Shabbat 152b — the Talmud in English

Every day

during the seven days

there was a matter

[sent by] Rabbi

Judah, ten

men,

and they sat in his place

of the deceased, and they accepted condolences regarding him.

After seven days, the deceased appeared to him

the deceased

in his dream

[in his dream]

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

because

you put my mind at rest.

Rabbi Abbahu said: Everything that they say in the presence of the deceased

he hears

and knows

the matters,

until

the

cover

seals him. And a “cover” is the covering that they place over the coffin of the deceased .

And Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon the son of Rabbi disagree concerning it.

One said:

The deceased knows what they say about him

until

the

cover seals him.

And one said:

He knows what they say about him

until his flesh decomposes

and is finished.

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

derives it from this:

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

For as long as he still has flesh, his soul has vitality to understand what they say about him.

And the one who says, “until the cover seals,”

derives it from

as it is written, “And the dust returns upon the earth as it was,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” For the body is called “dust.” And when it returns to the earth, that is, with the sealing of the cover, immediately the spirit returns and departs from him. And he no longer has understanding to know what they say about him.

The Sages taught:

It is written:

“And the spirit returns to God who gave

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

give

it

to Him

to God,

as

it was at the time

when He gave it to you.

Just as He gave you the soul

in purity

and without sin,

so you

give it to Him

in purity.

A parable of a flesh-and-blood king who distributed royal garments to his servants. The intelligent ones among them folded them and placed them in a box. The foolish ones among them went and performed work with them.

After some time, the king requested his articles

back.

The intelligent ones among them,

who had guarded them,

returned them to him when they were pressed.

But the

foolish ones among them,

who had performed work with them,

returned them to him when they were soiled.

The king rejoiced toward the intelligent ones, and he was angry toward the foolish ones.

Regarding the intelligent ones he said: Let the articles

that had been entrusted to their hands be returned

to the treasury. And they

the intelligent ones

shall go to their homes in peace.

And regarding

the

foolish ones he said: Let the articles

that became soiled in their hands

be given to the launderer. And they shall be confined in the prison.

So too the Holy One, blessed is He.

He gives the soul as a deposit into the hand of the body. And when a person dies and the time for returning the deposit arrives, the righteous return the soul when it is pure. And then,

concerning the bodies of

the

righteous He says

the Holy One, blessed is He:

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

Analogous to the intelligent ones, whom the king dismisses in peace.

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

Beneath the Throne of Glory. Analogous to the deposit in their hands, which the king returns to his treasury.

But the wicked are analogous to the foolish ones, and they return the soul when it is soiled. And then,

concerning the bodies of

the

wicked, He says

the Holy One, blessed is He:

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

And concerning their souls He says: “And the souls of your enemies He shall sling within the hollow of the sling.”

For it is judged in Gehenna to purify it. Analogous to the king’s articles that became soiled in the hands of the foolish ones, which 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 within the hollow of the sling]

and go. And one angel stands at the end of the world, and another angel stands at the end of the world

on its other side,

and they sling

in the hollow of the sling the

souls

of these

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

Rabbah said to Rav Nahman:

And the souls

of the intermediate ones, what is

their judgment?

He said to him,

Rav Nahman:

There is

[if]

I die

[the dead]

I would not have told you this matter,

I shall tell you.

Thus said Shmuel: Both these and those

[the wicked and the intermediate ones]

are delivered to Duma

[the angel appointed over the spirits]

.

Except that

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 upon the earth as it was.”

Those diggers

[who were digging]

who were digging

[who dug]

in the earth.

And Rav Ahai bar Yoshiah was buried in that place.

Rav Ahai bar Yoshiah made a sound toward them

[gave them a sign]

. They came

the diggers

and said to Rav Nahman: The son of

[son of]

a man

buried there has made a sound.

Rav Nahman came

to that place,

and said to him

the dead man:

Who is the master?

He said to him: I am Ahai bar Yoshiah.

He said to him,

Rav Nahman: And how has your body remained and not decayed?

And

for

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

He said to him,

Rav Ahai to Rav Nahman:

And who is

Rav

Mari?

For

that

I do not know him,

and I do not concern myself with his words.

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 Ahai: Whoever

taught you

[taught you]

Ecclesiastes did not teach you Proverbs.

For

that

it is written

in Proverbs

“And the rotting of the bones is jealousy.”

From here that

everyone who has jealousy

toward his fellow

in his heart

during his lifetime,

his bones rot

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

everyone

who

does not have jealousy in his heart

during his lifetime,

his bones do not rot

after his death.

He felt him

[Rav Nahman felt him] Rav Nahman felt Rav Ahai, and

he saw that there was substance in him. He said to him

Rav Nahman:

Let the master arise

and enter

inside the house.

He said to him,

Rav Ahai: By asking this of me,

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 when I bring you up from your graves, O My people.” For until the Holy One, blessed is He, brings us up from our graves, we have no permission to rise from there.

He said to him,

Rav Nahman: But still, how has your body not decayed?

And it is 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 too was written only concerning the wicked. For all the curses of Adam the first man apply equally to all his generations.

He said to him: That

verse, “To dust shall you return,” will be fulfilled

one hour before the revival of the dead .

That Sadducee said to Rav Abbahu: You say, “The souls of the righteous are hidden beneath the Throne of Glory.”

And if so,

the mistress of the ghost

[the mistress of the ghost who uses the bones of the dead]

how did she bring up Shmuel

the prophet

through a ghostly incantation

[through ghost sorcery]?

He said to him,

Rav Abbahu:

There, within twelve months

of Shmuel’s death

it was.

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

And

as it was taught: For all twelve months the body

of the deceased

exists, and his soul ascends and descends. After twelve months, the body is nullified, and his soul ascends, and it no longer descends.