ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף משלי 10:21

Judah ben Shaul said, “The author says: May the God of Israel, who confirms His words and vindicates the righteous in their time, be blessed and exalted.” I will now say that I found the multitude of Israel believing that the Creator, blessed and exalted, will revive their dead at the time of redemption. They interpret every passage in the Scriptures that seems to refer to the resurrection of the dead at the time of salvation according to its plain meaning. They also support this belief with traditional teachings and interpretations related to that subject. I also found a small number within the nation who do not agree that this will occur at the time of redemption, instead claiming it will happen when entering the World to Come. They base this view on a weak and flawed argument—part of which I have heard from them and part of which I have inferred from their reasoning. Since it is the duty of every righteous person to initially embrace the desired truth and reject contradictory ideas, as it is written (Proverbs 10:32), “The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing,” it is also incumbent upon them to inform the nation, clarify the matter, and turn them away from the words of fools. As it is further written (Proverbs 10:21), “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.” In pursuit of justice, even though I may not have fully attained it, I have examined this matter and scrutinized it thoroughly so that I might first establish the clearest understanding possible. Thereafter, I wrote this for our nation as a guide and a means to assist them in serving our God and enduring their exile. I conducted this work according to the guidance the Creator commanded in matters of enduring hardship, as it says (Isaiah 35:3-4), “Strengthen the weak hands, and steady the trembling knees. Say to those with fearful hearts: Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God…” When I examined whether there is a basis for the popular belief in the resurrection of the dead at the time of redemption, I investigated and found that the arguments advanced in favor of this belief stem from four sources: nature, reason, Scripture, and tradition. I began with nature because of its intrinsic precedence. I asked whether one must deny the possibility of resurrection because nature cannot achieve it, as it is not natural for the dead to return to life. However, upon reflection, I found this reasoning untenable, as it aligns only with those who believe in the eternity of matter or dualistic doctrines, for whom events occur only according to fixed and known patterns. But for those who believe in the Oneness of God, who changes the laws of nature at His will, it is impossible to deny the resurrection based on nature. All believers in the Oneness of God acknowledge that He sent prophets with signs and wonders, and greater still, created the primal elements from nothing. Thus, if one were to reject the resurrection because nature cannot accomplish it, one would also have to reject miracles such as the transformation of Moses’ staff into a serpent, the splitting of the sea, the halting of the sun in Gibeon, and other miraculous acts recorded in the Scriptures. Rejecting these would lead to denying the Creator’s power and exiting the community of believers. Moreover, resurrection is logically simpler and closer to reason than the creation of existence from nothing. I further considered whether this topic might belong to the realm of impossibilities, like bringing back yesterday or making five greater than ten. But when I scrutinized this, I found that it, too, was false. The elemental components of a body that decomposes return to their primal sources in the four elements (heat, cold, moisture, and dryness). New bodies can be formed from elements that were not part of the previous body. This vast reservoir of elemental matter ensures that bodies can be reconstructed at the time of resurrection, even if their prior elements were scattered or consumed. Moreover, the belief in resurrection is strengthened by the acknowledgment that consumed or burned bodies are not annihilated but merely separated into their component parts, all of which remain preserved for the appointed time. When I reflected upon these matters, my doubts disappeared, and my belief in this doctrine was solidified. I said: Blessed be He who is capable of all things.

Rabbi Yannai in the opening Midrash quoted, simply wanted to tell us that the lesson taught by the spice merchant had already been taught by Solomon in Proverbs.

The word further signifies “counsel.” Comp. “All the rest of Israel were of one heart (i.e., had one plan) to make David king” (1 Chron. 12:38); “but fools die for want of heart,” i.e., of counsel; “My heart (i.e., my counsel) shall not turn away from this so long as I live” (Job 27:6); for this sentence is preceded by the words, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go”; and then follows, “my heart shall never turn away from this.”—As regards the expression yeḥeraf, I think that it may be compared with the same verb in the form neḥrefet, “a handmaid betrothed (neḥrefet) to a man” (Lev. 19:20), where neḥerfetḥ is similar in meaning to the Arabic munḥarifat, “turning away,” and signifies “turning from the state of slavery to that of marriage.”