Midras Yesaya 26:14: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Bamidbar Rabbah & Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

GEMARA: Our Rabbis were taught: The ten tribes will not have a share in the future world, as it is said (Ib.) And the Lord plucked them out of their land, refers to this world. He cast them into another land, refers to the world to come. So says R. Akiba. R. Simon b. Juda, the man of the village of Aku, said in the name of R. Simon: "If their acts will be as on that day, they will not return, but if they will repent, they will return." Rabbi, however, says: "They will have a share in the world to come, and they will return, as it is said (Isa. 27, 13) And then shall come those who are lost in the land of Asshur, etc." Rabba b. b. Chana said in the name of R. Jochanan: "R. Akiba has departed from his [usual] kindness, for it is said (Jer. 3, 12) Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; I will not frown upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, I will not bear grudge forever. What is his [usual] kindness? As we are taught in a Baraitha: The minor children of the wicked of Israel, will not have a share in the world to come, as it is said (Mal. 3, 19) For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, said the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Root, refers to this world, and branch, to the world to come. So says Rabban Gamaliel. R. Akiba, however, says: "They will have a share in the world to come, as it is said (Ps. 116, 6) The Lord preserveth p'thayim (fools). And in the coast towns (Arabia), a child is called pathia. And there is another passage (Dan. 4, 11-12) Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit; let the beast get away from under it, and the fowls from among its branches." Nevertheless leave the body of its root in the earth. But what does the former verse, and he shall not leave them a root or bough mean? It means that he shall not leave one commandment or a part of it which they will observe unrewarded for it in this world, in order that they shall have no share in the world to come. Another explanation, root means the soil, and bough the body. However, concerning the minors, children of idolaters, all agree that they will not have a share in the world to come." And Rabban Gamaliel infers the above from (Is. 26, 14) … and made all their memory to perish.

R. Elazar said: "Ignorants will not enjoy the resurrection, as it is said (Is. 26, 14) The dead will not live again; the departed will not rise again." We have also a Baritha to the same effect: The dead live not. One might think that this refers to everyone. Scripture therefore says, the departed will not rise again; i.e., only to him who weakened himself (departed) from studying the Torah refers the passage. R. Jochanan then said to R. Elazar: "Your interpretation is not acceptable, since the passage speaks concerning one who weakens himself for the purpose of serving idols." "I have another passage which supports my explanations, came the answer, (Ib., ib., 19) For Thy dew is as dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the departed, which means that whoever makes use of the light of (studies) the Torah, the Torah will cause his revival; but whoever does not make use of (study) the Torah, the Torah in return will not cause his revival." Noticing this, R. Jochanan felt discouraged over the severity of the above interpretation. R. Elazar said to him: "I found for them a remedy hinted in the Scripture (Deut. 4, 4) But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive, every one of you this day. How is it possible to cleave unto Shechina, since it is written (lb. ib. 24) For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire? We must therefore say that whoever marries his daughter to a scholar, whoever does business in partnership with a scholar, or whoever benefits a scholar by his estate. Scripture considers him as if he did cleave unto Schechina." Similar to this we find the following (Ib. 30, 20) To love the Lord, thy God, etc., and to cleave unto Him. How is it possible to cleave unto Shechina? We must therefore say that whoever marries his daughter to a scholar, whoever does business in partnership with a scholar, or whoever benefits a scholar by his estate. Scripture considers him as if he did cleave unto Shechina.

“On the eighth day it shall be an assembly for you; you shall not perform any toilsome labor” (Numbers 29:35).
“On the eighth day it shall be an assembly for you” – this is what the verse said: “You added for the nation, Lord” (Isaiah 26:15).³⁴It says in the previous verse: “The dead, they will not live; spirits, they will not rise; therefore, You reckoned with them, and You destroyed them and eradicated all memory of them” (Isaiah 26:14). The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, have You added tranquility to the generation of the Flood? Did they, perhaps, sacrifice one bull or one ram? It is not enough for them that they did not respect You, but they said: “Come, let us build us a city” (Genesis 11:4); and likewise the people of Sodom, and likewise Pharaoh, and likewise Sennacherib, and likewise Nebuchadnezzar? Did any of them, perhaps, sacrifice one bull or one ram? It is not enough that they did not sacrifice, but they angered you. To whom is it appropriate for You to add tranquility and honor? It is to Israel, as it is stated: “You added for the nation [goy], Lord,” and goy is none other than Israel, as it is stated: “Who is like Your people, like Israel, one nation [goy] on earth?” (II Samuel 7:23).
The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, it is incumbent upon You to give us the festivals, and it is incumbent upon us to sacrifice offerings before you as appropriate. “You are honored” (Isaiah 26:15) – You gave us New Moons, and we sacrifice before You, as it is stated: “And on your New Moons [you shall present a burnt offering to the Lord]” (Numbers 28:11). We sacrificed to You on Passover; we sacrificed to You on the New Year; we sacrificed to You on Yom Kippur, and likewise on the Festival.³⁵Sukkot We did not abolish even one festival.’ The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You should add festivals for us, and it is incumbent upon us to sacrifice before You and honor You’: “You added for the nation; You are honored; You distanced them to all ends of the earth” (Isaiah 26:15).³⁶The other nations, for whom the seventy bulls were sacrificed, were distanced, as opposed to Israel, who were honored and given an extra festival (Radal). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘As you live, I will not retract holidays from you, but rather, I will add festivals for you during which you will rejoice, as it is stated: “On the eighth day…an assembly.”’