The Resurrection of the Dead a Jewish Belief
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
A JEWISH BELIEF
One of the most under-emphasized Jewish beliefs is the resurrection of the dead. This is in stark contrast to the way things were in the days of Maimonides. Maimonides bemoans the fact that everyone was talking about the resurrection of the dead. People were asking questions such as “How will we arise?” “Will we arise with our clothing?” etc. ` It is also interesting to note that Maimonides was criticized for mentioning very little about the resurrection in his Thirteen Principles of Faith. He was even charged with denial of that belief. As a result, he was compelled to pen his “Treatise on Resurrection” where he makes it abundantly clear that the belief in the resurrection of the dead is a fundamental principle of Judaism, that is rooted in the Torah. His reason for giving it short shrift, he explains is precisely because everyone is aware of its implications and were dwelling on the minutiae, such as whether we will arise with our clothing or not. Maimonides felt that we should pay more attention to the spiritual concept of the afterlife.
Suffice it to say that in the opinion of Maimonides the belief in the Resurrection is an integral part of Judaism. It is taken from the Biblical book of Daniel (12:2) which states: “Many of them that sleep in the land of the dust shall awake.” Again in the very last verse of Daniel (12:12) this belief is reiterated: “And you shall rest, and shall stand up to your lot, at the end of the days.”
The prophet Isaiah (26:19) had already alluded to this belief when he states: “Your dead shall be revived, my corpses shall arise; awaken and sing you who dwell in the dust, for a dew of lights is your dew…”
Our Talmudic sages (Sanhedrin - ) devoted an uncharacteristically long segment on this subject. They begin the discussion with the statement of the Mishnah that one who denies the Biblical source of the Resurrection does not share in it. (Sanhedrin )
What is most noteworthy, however, is that Maimonides who devotes little attention to this belief, nevertheless, included it as a principle of faith. The fact that he included it in his Thirteen Principles of Faith indicates that it is more than just an important belief. It is as the name “principle” implies, a foundation of Judaism. When a building has no foundation or has a weak one, it cannot stand very long.
If Maimonides considered the resurrection of the dead a principle of faith, certainly, Nachmanides and the Kabbalists would regard it as such. For as we have explained in the preceding chapter. Maimonides considered the resurrection period as a mere prelude to the afterlife where the soul divests itself of the body. Even so, Maimonides considers the belief in Resurrection as a foundation of Judaism. Despite its temporary nature, it is still basic enough of a belief to warrant inclusion in the Thirteen Principles of Faith.
How much more so, according to Nachmanides and the Kabbalists, who regard the period of the Resurrection as the final one, that it is a fundamental principle of faith.
The question is why?
Why is it so important to believe that a time will come when all the dead will be brought back to life?
From the book Safe Kabbalah, Part Three: Journeys of the Soul by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
