Shabbat 152b (קנב:) — the Talmud in English

Every day during the seven days of mourning,

of the seven days,

there would be a matter:

Rabbi would send

ten

men,

and they would sit in his place

of the deceased and offer him consolation.

After seven days had passed, the deceased appeared to him

the deceased

in his dream

in his dream

of Rav Yehuda, and said to him: May your mind be at rest,

because

you put my mind at rest.

Rabbi Abbahu said: Whatever one says in the presence of the deceased,

he hears it

and knows

the words

until

the

cover

and the “cover” is the covering placed over the coffin of the deceased.

Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, disagree about this.

One said:

The deceased knows what is said about him

until

the

cover

and one said:

He knows what is said about him

until his flesh decomposes

his flesh and is gone.

The one who says, “until his flesh decomposes,”

derives it from this verse

as it is written: “But his flesh upon him shall suffer pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.”

For as long as he still has flesh, his soul retains the vitality to understand what is said about him.

And the one who says, “until the cover is placed,”

derives it from

as it is written: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was;

and the spirit returns to God Who gave it.” For the body is called “dust.” And once it returns to the earth—that is, when the cover is placed—the spirit immediately returns and departs from it. It no longer has the understanding to know what is said about it.

The Sages taught:

It is written

“And the spirit returns to God Who gave

it.” “Who gave it” is a superfluous phrase in the verse. And we expound it: Be careful with your soul, and

give

it

to Him

to God,

just as

it was when He

gave it to you.

Just as He gave you the soul

in purity

and without sin,

so too you

should give it back to Him

in purity.

This may be compared to a flesh-and-blood king who distributed royal garments to his servants. The wise among them folded them and placed them in a chest. The foolish among them went and used them for their work.

After some time, the king requested his garments

back.

The wise among them,

who had preserved them,

returned them to him pressed.

But the

foolish among them,

who had used them for work,

returned them to him dirty.

The king was pleased to receive the wise ones, and angry to receive the foolish ones.

Regarding the wise ones he said: Let the garments

that had been entrusted to their hands be returned

to the treasury. And they

the wise ones

shall go to their homes in peace.

And regarding

the

foolish ones he said: Let the garments

that had become soiled in their hands

be given to the launderer. And they shall be imprisoned.

So too the Holy One, blessed be He

does the same. He entrusts the soul to the body. And when a person dies and the time comes to return the trust, the righteous return the soul pure. Then,

regarding the bodies of

the

righteous He says

the Holy One, blessed be He:

“He shall enter in peace; they shall rest upon their couches.”

This is analogous to the wise ones, whom the king dismisses in peace.

And regarding their souls He says: “And the soul of my master shall be bound in the bundle of life.”

Beneath the Throne of Glory. This is analogous to the trust in their hands, which the king returns to his treasury.

But the wicked are analogous to the foolish ones, and they return the soul dirty. Then,

regarding the bodies of

the

wicked He says

the Holy One, blessed be He:

“There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.”

And regarding their souls He says: “But the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of the sling.”

For it is judged in Gehinnom to be purified. This is analogous to the king’s garments that became soiled in the hands of the foolish ones and are given to the launderer.

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: The souls of the righteous are hidden beneath the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “And the soul of my master shall be bound in the bundle of life.”

And the souls of the wicked are slung

imprisoned in the hollow of the sling

and go on. One angel stands at one end of the world, and another angel stands at the other end of the world,

across from him,

and they sling

the souls of

these

ones

to one another. As it is stated: “But the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of the sling.”

Rava said to Rav Nahman:

And the souls

of the intermediate ones—what is

their judgment?

He said to him

Rav Nahman:

If

I

were dead

the dead

I would not have told you this matter;

I shall tell you now.

This is what Shmuel said: Both these and those

the wicked and the intermediate ones

are delivered to Dumah

the angel appointed over the spirits

are delivered.

But

these

the intermediate ones

have rest

until the future Day of Judgment [Maharsha].

And those

the wicked

have no rest.

Rather, they are slung in the hollow of the sling, as stated.

Rav Mari said: In the future, even the righteous will become dust

after their death,

as it is written: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was.”

There were certain diggers

diggers

who were digging

who dug

in the ground.

Rav Aḥai bar Yoshiya was buried in that place.

Rav Aḥai bar Yoshiya made a sound at them

made a sign for them

They came

the diggers

and said to Rav Nahman: The son of

the son of

a man

buried there has made a sound.

Rav Nahman came

to that place

and said to him

the deceased:

Who is my master?

He said to him: I am Aḥai bar Yoshiya.

He said to him

Rav Nahman: How has your body remained and not decomposed?

And

for

did Rav Mari not say: In the future the righteous will become dust?

He said to him

Rav Aḥai to Rav Nahman:

And who is

this Rav

Mari?

For

that

I do not know him,

and I have no concern for his statement.

He said to him

Rav Nahman:

But the verse

supports him, for

it is written: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was.”

He said to him

Rav Aḥai: Who

taught you

“Ecclesiastes”

did not teach you “Proverbs.”

For

that

it is written

in Proverbs

“And the rottenness of the bones is envy.”

From here

anyone who has envy

of another

in his heart

during his lifetime,

his bones decompose

after his death. And concerning him it is said, “And the dust returns to the earth as it was.” But

everyone

who

does not have envy in his heart

during his lifetime,

his bones do not decompose

after his death.

He felt him

Rav Nahman felt Rav Aḥai, and

saw that he had substance. He said to him

Rav Nahman:

Let my master arise

and enter

inside the house.

He said to him

Rav Aḥai: By making this request,

you have revealed that you have not even read the Prophets.

For

it is written: “And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves

and bring you up from your graves, My people.” Until the Holy One, blessed be He, raises us from our graves, we have no permission to rise from there.

He said to him

Rav Nahman: And still, how has your body not decomposed?

Is it not written

in the curse of Adam, the first man,

“For you are dust, and to dust shall you return”?

And it cannot be said that this verse was written only with regard to the wicked. For all the curses of Adam, the first man, apply equally to all his descendants.

He said to him: That

verse, “and to dust shall you return,” will be fulfilled

one hour before the resurrection of the dead.

That Sadducee said to Rav Abbahu: You say that the souls of the righteous are hidden beneath the Throne of Glory.

And if so,

how did the necromancer

the woman who practiced necromancy using the bones of the dead

raise Shmuel

the prophet

by means of necromancy

by means of the sorcery of the ov?

He said to him

Rav Abbahu:

There, it was within twelve months

of Shmuel’s death

that it

was. For at that time the souls are not yet fixed in their place.

And

as it was taught: For twelve months, the body

of the deceased

remains, and his soul ascends and descends. After twelve months, the body ceases to exist, and his soul ascends and no longer descends.