We all know the
Rambam's famous twelfth 'Principle of Faith,' the belief in the Messianic
period on Earth. Some also know that the concept of the World to Come is part
of the Rambam's eleventh Principle (reward and punishment) and that the thirteenth
Principle is belief in the Resurrection of the Dead.
While there were
views in Chazal that questioned the certainty of the coming of Mashiach, and
even a rejected view that denied it altogether, the Rambam's position
represents the final consensus of Chazal and those who followed.[1]
A similar consensus exists regarding the Resurrection of the Dead and the World
to Come (although many dispute the Rambam's contention that these are two
completely distinct concepts). Here I will examine the sources for these concepts
and the reasons why they are necessary.
Mashiach
The simplest of
these principles is Mashiach. The basic idea does not require anything
unnatural (although some do believe that changes in nature will occur even at
this stage) and is a matter of broad consensus. A physical redeemer will lead
the Jewish People to Eretz Yisrael, reign there and rebuild the Beis HaMikdash.
While the details of how this will happen are unclear, they are also not
critical to our belief – as the Rambam writes, we will only really know when
they actually happen.[2]
It is also not
difficult to find sources or to explain why such a period is necessary. The
Tanach is full of prophecies about the Messianic era, including that of Bilam
in the Torah.[3] The
ability to be able to serve Hashem without disturbance and to convey this
message to the rest of the world is our primary calling in this world.
The harder
question is one that I have already raised before on this blog, without
offering an answer.[4] Why
are we required to believe that this will definitely happen at some point? We
have free will, and if we choose not to take the steps necessary for
self-determination and dedication to Hashem, it is far from obvious that this
will be forced upon us.[5]
I am now able to
offer a suggested solution to this problem. Although no one can force us to
repent,[6]
it was critical for Hashem to promise us redemption and for us to believe in it.
Without this belief, there would have been a danger of loss of motivation or
even total despair. Our lives may have appeared meaningless to us.[7]
The World to
Come
In contrast to
the Messianic period, the nature of the World to Come is shrouded in mystery.
It is not mentioned explicitly in Tanach even once, although there are a
handful of strong indications that the human soul remains extant after death.[8]
Chazal do speak
about the World to Come many times, but they offer very little in terms of
description of what this 'World' entails. The most crucial pieces of
information they offer are statements about what the World to Come is not:
- The visions received by our prophecies only told of the times of Mashiach; only Hashem has seen anything of the World to Come.[9]
- The World to Come does not include eating, drinking, reproduction, business deals, jealousy, hatred or competition.[10]
Many of the
early commentaries discuss why the Torah does not mention the World to Come.[11]
In my mind, the answer that is best backed up by the information we have[12]
is given by Ibn Ezra[13]
and Rabbeinu Bachaye[14]
– the Torah omitted any description of the World to Come simply because it is
not comprehensible to most humans.
All of this
forms a solid basis for the contention of the Rambam that the World to Come is
void of any physicality. A world for souls alone is indeed not something that
we can fathom. Furthermore, the Rambam argues, what would be the point of a
physical body and its organs if they would not be necessary for eating,
drinking and reproduction? He claims that those who disagree do so only because
of the inability to recognise any value to non-physical entities, similar to
those who believe that Hashem has a physical form.[15]
Pre-empting one
obvious question, the Rambam explains further that although Chazal use the
language 'World to Come,' they are not referring to a world that is yet to be
created. It already exists now for those who have completed life in this world,
and is only 'to come' for mortals like us.[16]
This argument of
the Rambam was one of his most controversial. However, before I discuss the
various counter-arguments, I believe it is important to point out that all
agree about one thing. However one understands what exactly the World to Come
is, it is our final destiny and ultimate purpose.[17]
Thus for those who disagree with the Rambam and maintain that the World to Come
is an improved version of our current physical world, this must involve resurrection
of the dead.
In fact, this
connection between the World to Come and the Resurrection made by the Rambam's numerous
opponents led to some of them questioning whether the Rambam believed in a
physical resurrection at all.[18]
If the ultimate reward in the World to Come does not involve the physical body,
why would there need to be any physical afterlife?
These
accusations forced the Rambam to write a treatise dedicated to the topic of the
Resurrection. There the Rambam starts by bemoaning the fact that his accusers
ignored his explicit statements in a number of places that belief in the
Resurrection is indeed a basic tenet of our faith. His consolation is that even
the Torah's monotheistic declaration in Shema was as badly misinterpreted by
the Christians.
However, it
would be wrong to say that the accusations against the Rambam were completely
unfounded. While he certainly did believe in the Resurrection of the Dead, he
did not believe in his opponents' (perhaps more conventional) understanding of
it. To analyse this further, we will need to examine some of the sources for
the Resurrection.
Resurrection
The Mishna tells
us that one who says that the Resurrection is not part of the Torah has no
portion in the World to Come.[19]
The gemara finds various hints in the Torah that the dead will live again, but
nothing explicit.[20]
However, something more direct is found in the vision of Daniel about 'the time
of the end.'[21]
Daniel is told:
ורבים מישני אדמת עפר יקיצו אלה לחיי עולם ואלה לחרפות
לדראון עולם. ... ואתה לך לקץ ותנוח ותעמד לגרלך לקץ הימין.
דניאל יב, ב; יב, יג
"Many
of those who sleep in dusty earth will awaken – these for eternal life and
those for shame, for eternal disgrace. … As for you, go to the end – rest and
arise for your portion at the End of Days."
Daniel 12:2,
12:13
The Rambam
affirms that these verses are indeed an explicit source for the Resurrection,
with no reason to be explained allegorically.[22]
This would, however, seem to raise a significant difficulty for the Rambam. He
understands that the ultimate end is the World to Come, and the Resurrection is
only temporary – those who are resurrected will die again.21 Why
then is Daniel told that the righteous will arise for eternal life? Why
is Daniel's own 'portion' being resurrected, and why is this described as
happening at 'the End of Days'?[23]
The strongest Biblical source for the Resurrection would also appear to be the
strongest source for the view of the Rambam's opponents.[24]
The only
suggested answer I have found to this problem is given by a certain R'
Yeshayahu Levi (about whom I know very little). The Rambam must explain that
the righteous are granted resurrection in order to acquire additional
understanding, which in turn allows them to live eternally in the World to
Come.[25]
This answer, if
a little strained, also helps us to understand a more philosophical question
according to the Rambam. If the Resurrection is not the ultimate purpose, it is
not clear why it is a fundamental principle of our faith or even why it is
necessary at all. If we accept R' Levi's explanation, we can now answer that
the Resurrection is necessary as a stepping-stone from our world to the next.
To be
continued?
I have not yet
analysed the opposing view, that our ultimate purpose is indeed a revamped form
of physical life after the Resurrection. This will involve looking at the
objections raised against the Rambam, understanding why Hashem would want us to
retain some kind of physical existence and answering some other questions that
this view raises (such as what happens to the dead until the Resurrection).
This may be the
topic of the next post, if I manage to address these questions satisfactorily
and if nothing more pressing comes up.
[1] There is considerable discussion among the Tana'im and Amora'im
regarding whether the Redemption is contingent on teshuva; R' Hillel maintained
that the promise of Mashiach was already fulfilled in the days of Chizkiyahu
and will never be repeated. However, both of these views were ultimately
rejected (Sanhedrin 97b-99a).
[2] Hilchos Melachim 12:1-2. Of course, this does not exempt us from our
obligations to take real steps to bring about the redemption and it is not
sufficient just to fulfil the remaining mitzvos hoping that Hashem will do the
work for us (see Building
the Beis Hamikdash).
[3] Bamidbar 24:14-24. Moshe Rabbeinu also prophesises about redemption
in the closing sections of the Torah, although here it is not 100% clear that
the redemption being referred to is the final one.
[4] At the end of How
are Jews Unique?
[5] Although one could argue that denial of this principle is also
denial of the truth of the prophecies mentioned above (and although we have
free will, Hashem knows that we will eventually repent), this would not justify
the concept of Mashiach being an independent Principle of Faith. Furthermore,
as mentioned above, some of our Sages disputed this interpretation of the
prophecies.
[6] While the view of R' Yehoshua (and Chazal's conclusion) is that
should we not repent alone, this will be 'forced upon us' by decrees of an
uncompromising king, this coercion cannot be total. Repentance may be incentivised,
but it would be meaningless without an element of human choice.
[7] This also explains the necessity for a natural redemption, which we
bring about ourselves without any overt Divine intervention.
[8] For example Bereishis 5:22, Shmuel 1 25:29 and Koheles 12:7. See
also Kuzari 1:115. By contrast, the Rambam implies that the source for the
World to Come is only from the Oral Tradition (Hilchos Teshuva 8:1).
[9] Berachos 34b
[10] Berachos 17a. Although the continuation does describe the World to
Come, it is in cryptic terms: "Rather, the righteous sit with crowns on
their heads, enjoying the splendour of the Divine Presence."
[11] See for example Emunos v'Deos chapter 9; Chovas Halevavos, Sha'ar
HaBitachon chapter 4; Abarbanel Vayikra 26:3.
[12] Based on the above and the Occam's razor principle.
[14] Vayikra 26:9. See also Maharal, first introduction to Gevuros
Hashem & Tiferes Yisrael chapter 58.
[15] Hilchos Teshuva 8:2-3, 6; Igeres Techiyas HaMeisim
[16] Hilchos Teshuva 8:8
[17] Even the Kuzari, who criticises those who concentrate on the World
to Come (1:109), explains that in order to attain the World to Come one must
come as close as possible to that level in this world.
[18] See for example Ra'avad, Hilchos Teshuva 8:2.
[19] Sanhedrin 90a
[20] See Rashi who claims that it is not sufficient to believe that
there will be a Resurrection; one must also accept the truth of the inferences
to it from the Torah. However, even Rashi did not expect us to believe that
this is the simple interpretation of these verses. Furthermore, the Rambam
would seem to dispute Rashi's claim – in his list of those who have no portion
in the World to Come he includes only one who denies the entire concept of the
Resurrection (Hilchos Teshuva 3:6). This is also supported by the Rambam's
version of the text of the Mishna (available here).
[21] Daniel 11:40. Yechezkel's prophecy following the vision of the 'dry
bones,' (Yechezkel 37:12-16) is not cited as a clear source for the Resurrection
– see Radak there who accepts the possibility of the 'graves' referred to in
this prophecy being a metaphor for the exile.
[22] Igeres Techiyas HaMeisim
[23] This second verse about arising at the End of Days could actually
have been explained figuratively, referring to the Rambam's idea of the World
to Come. But the Rambam did not explain in this manner.
[24] See Rosh Hashana 16b, where the gemara understands this verse as
referring to 'Judgement Day.' See also Rashi and Tosfos there and Ibn Ezra's
commentary on the verse.
