{"id":38,"date":"2012-01-24T15:20:25","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T15:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/talesfromthezohar.wordpress.com\/?p=38"},"modified":"2012-01-24T15:20:25","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T15:20:25","slug":"6-the-worlds-that-the-righteous-inherit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/2012\/01\/24\/6-the-worlds-that-the-righteous-inherit\/","title":{"rendered":"6. The Worlds That The Righteous Inherit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Book of Radiance: Tales from the Zohar<\/em><\/p>\n

By R\u2019 Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

Sometimes it gets the better of you and you just need<\/em> to know — to know what\u2019s on the other side of the chasm that is the Afterlife, what the dead do day after day, what they know, and just what they have that we don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, few of us have the wherewithal to even ask the questions let alone expect answers, but some do. And while they may not see quite everything — or, if they do, they may not have a chance to report it back to the rest of us — nonetheless the Zohar offers the findings of one exalted soul who did cross over to the other side, the great R\u2019 Chiyya (Zohar 1, 4a-b). And while his experience there was a unique one that doesn\u2019t answer all of our questions, it does offer us a broader, rare view of Heaven.<\/p>\n

Now, a number of people have ascended to Heaven in their lifetimes. We\u2019re taught, in fact, that \u201cnine entered the Garden of Eden when they were still alive, and they are: Enoch the son of Jared; Eliyahu the prophet (see below); Eliezer, Abraham\u2019s servant; King Hiram of Zor; Ebed-melech the Cushite (see Jeremiah 38:7); Yabetz the son of R\u2019 Yehudah HaNasi; Batyah the daughter of Pharaoh; Serech the daughter of Asher; and, according to others, also R\u2019 Yehoshua ben Levi\u201d (Derech Eretz Zuta<\/em>, Ch. 1). But they never came back.<\/p>\n

In fact, we\u2019re told outright that the prophet Eliyahu\u00a0ascended to Heaven by means of a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11) and that he wrote a letter about his experiences there which he had presented to King Jehoram\u00a0(see 2 Chronicles 21). But we aren\u2019t given any of the details of his sojourn there.<\/p>\n

There are others who\u2019d seen Heaven in their lifetimes whose experiences were<\/em> depicted to a degree. Yitzchak, our forefather, ascended to Heaven when he was bound to the altar and about to be slaughtered by his father, Avraham. We\u2019re told that the angels accompanied him while he was in Heaven to the Yeshiva of Shem and Eber there where his father had studied, and that he stayed there for three days to study. He was then granted visions of the primordial Holy Temple that existed before the creation of the world, of his own descent from Adam as well as insights into Adam\u2019s future descendents up to the End of Days (see Breishit<\/em> Rabbah<\/em> 56, Targum<\/em> Yonatan<\/em> to Genesis 22:19, and Pirkei<\/em> d\u2019Rebbe<\/em> Eliezer<\/em> 31).<\/p>\n

Moshe ascended to Heaven also, we\u2019re told, after having he\u2019d reached the top of Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. He arrived at the River Rigyon with its terrible flames then, where angels of destruction set out to burn him to a crisp but were stopped by a Divine fiat. Moshe continued to advance further and further upward where other angels caught sight of him and complained about the mere mortal who had the nerve to be in their midst. But G-d interceded on His behalf again, and Moshe caught sight of Him in His Throne of Glory. Suddenly all the Hosts of Heaven shook in G-d\u2019s presence because it was time for him to finally receive the Torah. G-d opened the seven firmaments and showed Moshe the Heavenly Sanctuary; then He opened the gates of the seven firmaments and transmitted His Torah to him, and Moshe then returned to earth (see Pesikta<\/em> Rabbati<\/em> 204, Shabbat 88b-89a, and Ma\u2019ayan<\/em> HaChochma<\/em>).<\/p>\n

And the Talmud records that R\u2019 Yoseph, the son of R\u2019 Yehoshua Ben Levi, had what we\u2019d now term a \u201cnear-death experience\u201d at a certain point, before quickly coming back to life. His father asked him what He\u2019d seen there, on the other side, and R\u2019 Yoseph said he saw \u201ca topsy-turvy world, where those on top (while here, in this world) were on the bottom (while there, in Heaven) and vice versa\u201d (Pesachim<\/em> 50a). This speaks volumes about what matters and what doesn\u2019t, what we\u2019re to concentrate upon here in life, and what we\u2019d do well to realize we shouldn\u2019t be engaged in, but now isn\u2019t the time to delve into all that.<\/p>\n

But only the Zohar presents us with a full report on what one individual saw when he ascended Heavenward, on why he was catapulted back to earth, and on some of what he saw while he was there. Here\u2019s what it says.<\/p>\n

At a certain time R\u2019 Chiyya, who played a major role throughout the Zohar and was R\u2019 Shimon Bar Yochai\u2019s youngest disciple, prostrated himself on the earth, kissed the dust and cried out, \u201cDust, dust how stiff-necked you are!\u201d For he\u2019d asked to draw close to his Master, R\u2019 Shimon, who was already dead and buried, and he\u2019d been denied that. So there seemed to be nothing else to do but appeal to the soil in which R\u2019 Shimon lay buried.<\/p>\n

R\u2019 Chiyya went on reprimanding the soil for having dared to enclose R\u2019 Shimon\u2019s bones when he \u201csuddenly fell into a reverie and said, \u2018Dust, dust, don\u2019t be so proud! \u2026 R\u2019 Shimon will not be consumed by you!\u2019\u201d We\u2019re then told that he \u201cfasted for forty days in order to actually cross over into the world of the dead and meet with R\u2019 Shimon\u201d. But a voice appeared from the other side and declared that R\u2019 Chiyya wasn\u2019t fit to see him. \u201cSo he wept and fasted for another forty days\u201d, the Zohar reports.<\/p>\n

Know that sometimes the angels themselves can be moved, as they\u2019re able to read the heart that implores them to do this or that, and they\u2019re often fascinated by the depths and width of such hearts, since they know nothing of that themselves, so they accede now and again.<\/p>\n

And so the Zohar goes on to say that the angels \u201cshowed him R\u2019 Shimon and R\u2019 Eleazar, his son, in a vision\u201d. What were these two tzaddikim<\/em> doing in Heaven? \u201cThey were discussing the interpretation of a certain term that R\u2019 Yossi had used\u201d, and we\u2019re told that many thousands of souls were listening along.<\/p>\n

There were a lot of other things going on there, as R\u2019 Chiyya, reports: R\u2019 Shimon and R\u2019 Eleazar ascended up to the heavenly Yeshiva. R\u2019 Shimon suddenly called out the following: \u201cLet R\u2019 Chiyya enter and see the degree to which the Holy One will restore the countenances of the tzaddikim<\/em> in the world to come!\u201d And suddenly the doors to Heaven were opened to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow fortunate is one who comes here without shame\u201d (which is to say, without sin), a voice called, \u201cand how fortunate is he who stands upright in this world like a mighty pillar that bears all!\u201d<\/p>\n

So R\u2019 Chiyya did indeed enter, and he discovered that all the tzaddikim<\/em> there stood up for him, which embarrassed him deeply; so he went to sit at the feet of R\u2019 Shimon, when a voice arose in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cLower your eyes,\u201d it commanded, \u201cdo not raise up your head, and do not look!\u201d So R\u2019 Chiyya followed orders when he suddenly \u201csaw a light shining from afar\u201d which mystified him. That same voice then came back, we\u2019re told, and addressed R\u2019 Chiyya (and us here on earth too, to be sure).<\/p>\n

\u201cWake up!\u201d it stormed. \u201cFor who among you has transformed darkness into light\u201d as the mighty ones in the Garden Eden have done? \u201cWho, among you has eagerly awaited the shining of the Light that will come about when the King calls upon the Gazelle (i.e., the Shechina<\/em>)?\u201d Anyone \u201cwho doesn\u2019t eagerly await that each and every day in that world (i.e., while he\u2019s yet alive) hasn\u2019t a place here\u201d in The Garden of Eden.<\/p>\n

The Zohar then returns to what R\u2019 Chiyya was seeing for himself there. \u201cHe saw many of his friends \u2026 elevated to the Heavenly Yeshiva\u201d when he was then approached by the Archangel Metatron<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Among other things, the Archangel attested to the fact that \u201cThe King does indeed attend to the Gazelle (i.e., the Shechina<\/em>) every day and recalls how She lies in the dust of the earth\u201d while the exile still functions. \u201cHe kicks 390 heavens\u201d in His frustration, if you will, \u201cwhich then quake and tremble with fear because of Him. And He cries\u201d because of our continued Exile.<\/p>\n

His \u201ctears, which are as hot as fire, cascade down into the Great Sea. And it\u2019s in fact by the power of these tears that the one who governs the sea (i.e., the angelic Rahav<\/em>), is sustained and kept alive. And he takes it upon himself to sanctify G-d\u2019s name by swallowing all the waters of \u2026 creation. He then gathers them all to himself so that on the day when the nations of the world will assemble against the Holy Nation the waters would dry up as they cross over on dry land\u201d.<\/p>\n

Suddenly R\u2019 Chiyya heard a voice call out: \u201cMove aside, make room. The Moshiach<\/em> is coming to the Yeshiva of R\u2019 Shimon!\u201d and he arrived there indeed, \u201ccrowned with heavenly diadems\u201d. And then to the great chagrin of R\u2019 Chiyya the Moshiach<\/em> called out, \u201cWho allowed a human being wearing the cloaks of that world in here?\u201d<\/p>\n

R\u2019 Shimon revealed to the Moshiach<\/em> that not just any human being was there, but that it was R\u2019 Chiyya , whom he referred to as \u201cthe Shining Light of the Torah\u201d. The Moshiach<\/em> responded: very well \u201cLet him and his sons be gathered up!\u201d That is, let them die in fact, \u201cand join your Academy!\u201d<\/p>\n

But R\u2019 Shimon said to the Moshiach<\/em>, \u201cGive him some time!\u201d to remain alive; he\u2019ll get here after a while indeed. And so we\u2019re told that \u201ctime was granted him\u201d in fact. And R\u2019 Chiyya came back.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 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":"

The Book of Radiance: Tales from the Zohar By R\u2019 Yaakov Feldman Sometimes it gets the better of you and you just need to know — to know what\u2019s on the other side of the chasm that is the Afterlife, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iqmS-C","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/zohar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}