Sanhedrin 91b (צא:) — the Talmud in English

And there were

figs

early

[first, earliest]

beautiful.

And he appointed there

the king

two guards,

to watch over the fruit.

One

of them was

lame

[crippled, unable to walk],

and one was blind

[unable to see].

The lame man said to the blind man: “I see beautiful early figs in the orchard,

but I cannot walk to take them.

Come and carry me

on your back, and I will direct you to the place where the early figs are,

and we will bring them and eat them.”

The lame man rode on the blind man’s back, and they brought the figs and ate them.

After some time,

the king,

the owner of the orchard,

came and saw that the early figs had been picked and eaten.

He said to them,

the two guards:

“The beautiful early figs

that were in the orchard—

where are they?”

The lame man said to him:

“How can you suspect me of having eaten them?

Do I have legs with which to walk

so that I could take them and eat them?”

The blind man said to him:

“How can you suspect me? Could I have seen the early figs?

Do I have eyes with which to see?”

What did

the king

do? He

the

placed the lame man on

the

blind man’s back, and judged them as one,

and punished them.

For although it was indeed true that neither of them alone could have taken the early figs, together they certainly could.

And the analogy is as follows:

So too, the Holy One, blessed be He,

does this.

He brings a soul, casts it into a body, and judges them as one .

For the body and the soul, too, each one alone cannot sin. But together they can sin .

As it is stated: “He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people.”

“He summons the heavens above”—

this is the soul. “And the earth, to judge His people”—

this is the body.

That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, summons the soul that comes from above, and He also summons the body that comes from the earth, and judges them as one.

Antoninus said to Rabbi: Why does the sun rise

in the morning

in the east and set in the west

in the evening?

He said to him,

Rabbi:

If it were the opposite

[if it were the other way around], with the sun rising in the west and setting in the east,

you would likewise have said this to me

[you would have asked me then]: “Why does it not rise in the east and set in the west?”

Antoninus said to him:

“That is indeed not a question, and that was not what I intended.

Rather,

this is what I am saying to you

[this is what I intended to ask]:

Why does it set

the sun

in the west?

Why does it not circle the entire world and return to set in the east? Had it done so, I would not have asked anything. For that is the way of the world: the place from which something emerges is the place where it returns” .

Rabbi said to him:

“The Divine Presence rests in the west; therefore the sun proceeds to set and bow toward the west—

in order to offer greeting to its Maker

[the Holy One, blessed be He, who created it].

As it is stated: ‘And the heavenly host bow down to You.’”

He said to him:

“If so, why does it travel all the way to the west and set there?

Let the sun come

[and come]

as far as the middle

[the center]

of the sky, and offer greeting

[offer greeting and bow from there],

and enter

[and set] in its place. For that is the proper way: one bows to a king from a distance and does not approach him so closely.”

Rabbi said to him:

“Because

if this were so, and the sun set suddenly while it was in the middle of the sky, when it shines most brightly,

the laborers

would remain in the field until darkness, since the darkness would arrive suddenly and there would be no prior indication of it, and they would have to make their way back in the dark.

And

likewise,

because of travelers,

for if the day suddenly became dark for them, they would be unable to seek a place to lodge.

Therefore the sun sets in the west. As it descends and sets, and its light gradually diminishes, everyone knows that the time of darkness is approaching.”

And Antoninus said to Rabbi: The soul—

when is it given to a person?

Is it already

from the time of visitation,

that is, from the time when the angel visits the drop [from which the person will be formed] and brings it before God to determine what will become of it, at which point a soul and life are immediately cast into it,

or

perhaps only

from the time of formation

[from the time when the fetus has been formed, when it has been completely covered with flesh, sinews, and bones ]?

He said to him,

Rabbi:

“From the time of formation.”

Antoninus said to him:

“But is it

possible

that

a piece of meat can remain for three days without salt and not spoil?”

The same applies to our matter. If the soul is not given until the time of formation, how can the drop endure without spoiling? [For if it spoiled in the woman’s womb, she would no longer give birth .]

Rather,

it must be that the soul is given to a person already

from the time of visitation.

Rabbi said: Antoninus taught me this matter,

and I accepted his words.

And a verse supports him, as it is stated: “And You visit me, my spirit guarding.”

That is, my spirit is already guarded from the time of visitation.

And

further,

Antoninus said to Rabbi: From when does the evil inclination rule over a person ?

Is it

from the time of formation, or

only

from the time of birth

from his mother’s womb?

He said to him,

Rabbi:

“From the time of formation.”

Antoninus said to him:

“If so,

if

the fetus already possesses an evil inclination at the time of formation, it should be

kicking in its mother’s womb and emerging!”

Rather,

it must be that the evil inclination is given only

from the time of birth . Rabbi said: “Antoninus taught me this matter. And a verse supports him, as it is stated: ‘At the opening, sin crouches.’” That is, only from the time the fetus emerges through the opening does the evil inclination enter it.

Rabbi said: “Antoninus taught me this matter.” And a verse supports him, as it is stated: “At the opening, sin crouches.” That is, the evil inclination enters a person only from the time the fetus leaves through the opening.

Resh Lakish raised a contradiction

[he objected]:

It is written

regarding the resurrection of the dead:

“Among them the blind and the lame, pregnant and giving birth together.”

This indicates that the dead will rise with their defects.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “Then the lame man shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall sing, for waters have broken forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”

That is, at the time of the resurrection of the dead, the lame person will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing. Thus, they will be healed of their defects!

How is this so?

At first

they stand

from their graves

with their defects—

and

afterward

they are healed .

Ulla raised a contradiction

[he objected]:

It is written: “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from every face,”

indicating that in the future, after the resurrection of the dead, they will no longer die.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “For the youth who is one hundred years old

shall die; he shall be considered a mere lad.”

That is, in the future, when a person dies at the age of one hundred, people will say of him that he died as a youth, because they will live much longer lives. This indicates that even in the future they will die!

And we resolve:

It is not difficult. Here,

the statement that they will not die in the future refers

to the Jewish people.

Whereas

here,

the statement that they will die refers

to the gentiles.

And we ask:

And the gentiles—

what are they doing there

[what place do the gentiles have in those days]?

And we explain: It refers to

those,

those gentiles

of whom it is written: “And strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers,”

as they will serve the Jewish people in the future.

Rav Hisda raised a contradiction: It is written: “And the moon shall be ashamed, and the sun shall be embarrassed, when the Lord of Hosts reigns.”

This indicates that the light of the luminaries will dim in the future.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light

of the seven days.”

This indicates that the light of the luminaries will grow stronger in the future!

And we resolve:

It is not difficult. Here,

the statement that their light will grow stronger refers

to the days of the Messiah,

when the subjugation will end.

Whereas

here,

the statement that their light will dim refers

to the World to Come.

Because of the great radiance of the righteous, the light of the luminaries will dim.

And according to

the opinion of

Shmuel, who said: “The only difference between this world and the days of the Messiah”—

is the subjugation of the kingdoms alone,

for in the days of the Messiah there will be no foreign rule over the Jewish people. But apart from this, there will be no change from the present time. If so, it is impossible to say that in the days of the Messiah the light of the luminaries will grow stronger!

In any event,

it is not difficult.

For

here,

the statement that their light will grow stronger refers

to the camp of the righteous.

Whereas

here,

the statement that their light will dim refers

to the camp of the Divine Presence,

for the luminaries will dim because of the radiance of the Divine Presence.

Rava raised a contradiction: It is written: “I kill and I bring to life,”

indicating that just as I kill a person, so will he live. If he dies with a defect, then when he lives again in the future he will also have a defect.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “I have wounded, and I shall heal,”

indicating that at the time of the resurrection, the Holy One, blessed be He, will heal those with defects!

Rather,

the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “What I kill”—

I bring to life,

and indeed at first they will stand with their defects.

And afterward

[and subsequently]

, what I have wounded—

I shall heal .

The Sages taught:

It is written:

“I kill and I bring to life.” Could it mean that death occurs to

one

person, and life to

another

person, as is the way of the world,

with the meaning of the verse being: I kill one person and bring another person to life?

The verse states

as it continues:

“I have wounded and I shall heal.” Just as wounding and healing—

in

one

person

are connected, since healing occurs only where there was a wound,

so too death and life—

in

one

person.

From here there is a response to those who say

that

the resurrection of the dead is not derived from the Torah.

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

As it is stated

after the splitting of the Red Sea:

“Then Moses and the children of Israel will sing this song to the Lord.” “Then

he

sang,”

Moses,

is not stated; rather,

it is stated

“he will sing,”

in the future tense .

From here

there is proof

for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah.

For Moses will live in the future and sing a song .

Similarly, you can say

regarding the following verse:

“Then Joshua will build an altar to the Lord.” “Then

he

built,”

Joshua,

is not stated; rather, “he will build,”

in the future tense.

From here

there is proof

for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah.

And we ask:

But if that is so,

the verse that says:

“Then Solomon will build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab”

[for Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the god of Moab]—does

this also

mean

that he will build it

in the future?

Rather,

the phrase “then he will build” is used there because, in truth, Solomon did not ultimately build the high place. Rather, since he intended to build it,

the verse considers it as though he built it .

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: From where is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah? As it is stated: “Fortunate are those who dwell in Your house; they will continue to praise You forever.” “They praised You” is not stated, but rather “they will praise You,”

in the future tense.

From here there is proof for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Anyone who recites a song in this world—

will merit to recite it

also

in the World to Come. As it is stated: “Fortunate are those who dwell in Your house—

they will continue to praise You forever.”

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: From where is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah? As it is stated: “The voice of Your watchmen, they have raised their voice; together they shall sing out, and so forth.” “They sang out” is not stated, but rather “they shall sing out,”

in the future tense.

From here there is proof for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah.

And Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: All the prophets are destined to recite a song with one voice

as it is stated: “The voice of Your watchmen, they have raised their voice; together they shall sing out.”

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Anyone who withholds a halakha from

a student,

and does not teach it to him,

it is as though he steals from him the inheritance of his ancestors. As it is stated: “Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,”

indicating that the Torah

is an inheritance for all Israel.

And it is our inheritance

from the six days of Creation,

as it is written, “In the beginning God created…,” and we expound it: for the sake of the Torah, which is called the beginning, and for the sake of Israel, who are called “the first fruits of his produce,” who are destined to inherit it—for their sake “God created the heavens…”

It follows that the Torah is the inheritance of all Israel. And if one does not teach the student, it is as though he robs him of his inheritance.

Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida: Anyone who withholds a halakha from a student—even the fetuses in their mother’s womb curse him.