Tag Archives: Reincarnation

Erev Rav (Video)

Who is the Erev Rav, the “Mixed Multitude”, first mentioned in Exodus? How do they return and manifest in every generation? And why are they locked in a cosmic battle with Moses that spans all of human history? Find out in this class as we being to explore the mysterious and dangerous Erev Rav phenomenon, and what we can do to defeat this ideology—which the Zohar says is a necessary precursor to the Final Redemption and the forthcoming Messianic Age.

For a written summary and lots more information, see here.
For the previous class that explored the Erev Rav’s connection to the Tree of Knowledge, see ‘Queen Esther’s Kabbalah’.
For more on the “quantum brain” theory and a scientific explanation for reincarnation, see here.

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!

Seven Prophetesses of Israel

‘Deborah’ by Gustav Doré

This week’s parasha, Tetzave, continues with the description of the construction of the Mishkan and its holy vessels. The walls of the Mishkan were held up by 48 pillars of acacia wood, plus 7 lintel beams. The Ba’al haTurim (Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, 1269-1343) comments on Exodus 26:15 that the 48 pillars correspond to the 48 male prophets named in Tanakh. The 7 lintels, meanwhile, correspond to the seven generations between Abraham and Moses. This second comment is strange since we would expect the Ba’al haTurim to instead say that the 48 pillars correspond to the 48 male prophets while the 7 lintels correspond to the 7 female prophetess, as enumerated by our Sages. We are taught in the Talmud (Megillah 14a) that the Seven Prophetesses of Israel were Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther. Of course, there were other female prophetesses in ancient Israel, just as there were many more than 48 male prophets. These 55 are specifically mentioned because we actually have their prophecies recorded, or because they are explicitly referred to as “prophets” in Tanakh (as Miriam is in Exodus 15:20).

The Seven Prophetesses are particularly special because they are sometimes described as being even greater than their male counterparts. For instance, when Abraham turned to God concerned about Sarah’s plans, God told him to listen to Sarah and do as she says (Genesis 21:12). Deborah is described as being greater than Barak, and Hannah more in tune than Eli the kohen gadol. Amazingly, Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh points out that when the Torah says there will be more great prophets in the future like Moses to lead the people (Deuteronomy 18:15), the gematria of that entire phrase (נָבִיא מִקִּרְבְּךָ מֵאַחֶיךָ כָּמֹנִי יָקִים לְךָ יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵלָיו תִּשְׁמָעוּן) is 1839, exactly equal to the value of the names of the Seven Prophetesses! (שָׂרָה מִרְיָם דְּבוֹרָה חַנָּה אֲבִיגַיִל חֻלְדָּה אֶסְתֵּר) That might explain why the 7 lintels lie “above” the 48 pillars, as if implying that the female prophetess were greater than the male ones. What exactly was so great about them?

Sarah’s prophecies ensured that Isaac would inherit the covenant and continue the divine line started by Abraham. Miriam inspired her parents to reunite after their separation, resulting in the birth of Moses. She later guided baby Moses in the river and ensured his survival. There would be no Moses without Miriam! Deborah saved Israel from the cruel subjugation of Sisera, and composed one of history’s ten divine songs. From Hannah we learn how to pray (Berakhot 30b-31b), and Abigail taught us about the afterlife (including terms like kaf hakelah and tzror hachayim). Huldah foresaw the destruction of Judah at the time of King Yoshiyahu (and it is possible this prophecy resulted in the pre-emptive move to save the Ark of the Covenant and hide it for the distant future). Esther saved the Jewish people from near-extinction, and produced one of the 24 books of Tanakh.

The Sefirot of “Mochin” above (in blue) and the Sefirot of the “Middot” below (in red).

We can further parallel the Seven Prophetesses to each of the seven lower Sefirot (as all things seven in Creation are connected, and emerge from the lower Seven). Miriam embodied the waters of Chessed, taking care of her little brother, nurturing him as an infant, and later providing all the Israelites with water in the Wilderness through her miraculous well. It is specifically by the waters of the Red Sea that the Torah calls her a prophetess. Sarah, on the other hand, was Gevurah, representing severity and judgement. She made the tough call to expel Hagar and Ishmael. While Abraham was the man of Chessed, Sarah was clearly his Gevurah counterpart. (In the next generation it was flipped, with Isaac embodying Gevurah and his wife Rebecca representing Chessed—introduced in the Torah as carrying a water jug on her shoulders and kindly providing abundant waters to the camels of Eliezer.) Deborah was the judge and Torah scholar, the greatest halakhic authority of her day, personifying Tiferet, the source of Torah and emet, “truth”.

Abigail taught us about eternal life—the eternity of Netzach. She introduces us to the transmigrations of the soul following death, calling it kaf hakelah, which the Zohar (II, 99b) explains means that the soul is flung from one body to another, from one reincarnation to another, like a stone flung from a sling. The Arizal (Rabbi Itzhak Luria, 1534-1572) gives the same explanation for kaf hakelah in Sha’ar haGilgulgim (Ch. 22). Incredibly, he reveals that Abigail was herself a reincarnation of Leah! (Ch. 36) Her original husband Naval was a reincarnation of Lavan, while David had a spark of Jacob. Just as Jacob worked for Lavan, David worked for Naval. And just as Lavan cheated Jacob out of his wages, Naval did the same to David. The tikkun here was that Jacob did not wish to marry Leah, and she always felt secondary and unloved. This was rectified with Abigail, as David did indeed wish to marry her and gave her the attention she deserved. Nor was there any trick in getting David to marry Abigail, which is what had happened previously with Lavan tricking Jacob into marrying Leah.

Hannah taught us lehodot, to acknowledge Hashem and to be grateful. She sang a majestic prayer-song of thanksgiving. This is, of course, the Sefirah of Hod. The result of her prayers was Samuel, who went on to anoint the first kings of Israel. Huldah foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah due to the violation of the covenant, the brit associated with foundational Yesod. She lived in Jerusalem (II Kings 22:14), the place of the “Foundation Stone”, even hashetiyah. In fact, the southern wall of the Temple Mount has an ancient gate referred to as the “Huldah Gate”. Huldah also relayed to King Yoshiyahu that he will be spared destruction and die in peace (II Kings 22:20) because of his genuine teshuvah and rectification of his brit. The Talmud (Megillah 14b) says Huldah was a descendant of Rahav, who had an immoral past and rectified her own sphere of Yesod, meriting to marry Joshua and become the mother of many great prophets and figures, including Jeremiah and Neriah.

Finally, Esther is the embodiment of a queen, the final “feminine” Sefirah of Malkhut. In fact, the word “Malkhut” appears ten times in the Megillah, more than in any other book of Tanakh! And we read in Esther 2:17 that “The king loved Esther more than all the other women… so he set a royal crown [keter malkhut] on her head and made her queen…” Recall the teaching of our Sages that when the Megillah mentions “the king” without a name or qualifier, it can also be read as referring to The King, to Hashem. And so, it is as if God Himself crowned Esther with Malkhut.

In these ways, the seven lower Sefirot parallel the Seven Prophetesses, who attained divine inspiration on the highest levels, and ensured the survival of Israel and Judaism throughout the centuries.