Category Archives: Midrash

Seven Judgements of Death

The ‘Pillars of Creation’ in the Eagle Nebula (Courtesy: NASA)

This week’s parasha, Vayak’hel, begins with the command to observe Shabbat. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, thus commanding us to organize our lives around the same seven-day week schedule. Observing Shabbat is testifying that Hashem is the Creator of this cosmos, and it is possibly the greatest display of our faith in the Creator. And so, the Torah warns that violating the Sabbath detaches one from their Maker, and ultimately brings about death (Exodus 35:2). The Zohar (II, 199a) comments on this week’s parasha that there are “seven judgements of death”. The soul goes through seven stages in the afterlife, each carrying the possibility of a very unpleasant experience.

The first “judgement” is the actual death itself, when the soul leaves the body. The Talmud (Berakhot 8a) states that there are 903 different ways it might occur. This is based on Psalms 68:21, which says “God is for us a God of deliverance; Hashem Adonai provides escapes from death.” The term “escapes from death” (לַמָּוֶת תֹּצָאוֹת) can also be read to refer to the soul escaping the body at death. The Talmud notes that the gematria of “escapes” (תֹּצָאֽוֹת) is 903, secretly alluding to the 903 ways that the soul might escape the body. It goes on to say that the worst form of death is the mysterious askara, often translated as “croup”, sometimes identified as diphtheria, or perhaps another terrible respiratory illness or asphyxiation. And the best and most pleasant way to die is through a neshikah, a kiss—the “kiss of death”—where the soul comes out of the body gently like “a hair drawn from milk”. Only the most righteous are said to merit dying by a divine kiss. (It is interesting to note that, elsewhere, the Talmud [Yevamot 62b] describes that Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students died by the terrible askara.)

The next “judgement” following death is when one’s “actions and words go before him and proclaim about him”. This may be referring to one’s life flashing before their eyes. If one had a good and righteous life, then a replay of their “actions and words” would probably be a pleasant experience. However, if one led a sinful life, a replay would be horrendously shameful. There are those who suggest this is the real torment of hell. It is partly based on Daniel 12:2, which says “Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, others to everlasting shame.” Similarly, Psalm 6:11 says “All my enemies will be shamed and stricken with terror; they will return in an instant and be shamed.” Why does it repeat “shame” twice? Rashi explains here that the wicked will be sentenced to Gehinnom, and when they protest, God will replay their sinful lives again (unraveling their “scrolls”), and they will be doubly shamed.

The Zohar continues to teach that the third “judgement” is the actual burial of the body. If a person lives a solely material existence and is very attached to their body, then the experience of burial will be an unpleasant one. For a spiritual person who is not so attached to their body and is easily able to shed their outer garment, it won’t be distressing at all.

Then comes dina d’kavra, or din hakever, judgement “at the grave” itself. This is likely the same as the hibbut hakever described in other places. In Sefer Chokhmat HaNefesh, Rabbi Elazar of Worms (c. 1176 – 1238) cites a Midrash that when a person is buried, the Angel of Death appears at the grave and asks the soul’s name. The wicked do not remember their names following death (being so disoriented and confused), so the Angel of Death takes them immediately up for judgement. (Later versions have a much worse description, with a beating involving a frightening chain of metal and fire!) Thankfully, the righteous do remember their names, and are spared. Based on this, there is a widespread custom to recite a verse from Tanakh that starts and ends with the first and last letters of one’s name at the conclusion of the Amidah (this is found in most siddurim today). Doing so is supposed to help a person recall their name after death, and avoid hibbut hakever.

Next comes dina d’tolaata, the “judgement of the worms”, referring to the decomposition of the body. For the wicked, who have a hard time detaching their souls from their bodies in the grave, this is particularly painful. For the righteous who can shed their bodies easily, they don’t feel the decomposition. Some uniquely righteous individuals don’t decompose at all (see, for instance, Bava Batra 17a), and avoid the “judgement of worms” entirely.

The sixth judgement is the suffering in Gehinnom. This is not for eternal damnation, but to rectify the soul. As the Mishnah (Eduyot 2:10) says clearly, it carries a maximum sentence of 12 months—which is why it is customary to recite Kaddish for the dead for no more than a year. Now, the “flames” of Gehinnom are said to subside on every Shabbat, giving the souls a reprieve. This is one of the deeper reasons for why lighting fires is forbidden on Shabbat, as commanded at the start of this week’s parasha. God doesn’t “light any fires” in Gehinnom either! The Zohar (II, 150b) adds that the fire subsides on holidays and Rosh Chodesh, too. Those who kept Shabbat while alive get to leave Gehinnom and enjoy a Heavenly Sabbath, but those who desecrated Shabbat stay in Gehinnom (without the flames).

Finally, the seventh judgement is when “the soul wanders around the world, without rest until it fulfills its deeds.” This is referring to reincarnation, where the soul needs to return into this world if it has not yet completed its mission. One who has fulfilled all mitzvot and rectified all aspects of their soul has no need to reincarnate. That said, sometimes righteous people do reincarnate to help others in this world. (For lots more on reincarnation, see the three-part series of videos here.) Before briefly sharing King David’s thoughts on these seven judgements, the Zohar concludes by reminding us how important it is for each person to be very careful with their deeds, and to make sure to do genuine teshuva and return to Hashem.

Shabbat Shalom!

Heroes of Issachar & Zevulun

Who were some of the greatest leaders and figures from the ancient Israelite tribes of Issachar and Zevulun? What were the ten special things created by God on the eve of the first Sabbath? And what is the mysterious shamir “worm” that was used to cut stones for Jerusalem’s Temple? Plus, who did Issachar reincarnate in? Where did Jonah come from? And who exactly are the Druze?

For Part 1 of this class, see here.
For Rabbi Akiva’s last five teachings to Rashbi, see here.
For more on the origins of Kaddish, see here.

The Mishkan & the Cosmos

This week’s parasha, Terumah, begins the Torah’s long and detailed descriptions of the Mishkan, or Tabernacle. More than just a “mobile sanctuary”, the Mishkan was constructed as a microcosm of the entire universe. The Midrash points out how each of the Mishkan’s components corresponded to an act of Creation (Midrash Aggadah on Exodus 38):

First in Genesis was “Heaven and Earth”, and this was symbolized by the Two Tablets in the Ark of the Covenant contained within the Mishkan’s “Holy of Holies”. Of the Ten Commandments, the first half deal with mitzvot between man and God, while the second half are between man and fellow. (The fifth, honouring parents, is thought to be a bit of both.) So, we can see how one Tablet would correspond to “Heaven” and the other Tablet to “Earth”!

Next on the list is the Rakia, often poorly translated as “Firmament”. This was created on the Second Day to separate “between the waters” above and below, ie. between the Heavens and the Earth. The Midrash states that in the Mishkan it corresponded to the parokhet, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Tabernacle. Interestingly, in describing the “Seven Heavens”, the Talmud (Chagigah 12b) teaches that the first and lowest of the Heavens—right beneath the Rakia—is called Vilon, literally meaning “curtain” in Latin (velum).

Illustration of the First Jerusalem Temple, with “Molten Sea” on the right.

On the Third Day, God “gathered the waters” to form the oceans, and this paralleled the Mishkan’s kior, the copper laver where the kohanim washed. Later, King Solomon built a much larger “Molten Sea” in front of Jerusalem’s Temple, supported by a dozen statues of oxen (the connection between this Molten Sea and mathematical pi was discussed previously here). Also on the Third Day, God formed the lands and made them flourish with grasses and plants. Similarly, the Mishkan had the Shulchan with ever-fresh loaves of bread.

On Day Four, God created the luminaries, of which there are seven visible to the naked eye: sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Seven Luminaries play a big role in ancient texts, both Jewish and non-Jewish. In fact, in many cultures and languages, the seven days of the week are named after them. In English: Saturday, Sunday and Monday are named after Saturn, sun, and moon. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are named after the Norse gods Tiw, Woden (or Odin), Thor, and Frigg (or Frei), corresponding to Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. The connection is easier to see in the French names for these days: mardi, mercredi, jeudi, and vendredi. The Midrash explains that in the Mishkan, the Seven Luminaries were represented by, of course, the luminous Menorah with its seven branches.

On the Fifth Day, God created winged animals, and corresponding to these are the Kruvim, the winged Cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant. The Midrash doesn’t say anything about fish, which were also created on the Fifth Day. Intriguingly, the Mishkan (and later Temple) had a variety of offerings including fruits, grains, and breads, birds and land animals—but no fish! However, the special blue tekhelet dye that was used in the Mishkan fabrics and priestly garments does come from sea snails, so perhaps we can add that to the list in the Midrash.

The main creation of Day Six was Adam. The Midrash says that God brought Adam into the Garden of Eden on that same day, leading the first human into that special holy place. Similarly, in the Mishkan we had Aharon serve as kohen gadol, representing Adam, and entering the Holy of Holies, the Mishkan’s special “Garden of Eden”. The Midrash adds that Aharon was greater than Adam, since Adam sinned in the Garden, but Aharon atoned for sin in the Holy of Holies. This further helps us understand the true role of the kohen: to restore some of the world’s lost holy light.

After Adam consumed of the Forbidden Fruit, God called out ayekah (איכה), “where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) As explored in the past, this word can be broken down into ayeh koh (איה כ״ה), “where is the 25?” The 25 alludes to the 25th word of the Torah which is ohr, “light”. So, God was really asking “Where is the light of Creation?” for Adam and Eve caused that light to be lost. All of Israel is called to be a light unto the nations, and restore that light to the world. Within Israel, the kohanim in particular had to take the lead. And they would bless the people of Israel to help them accomplish this task, as the Torah states: koh tevarkhu et bnei Israel (Numbers 6:23). In fact, the kohen himself is a koh-en, a bringer of that hidden light. The Midrash actually goes on to say that, really, all of Israel are likened to kohanim, and will all become kohanim in the future, as it is written, “You shall all be called ‘priests of God’ [kohanei Hashem], and ‘servants of God’ shall be said of you; you shall enjoy the wealth of nations and revel in their honour.” (Isaiah 61:6)

And Hashem promises many more rewards: in the merit of the parokhet that the Israelites made corresponding to the Rakia, God promises to make us all glow like the Heavens, as it says, “And the wise ones shall glow like the glow [zohar] of the Rakia…” (Daniel 12:3) In the merit of the Shulchan, God promises to bless the land and its fruits (Leviticus 26:4). In the merit of the Menorah, God promises to bring upon us the light of the Shekhinah, and magnify the light of the luminaries, as it says in Isaiah 30:26 that “the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold…” Finally, in the merit of the Cherubs that correspond to the flying creatures, God will end the exile and fly us all back to Israel “like doves to their cotes” (Isaiah 60:8). This would have been very hard to imagine for most of history, until recent decades, as we can now literally fly to the Holy Land!

Thankfully, we have already seen these promises begin to be fulfilled right before our eyes. We are nearing the finish line, and we will soon see the return of Hashem’s Sanctuary, together with all of its holy vessels and the Ark of the Covenant, in an everlasting edifice, at its rightful place in the Holy Land.