Sanhedrin 91b — the Talmud in English

And there were

figs

first-ripe

early, first]

fine.

And he seated there

the king

two guards,

who would guard the fruits.

One

of them was

lame [

crippled, unable to walk],

and one blind [

sightless, unable to see].

The lame one said to the blind one: “I see fine first-ripe figs in the orchard,”

but I cannot walk to take them.

Come and mount me

on your back, and I shall direct you to the place of the first-ripe figs,

and we shall bring them to eat them.

The lame one rode upon the back of the blind one, and they brought them, and they ate them.

After some time there came

the king,

the owner of the orchard,

and he saw that the first-ripe figs had been picked and eaten.

He said to them,

to the two guards:

“The fine first-ripe figs

that were in the orchard—

where are they?”

The lame one said to him:

“How do you suspect me that I ate them?

Do I have legs with which to walk

so that I could take them and eat them?”

The blind one said to him:

“How do you suspect me? Could I see the first-ripe figs?

Do I have eyes with which to see?”

What did

the king

do?

He

mounted the lame one upon

the

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

and punished them.

For indeed it is true that each one alone could not have taken the first-ripe figs, but with their combined powers—they certainly could.

And the analogy is:

So too, the Holy One, blessed be He,

does this.

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

For the body and the soul likewise, each one alone cannot sin. But with their combined powers—they can sin .

As it is said: “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 to say, 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 the matter were the reverse], so that the sun rose in the west and set in the east,

“you would likewise have said this to me” [

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

He said to him,

Antoninus: That indeed is not a question, and that is 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? For had that been so, I would have asked nothing. For such is the way of the world: in the place from which a thing emerges, there it enters again .

Rabbi said to him:

Behold, the Divine Presence rests in the west, and therefore the sun goes and sets and bows toward the west—

in order to give greeting to its Maker [

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

As it is said: “And the host of the heavens bow to You.”

He said to him:

If this is so, why does it go as far as the west and set there?

And let the sun come [

and come]

as far as half [

the middle]

of the firmament, and give greeting [

and give greeting and bow from there],

and enter [

and set] in its place! For this is the way of the world: one bows to a king from a distance, and does not approach him so closely.

Rabbi said to him:

Because

if it were so, if the sun set suddenly when it was in the middle of the firmament, when it shines most strongly, the

laborers

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

And

likewise

because of travelers,

for if day became dark for them suddenly, they would not be able to seek a place to lodge.

Therefore the sun sets in the west. For when it goes down and sinks, and its light continually diminishes, everyone knows that the time of darkness has arrived.

And Antoninus said to Rabbi: The soul—

from 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 is formed] and brings it before the Omnipresent, to know what will become of it, and immediately a soul and life are cast into him,

or

perhaps only

from the time of formation [

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

He said to him,

Rabbi:

“From the time of formation.”

Antoninus said to him:

Rabbi: Is it

possible

that

a piece of meat can remain three days without salt and not become putrid?

And the same applies to our matter. If the soul is not given until the time of formation, how does the drop endure and not become putrid?! [For if it became putrid in the woman’s womb, she would no longer give birth ].

Rather,

it is necessarily the case that the soul is given to a person already

from the time of visitation.

Rabbi said: “Antoninus taught me this matter,”

and I acknowledged his words.

“And a verse supports him, as it is said: ‘And Your visitation guarded my spirit.’”

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

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 emergence

from his mother’s womb?

He said to him,

Rabbi:

“From the time of formation.”

Antoninus said to him:

Rabbi:

“If so,

since already at the time of formation the fetus has an evil inclination, let it be

kicking in its mother’s womb and emerge!”

Rather,

it is necessarily the case that the evil inclination is given only

from the time of emergence .

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

Resh Lakish posed a contradiction [

he asked]:

It is written

regarding the revival of the dead:

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

It implies 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 revival of the dead, the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing. Behold, they will be healed of their defects!

How is this?

At first

they stand

from their graves

with their defects—

and

afterward

they are healed .

Ulla posed a contradiction [

he asked]:

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

which implies that in the future, after the revival of the dead, they will no longer die.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “For the youth, a hundred years old,

shall die; he shall not be there any more, an infant of days” .

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

And we answer:

“It is not difficult. Here,”

what is written, that they will not die in the future, refers to

Israel.

Whereas

here,

what is written, that they will die, refers to

the nations.

And we ask:

“And the nations”—

“what do they want there” [

what are the nations doing in those days]?

And we explain: It refers to

those,

those nations

of whom it is written: “Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks, and the sons of foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers,”

for they will serve Israel in the future.

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

It implies that the light of the luminaries will grow 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.”

It implies that the light of the luminaries will grow stronger in the future!

And we answer:

“It is not difficult. Here,”

what is written, that their light will grow stronger, is

for the days of the Messiah,

when the servitude will end.

Whereas

here,

what is written, that their light will grow dim, is

for the World to Come.

For because of the abundance of the radiance of the righteous, the light of the luminaries will grow dim.

And according

to

Shmuel, who said: “There is no difference between this world and the days of the Messiah”—

except the servitude to the kingdoms,

for in the days of the Messiah there will be no subjugation of the kingdoms over the people of Israel. But apart from this, there will be no change from the present time. And 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,

what is written, that their light will grow stronger, refers to

the camp of the righteous.

Whereas

here,

what is written, that their light will grow dim, refers to

the camp of the Divine Presence,

for the luminaries will grow dim because of the splendor of the Divine Presence.

Rava posed a contradiction: It is written: “I put to death and I make alive,”

which implies: just as I put a person to death, so will he live. And if he died while bearing a defect, then when he lives in the future he will likewise bear a defect.

And

on the other hand

it is written: “I struck, and I shall heal,”

which implies that at the time of the revival the Holy One, blessed be He, will heal those who bear defects!

Rather,

the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “What I put to death”—

I make alive,

and indeed at first they will stand with their defects.

And afterward [

and afterward]

, what I struck—

I shall heal .

The Sages taught:

It is written:

“I put to death and I make alive.” Could it be that death is in

one

person, and life in

one

person, as the way of the world operates,

and the meaning of the verse is: I put one person to death, and I make another person alive—

the verse teaches

from the continuation of the verse:

“I struck, and I shall heal.” Just as striking and healing—

in

one

person

are, for healing occurs only where there is a wound,

so too death and life—

in

one

person.

From here an answer to those who say

that

the revival of the dead is not מן התורה.

It was taught: Rabbi Meir said: From where is the revival of the dead [derived] from the Torah?

As it is said,

after the splitting of the Sea of Reeds:

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

he

sang

Moses”

was not said, but rather

it was said

“he will sing,”

the future tense .

From here

[there is] proof

for the revival of the dead from the Torah.

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

Similarly, you say

regarding the following verse:

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

he

built

Joshua”

was not said, but rather “he will build,”

the future tense.

From here

[there is] proof

for the revival of the dead from the Torah.

And we ask:

“But from now,”

what is written:

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

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

“so too”

the meaning of the verse become

“he will build”

in the future?

Rather,

that is why it says there “Then he will build,” for in truth Solomon did not build the high place in the end. Rather, since he intended to build it,

Scripture regards it as though he built it .

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: From where is the revival of the dead [derived] from the Torah? As it is said: “Fortunate are those who dwell in Your house; they will yet praise You forever. ‘They praised You’ was not said, but rather ‘they will praise You,’

the future tense.

From here [there is proof] for the revival of the dead from the Torah.

And Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Whoever sings a song in this world—

merits to sing it

also

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

they will yet praise You forever” .

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: From where is the revival of the dead [derived] from the Torah? As it is said: “The voice of your watchmen, they have raised their voice; together they shall sing out, and so forth. ‘Sing out’ was not said, but rather ‘they shall sing out,’

the future tense.

From here [there is proof] for the revival of the dead from the Torah.

And Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: In the future all the prophets will all sing a song with one voice

. As it is said: “The voice of your watchmen, they have raised their voice; together they shall sing out” .

Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: Whoever withholds a halakha from

a student,

not teaching it to him,

is as though he robs him of his ancestral inheritance. As it is said: “Moses commanded us a Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,”

which implies 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: for the sake of the Torah, which is called first, and for the sake of Israel, who are called “the first of His produce,” who are destined to inherit it—for their sake “God created the heavens,” and so forth.

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

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