), "For dust you are, and to dust shall you return".
Only those who are extremely humble (and have spiritually "returned
to dust" through self-nullification), will be able to avoid
this experience.
How will the body be rebuilt?
One bone of the body remains. (Some hold that it is part of the
spine: some say at the nape of the neck where the knot of the tefillin
is placed, and others say that it is the lowest bone of the spine.)
At the time of the Resurrection G-d softens this bone with the Dew
of the Resurrection: it serves as yeast to dough, and from it the
entire body is reconstituted.
Will there be trial and judgment after the Resurrection?
There are those who hold that following the Resurrection there will
come the great Day of Judgment on which every man will be judged
according to his deeds. Others hold that every man is judged immediately
after his death, so that there is no reason for a further trial;
these understand the future Day of Judgment as referring to a time
of punishment and vengeance. Yet others hold that the Day of Judgment
refers only to the nations of the world, not to Israel.
How will life be after the Resurrection?
In the World to Come (the World of the Resurrection) there will
be neither eating nor drinking, neither reproduction nor commerce,
neither envy nor hatred nor competition; rather, the righteous will
sit with crowns on their heads, and bask in the radiance of the
Divine Presence. They will not return to their dust, but will live
forever.
In the case of a soul which descended to this world more than
once, in which body will it be resurrected?
A body relates only to that part of the soul which was rectified
when the body was alive, and the parts of the soul which have been
rectified during its various lifecycles will descend into their
respective bodies.
There is no problem in saying that a man has only "part" of a soul,
for each part of the soul incorporates all of its components, which
together constitute the stature of a complete soul.
(The above questions and answers are a mere synopsis of an extensive
responsum by the Rebbe which is fully documented and closely argued;
see Teshuvos U'Biurim by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, sec. 1142)
Reprinted
From "Exile to Redemption" by Sichos In English |
