I forgot to include what\u2019s said in the Zohar about <\/i>Techiyat HaMeitim, so let\u2019s do that now.<\/i><\/p>\n
The Zohar offers quite a lot of insight into the state of things in the course of the Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i>, so we\u2019ll only offer the following which sums up the gist of it.We\u2019re told that the Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i> will come about through the agency of the supernal light that had been hidden away with creation (T Z p. 41a).<\/p>\n
The righteous will be rewarded then with as handsome a body in the course of Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i> as Adam had when he first entered the Garden of Eden (1, p 113b; also see 1, p. 141a). That of course refers to the sort of other-worldly body that Adam was granted which, when reduplicated in the Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i>, will add a higher degree of other-worldly luster to their souls.<\/p>\n
Curiously enough, given the absolutely unfathomable distinctiveness of the whole experience, we\u2019re nonetheless told that \u201cthe only difference between the world now and (the world in the course of) Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i> is in (degrees of) purity, intellectual grasp,\u2026. and length of life\u201d (1, p. 139a).<\/p>\n
Those who come back in the course of Techiyat<\/i> HaMeitim<\/i> will live in the Land of Israel (1, p. 69a), and the dead of the Land of Israel will rise up before those outside of it in the course of it (2, p. 199b; also see 1, p. 181b, 1, p. 128b, TZ 81a).<\/p>\n
Given that the Zohar fully accepts the reality of reincarnation, the natural question is which body will come back to him? And we\u2019re told that one\u2019s first body will reunite with his soul most often (2, p. 100a, 3, p. 308b; but also see 2, p. 105b, 1, p. 131a).<\/p>\n
Especially touching is the idea that friends and others will recognize each other then (2, p. 220a). And in fact if one died with maladies (for example) he\u2019ll come back with them so that friends will recognize him, and then they\u2019ll be made whole (3, p. 91a).<\/p>\n
And we\u2019re informed that people will rise up in groups: the righteous with other righteous, wrongdoers with other wrongdoers, etc (1, p. 63a), like cliques in a way.<\/p>\n
(c) 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n ———————————————————-<\/p>\n AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I forgot to include what\u2019s said in the Zohar about Techiyat HaMeitim, so let\u2019s do that now. The Zohar offers quite a lot of insight into the state of things in the course of the Techiyat HaMeitim, so we\u2019ll only … Continue reading