What do we believe about the hereafter? TB Pesakhim 50

With today’s daf TB Pesakhim 50 we finish the third chapter of our massekhet and begin the fourth. The third chapter concludes with a lot of interesting midrashim and the fourth chapter analyzes the role, power, and extent of a custom (minhag- מינהג) in the life of a Jew and community. Our Gemara teaches three opinions about the hereafter while explaining a verse in Zechariah.

“ ‘And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall not be light, but heavy clouds [yekarot] and thickness [vekippaon]’ (Zechariah 14:6). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the expression ‘yekarot vekippaon’?” (Sefaria.org translation)

(The first interpretation) “Rabbi Elazar said: This is the light currently provided by the sun, which is significant [yakar] in this world and insignificant [kafuy] in the World-to-Come, when the moon will shine as brightly as the sun does now and the sun will be seven times brighter than it is currently” (Sefaria.org translation) Could this light be the hidden light of the first day of creation? Light was created on the first day, but the sun wasn’t created until the fourth day! The rabbis understood that the light that was created on the first day was special. With this light a person could see from one end of the world to the other end of the world. Rashi on Genesis 3-4 comments, “He saw it (the light-gg), that does not deserve that the wicked use it, and He set it aside for the righteous to be used by them in the future.”

(The second interpretation) “Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This expression refers to the tractates of Nega’im and Oholot, which are weighty [yekarim] owing to their difficulty in this world, as they are among the most complex subjects, but will be easy [kefuyin] in the World-to-Come, when people will be much wiser.” (Sefaria.org translation) Good news that we shall all become smarter and things will become clearer.

(The third interpretation) “And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: These are people who are considered important [yekarim] in this world and unimportant [kefuyim] in the World-to-Come. This is like the incident involving Rav Yosef, son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who became ill and was about to expire. When he returned to good health, his father said to him: What did you see when you were about to die? He said to him: I saw an inverted world. Those above, i.e., those who are considered important in this world, were below, insignificant, while those below, i.e., those who are insignificant in this world, were above. He said to him: My son, you have seen a clear world. The world you have seen is the true world, as in that world people’s standings befit them. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: And where are we, the Torah scholars, there? Rav Yosef responded: Just as we are regarded here, so are we regarded there.” (Sefaria.org translation) Here we see that the criteria which we judge people in this world is not the same criteria God judges people in the hereafter. Just because a person is rich or has achieved a higher status in this life doesn’t make him a worthy role model. In fact, he could become a negative role model for us to learn from what not to do. I can think of a president who fits this bill.

So which opinion is correct? When I was a rabbi in Springfield, Massachusetts I spoke about Judaism to an ecumenical Christian group. After my short talk, I opened up the floor for questions. Somebody asked me what we believe about the hereafter. I told them that that there is no one Jewish understanding, but many because nobody has come back from the dead to describe it to us. Then I looked around the room at all those Christians and then said, “Well at least, nobody in our tradition.”

I happen to believe that there is a hereafter, but I subscribe to what Dr. Louis Finkelstein z”l, the Chancellor of JTS once said. He said, “If there is olam habah (עולם הבא), the hereafter, great. If there isn’t, I can learn to live without it.”