DAYS OF MOSHIACH – A Five-Part Series by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

PART ONE:   YEMOS HaMOSHIACH & TECHIYAS HaMEISIM

(Days of Moshiach & Resurrection of the Dead)

Yemos HaMoshiach & Techiyas HaMeisim

Chelek 1, Chapter Thirteen

Version Date: January 29, 2001

Mitzvos in Yemos HaMoshiach?

Nature and physicality will remain until the time of “Techiyas HaMeisim” (Resurrection of the Dead), which will begin no less than forty years after the “Ingathering of the Exiles,” as it says in Midrash Ne’elam (Toldos 139a,140a; Shemos 10a). Regarding that time, it says: There is no difference between This World and Yemos HaMoshiach except for the oppression of nations” (Brochos 34b). The world will not begin to change from its present, natural state of zuhama and physicality until Techiyas HaMeisim (Resurrection of the Dead), and even then, it will happen over time.

Resurrection itself won’t happen all at once, as it says: In the future, tzaddikim will resurrect the dead (Pesachim 68a). See the Midrash Ne’elam (Vayaira 114b). Before the resurrection, zuhama will be eliminated and physicality of the body will decompose, as says: In the future, tzaddikim will be dust, as it says, “Until you return to the earth from where you were taken. You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Bereishis 3:19) (Shabbos 152b). When does this occur? One “hour” before Techiyas HaMeisim, when all those still living will die to allow for the physicality of the body to decompose and be transformed from “Kesones Ohr” (AYIN-vav-raish) to “Kesones Ohr” (ALEPH-vav-raish).

Death, at that time, will no longer be the result of Angel of Death, G-d forbid, for, by that time, he will have been eliminated completely, as it says: In the Future Time, The Holy One, Blessed is He, will bring the yetzer hara (Evil Inclination) before the tzaddikim (Righteous ones) and the evil, and slaughter it. These will cry and these will cry. (Succah 52a).

At that time, since the world will be completely purified from zuhama, death will come directly from The Holy One, Blessed is He, Himself, for the sake of immediate resurrection with a new body like that of Adam HaRishon (The first man) before the sin, just as he entered Gan Aiden (Garden of Eden). It is to this that Midrash Ne’elam (Vayaira 113b) refers when it quotes, “I bring death and I give life” (Devarim 32:39). For, death at that time will be directly from The Holy One, Blessed is He, only, as in the case of Moshe Rabbeinu’s (our teacher’s) death, and that of the Forefathers, Aharon and Miriam (Bava Basra 17a).

This is also spoken about elsewhere in the Zohar:

With respect to that time, it is written, “See now that it is I, I am Him, and there is no god with Me; I will bring death and I give life.” Until that time death was the result of the “Sitra Achra (The other side – opposite holiness),” but, from that time onward, no one will taste death. Rather, it will be from The Holy One, Blessed is He, Who will bring death to us and resurrect us immediately. Why? Since zuhama will no longer exist, and it will be a new world, loyal to The Holy One, Blessed is He. (Zohar, Mishpatim 108b)

It would seem logical to assume that the time of decomposition of all those who die in advance of the resurrection will not be the same for everyone, but rather, it will depend upon the spiritual level of the person. However, based upon another version in the Zohar, it says that everyone will arise immediately, implying resurrection at the same time for all.

Hence, it would seem that not everyone will die at the same time, and therefore, in any case (even if resurrection is immediate for a person after they die) it will not occur at the same time for everyone. For, someone who has rid himself of zuhama early will die earlier and therefore resurrect earlier, because the only reason for death at that time will be to dissolve the physicality of the body so that it can be created anew, and thus, the duration of time from death to resurrection will be the same for everyone.

Duration of Techiyas HaMeisim

As a result, the period of death-resurrection for the entire “generation” will be long, though, tzaddikim who have died previously will resurrect immediately at the beginning of the period, which will after forty years of the ingathering of the exiles. This is what it says in Midrash:

There will be many resurrections, and the period of time will continue, according to Rebi Yehudah from forty years after Kibbutz Golios (end of exile), at which time the first resurrection will occur, and continue

until the last resurrection, a period of 210 years. Rebi Yitzchak says: 214 years. Rebi Nachman says there is no fixed time-it depends upon the time a person has been absorbed in the ground.

What Rebi Nachman means is that resurrection for the individual will not occur immediately after death, but rather, it will depend upon how much time it takes to dissolve the “Kesones Ohr”-“Clothing of the Snake.”

Rebi Yosi said to him: Nevertheless, the entire period will be either 210 years, as Rebi Yehudah says, or, 214 years, as Rebi Yitzchak holds. (Midrash Ne’elam, Toldos 140a)

Thus, there will be many resurrections over a large period of time; the first resurrection will only occur after forty years of ingathering of exiles (139): The Ingathering of the Exiles will precede Techiyas HaMeisim by forty years. The period of troubles that will pass until Techiyas HaMeisim will last forty years. We find the same thing being said in other places.

Resurrection

Look also in the Zohar (Chaye Sarah 126a), where it says that the resurrection will literally occur in the body itself. It also says (127a): In the body that suffered with the soul in This World and did not derive any pleasure from the entire Torah and his good deeds will resurrection take place, after it is purified from all its zuhama and physicality, as a result of death and decomposition in the ground, as it is explained:

It is like a craftsman who extracts silver from its source in the ground; in the beginning he puts it into an oven until all the impurities of the ground are removed, and the silver remains. But not perfect silver, until he puts it into the oven again. Likewise, The Holy One, Blessed is He, puts the body into the ground until it completely rots and all of the zuhama is removed, and only a small amount of decomposed matter remains. From this He re-builds the body, but not a perfect body.

What this means is that at the beginning, He will build the body from the small amount of decomposed matter, which will be clean and pure from zuhama. However, it will still be quite physical and not in its true perfected state.

After that Great Day, as it is written, “It will be a unique day; it will be known as G-d’s, neither day nor night” (Zechariah 14:7).

This is after the war of Gog and Magog, as it is written in 107b and many places:

All of them will hide in the ground like before from the fear and the power of The Holy One, Blessed is He, and this is what it is written, “and (idolaters) will enter caves in the rocks and tunnels in the ground, because of the fear of G-d and from the glory of His greatness” (Yeshayahu 2:19) Š

This will also be in Yemos HaMoshiach, as it says (Shemos 7b; Pinchas 243a). “And their souls will leave them”

In other words, many will die from the great fear and awe alone!

“And, this small amount of decomposed matter will decompose even more”

In other words, during the time from when Moshiach comes until Techiyas HaMeisim physicality of the body will also decompose.

“The body will remain there to be re-built, and its light will be like the light of the sun, like the light of Heaven.” (Zohar, Vayaira 115b - 116a)

For, from the time that Moshiach comes, all bodies will be re-built pure and clean from any zuhama, but they will still be quite physical. After that, they will decompose more and then be re-built in Techiyas HaMeisim with splendor and they will give off light like the sun and the Heavenly emanations.

All of this pertains to those who have already died as a result of the Angel of Death. However, death for the generation that merits to live into Yemos HaMoshiach will be from The Holy One, Blessed is He, directly, as it was for the Forefathers, Moshe, Aharon, Miriam.

They will not all die at the same time, for, the world will not be destroyed in advance of Techiyas HaMeisim. Rather, some will die early, and some later, just as it is now. It will continue this way for a long time-the entire forty-year period of Kibbutz Golios until the first resurrection, as well as the entire 210 years or 214 years after the first resurrection until the last resurrection, as we mentioned previously. Anyone who is not yet rectified by the time resurrection begins as is fitting for eternal life, will die at the end.