Sanhedrin 90b — the Talmud in English

And it is written: “And so it happened to him, and the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.”

Thus God treated him measure for measure: He was judged through the very matter that he had denied. He did not eat from it, and he was trampled underfoot by those coming to buy.

The Gemara objects

: Perhaps it was Elisha’s curse that caused him

to die, for Elisha had cursed him: “You shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat from it.”

For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A sage’s curse, even when unjustified,

comes to pass!

The Gemara answers

: If so,

if it was indeed Elisha’s curse that caused his death,

the verse should have written: “They trampled him and he died,”

and that would have been sufficient.

What

is the meaning of what is written, “They trampled him

at the gate”?

It indicates

: Because of the matter of the gate.

That is, because of the matter of the price of the grain, whether it would be expensive or cheap. Elisha had said that the grain would become so cheap that a se’a of fine flour would be sold for a shekel and two se’a of barley for a shekel. The officer denied this and said that such a thing was impossible.

The Gemara now discusses the principal matter of our Mishna: One who denies that there is an allusion to the resurrection of the dead in the Torah has no share in the World-to-Come.

From where is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah?

As it is stated

concerning the tithe-offering: The Levite must give the priest a tithe of the tithe that he received from an Israelite

: “And you shall give from it the Lord’s gift to Aaron the priest.”

This is puzzling: How could the Levites give a tithe to Aaron

? Was Aaron to exist forever?

Yet he did not

enter the Land of Israel, where they would give him the gift, since he died in the wilderness!

Rather, it teaches

that the verse

is destined

Aaron

to live

in the World-to-Come,

and

then

Israel

[and the Levites]

will give him the tithe-offering.

From here

is proof

of the resurrection of the dead from the Torah.

A tan­na of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:

This verse is not expounded for that purpose. Rather, we derive it from the word

“to Aaron,”

teaching that even the priests who will come after him, to whom the tithe-offering will be given after they enter the Land, must be specifically

like Aaron.

In what way must they resemble Aaron?

Just as Aaron

was a member of the fellowship

and not an ignorant person,

so too his sons,

the priestly descendants who would come after him, would receive the tithe-offering only when they were

members of the fellowship.

But one does not give the tithe-offering to a priest who is an ignorant person.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: From where is it derived that one does not give the tithe-offering to a priest who is an ignorant person?

As it is stated: “And he said to the people, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, so that they may be strong in the Torah of the Lord.”

This indicates that

everyone who supports the Torah of the Lord

has a portion

[a share; that is, a tithe-offering].

But one who does not support the Torah of the Lord

has no portion.

Rav Aḥa bar Adda said in the name of Rav Yehuda: Anyone who gives a tithe-offering to a priest who is an ignorant person is as though he placed it before a lion.

Just as a lion,

when it takes an animal from the herd,

it is uncertain

whether it

will tear

the animal

and eat

it immediately, before it begins to decay,

or whether it will not tear it and eat it immediately,

but will maul and kill it merely to satisfy its appetite, and eat it afterward, when it has already begun to decay,

So too, a priest who is an ignorant person,

when we place the tithe-offering in his hand,

it is uncertain whether he will eat it in a state of purity, or whether he will eat it in a state of impurity.

He does not take care to eat it specifically in a state of purity.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He also causes him

that priest who is an ignorant person

to incur death. As it is stated: “And they shall die through it, because they profaned it,”

for one who eats the tithe-offering in a state of impurity and thereby profanes it is liable to karet, excision. There is therefore concern that this priest will eat the tithe-offering in a state of impurity, profane it, and become liable to excision!

A tan­na of the school of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov taught: He also causes him to bear the sin of guilt

[he loads many sins upon the priest].

As it is stated: “And they shall bear the sin of guilt through it, when they eat their sacred offerings,”

and Onkelos translated it: “When they eat their sacred offerings in impurity.”

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Simai says: From where is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah?

As it is stated: “And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan.”

“To give”

you

“the land of Canaan”

was not stated, but rather

“to give”

them.”

This indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, promised to give our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the Land.

This is puzzling: Was the Land given to them? It was given to their children!

Rather, it teaches that our forefathers are destined to live, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to give them the Land.

From here

is proof

of the resurrection of the dead from the Torah .

Tsadi-kuf, gimel-mem, gimel-shin-mem, kuf-mem—a mnemonic .

Some sectarians asked

Rabban Gamliel: From where is it derived that the Holy One, blessed be He, resurrects the dead?

He said to them

that there was proof

from the Torah, from the Prophets, and from the Writings, but the sectarians did not accept his proofs

because they did not find them convincing.

He brought them proof

from the Torah, as it is written: “And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, you are about to lie with your fathers, and rise.”

That is: Behold, you will lie down dead, and afterward you will rise and live in the future. It is proven that there will be a resurrection of the dead and that Moses will rise in the future!

They said to him,

the sectarians

: Perhaps

the word “and rise” belongs to the continuation of the verse and not to its beginning.

The verse should then be read as follows:

“And this people will rise and stray

etc.”!

He brought them proof

from the Prophets, as it is written

in Isaiah’s prophecy

: “Your dead shall live

[the dead of the Land of Israel shall live],

my corpses shall rise

[even stillborn children shall live],

Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for your dew is like the dew of lights, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.”

They said to him

: Perhaps

this prophecy speaks of

the dead whom Ezekiel revived,

for the prophet Isaiah, who preceded Ezekiel, prophesied that Ezekiel would revive the dead in the future. We still have no proof of the resurrection of the dead that will take place in the future!

He brought them proof

from the Writings, as it is written: “And your palate is like the best wine

that goes straight to my beloved, making the lips of the sleeping speak.”

That is, the lips of those sleeping in the dust move and tremble. It is proven that the dead will live in the future!

The sectarians said to him

: Perhaps the lips merely move

[perhaps they only move their lips], while they remain inside the grave; they do not come alive and emerge into the air of the world. And this is

in accordance

with the words of

Rabbi Yoḥanan

below:

For Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Anyone in whose name a halakhic teaching was stated in this world

his lips move in the grave

as it is stated: “Making the lips of the sleeping speak.”

Thus the sectarians rejected all his proofs,

until he said to them

that there was proof from

this verse:

“So that you may prolong your days upon the land

which the Lord swore to your fathers, to give them.” “To give”

“you”

was not stated, but rather “them.” From here

is proof

of the resurrection of the dead from the Torah

[as explained above] .

And some say: He said to them a proof from this verse: “But you who cleave to the Lord your God are all alive today.”

The word “today” is superfluous, since it could have written simply, “You are all alive.” From this extra word we derive that Moses said to Israel as follows

: Just as today

all of you

are alive and

enduring, so too in the World-to-Come

all of you

will be

enduring,

for all of you will rise in the resurrection of the dead.

Romans asked

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya:

a.

From where is it derived that the Holy One, blessed be He, resurrects the dead?

b.

And

from where is it derived that the Holy One, blessed be He,

knows what will happen in the future?

He said to them: Both matters

the two matters are derived

from this verse, as it is stated: “And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, you are about to lie with your fathers, and rise; and this people will rise and stray.”

From the beginning of the verse, “You are about to lie with your fathers, and rise,” there is proof of the resurrection of the dead.

And from the end of the verse, “And this people will stray, etc.,” which informs us that the people will eventually stray after other gods, there is proof that the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what will happen in the future.

Those Romans asked him: From where do you know that the verse should be read, “You are about to lie with your fathers, and rise,” providing proof of the resurrection of the dead

? Perhaps

the word “and rise” belongs to the continuation of the verse, and it should be read

: “And this people will rise and stray”?

He said to them: At least hold on to half of the answer

[hold at least the answer to half of your question in your hands], for even according to your words, there is proof from the verse

that

the Holy One, blessed be He,

knows what will happen in the future .

It was likewise stated: Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi

Shimon ben Yoḥai: From where is it derived that the Holy One, blessed be He, resurrects the dead and knows what will happen in the future?

As it is stated: “You are about to lie with your fathers, and rise, etc.”

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yosei said: Concerning the following matter,

I falsified the books of the Samaritans

56, who used to say that the resurrection of the dead is not found in the Torah.

I said to them: You have falsified your Torah

and have gained nothing!

That is, you are speaking falsehood, and there is nothing to your claim.

You who say

that

the resurrection of the dead is not found in the Torah?

Yet it says

concerning one who worships idolatry

: “He shall be utterly cut off; that soul shall bear its sin.” “He shall be utterly cut off”

means

in this world,

for that soul will be cut off from life in this world.

If so, what is stated

“it is in it”

for when

[for when, what time is being discussed]?

Is it not

[is it not]

for the World to Come?

It is proven that there will be resurrection of the dead!

Rav Pappa said to Abaye:

Why did Rabbi Eliezer need to bring his proof from the end of the verse?

And let him say both of them,

this world and the World to Come, from the repetition of the words:

“he shall surely be cut off,”

that is, “he shall be cut off”—in this world; “he shall surely be cut off”—for the World to Come!

Abaye said to him:

They would say to him

[they would say to him that there is no proof from the repetition of the expression, because]

the Torah spoke in the language of human beings.

And now the Gemara brings that tannaim disagreed concerning this matter: how they expound this verse.

As [in the dispute between] tannaim: “he shall surely be cut off,” “he shall be cut off”

—in this world; “he shall surely be cut off”

—for the World to Come. These are the words of Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Yishmael said to him: But it has already been stated

the punishment of karet concerning one who worships idolatry in another verse:

“He blasphemes Hashem, and that soul shall surely be cut off

the soul itself, etc.’”!

And according to your words, that you derive this world and the World to Come from “he shall surely be cut off,” concerning which karet does the verse “and that soul shall surely be cut off” speak?

Are there three worlds?

Rather, this is how the verses are expounded:

“And that soul shall surely be cut off”

—in this world. “He shall be cut off”

—for the World to Come.

And the repetition of the expression

“he shall surely be cut off”

is not for an exposition, but rather,

the Torah spoke in the language of human beings.

And Rabbi Akiva, who derives this world and the World to Come from “he shall surely be cut off,” holds that the verse “He blasphemes Hashem, and that soul shall surely be cut off” is not speaking of one who worships idolatry, but rather of one who blesses Hashem .

And we raised a question concerning it:

According to both Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva, “it is in it”

—what do they do with it,

what do they expound from this verse?

And we explain: This verse is expounded

as it was taught: One might have thought that even if he repented

he would remain liable to karet.

The verse states: “It is in it.” I said

that he would be liable to karet

only when its sin is in it.

But if he repented, he is released from karet.

Queen Cleopatra questioned

[the queen]

Rabbi Meir; she said: I know that the dead will live,

[I know that the dead will live],

as it is written: “And they shall sprout forth from the city like the grass of the earth,”

[that is, Israel will in the future sprout and blossom from the city of Jerusalem] . As we say in Tractate Ketubot [111a], that the Holy One, blessed is He, makes tunnels for the righteous, and they go and ascend to Jerusalem].

Rather,

there is this matter that I do not know:

when they stand

at the resurrection of the dead,

do they stand naked, or do they stand in their garments?

He said to her:

This matter is learned by a

kal va-chomer from wheat: And if wheat, which is buried

[sown]

naked ,

that is, the grain alone is sown, without any covering,

emerges in several garments,

for the grains are covered with several coverings,

the righteous, who are buried in their garments—

all the more so

will emerge in their garments.

The emperor said to Rabban Gamliel: You say that the dead live

[you say that the dead will live],

but they have become dust

[for after they die, they become dust],

and can dust live

[can dust live]?