AND THEY BORE UP THE ARK, AND IT WAS LIFTED UP ABOVE THE EARTH. R. Abba connected this text with the verse: Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim, thy glory be above all the earth (Ps. 57, 6). ‘Woe,’ he said, ‘to the sinners who daily provoke their Master, and through their sins repel the Shekinah and cause it to disappear from the world, wherefore the Scripture says: “Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim” (the Shekinah being called Elohim).
So here, the words, “and they bore up the ark” indicate that they thrust her forth, and the words, “it was lifted up above the earth”, that she found no more rest in the world, and so departed altogether from it. And in the absence of the Shekinah there is no one to take thought for the world, with the result that divine justice is exercised upon it with rigour. But when the wicked are blotted out and removed from the world, the Shekinah again takes up her abode therein.’
R. Jose put to R. Abba the question: ‘Why, after the sinners in the land of Israel were wiped out, did the Shekinah not return to her former habitation?’ R. Abba replied: ‘It is because the remnant of the righteous did not remain there, for wherever these went the Shekinah descended and made her habitation with them. We thus see that in a strange land she does not separate from them; how much more would she cling to them had they remained in the Holy Land!
All sins of mankind repel the Shekinah, particularly the sin of him who corrupts his way upon the earth. Therefore such a one will not see the face of the Shekinah, and will not gain entrance to the celestial Palace.
For when the day comes on which the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the dead to life, He will physically re-create all those dead who have been buried in strange lands. For if but one bone of them is left in the earth, this will be like the lump of leaven which causes the dough to rise, and on it the Holy One, blessed be He, will build up the whole body.
But God will not restore their souls1The neshamah (v. pp. 203, 278). to them save in the land of Israel, as it is written, “Behold I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel” (to which they will roll through subterranean passages), and then “I will put my spirit in you and you shall live” (Ezek. 37, 12, 14). We see thus that only in the land of Israel will souls be provided for the resurrected. But those will be excluded who defile themselves and defile the earth, and of them it is written, “and they were blotted out of the earth”. The word “earth” we take to mean here “the land of the living” (although some of the ancient sages question this), and the whole expression is analogous to the verse, “let them be blotted out of the book of the living” (Ps. 69, 29).’
R. Simeon said to him: ‘Undoubtedly they will have no portion in the world to come, since the expression “and they were blotted out of the earth” is the exact opposite of the expression “they shall inherit the land for ever” (Is. 60, 21); but they will be called up for judgement, as it is with reference to them that the Scripture says, “and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence” (Dan. 12, 2).’
וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת הַתֵּבָה וַתָּרָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ. רַבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח (תהילים נ״ז:ו׳) רוּמָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אֱלֹהִים עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדֶךָ. וַוי לוֹן לְחַיָיבַיָא דְּאִנּוּן חָטָאן וּמַרְגִּיזִין לְמָארֵיהוֹן בְּכָל יוֹמָא. וּבְחוֹבַיְיהוּ דַּחְיָין לָהּ לַשְּׁכִינְתָּא מֵאַרְעָא. וְגָרְמִין דְּתִסְתַּלֵּק מֵעָלְמָא. וּשְׁכִינְתָּא אִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים. וְעֲלָהּ כְּתִיב רוּמָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אֱלהִים.
AND THEY BORE UP THE ARK, AND IT WAS LIFTED UP ABOVE THE EARTH. R. Abba connected this text with the verse: Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim, thy glory be above all the earth (Ps. 57, 6). ‘Woe,’ he said, ‘to the sinners who daily provoke their Master, and through their sins repel the Shekinah and cause it to disappear from the world, wherefore the Scripture says: “Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim” (the Shekinah being called Elohim).
תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת הַתֵּבָה דְּדַחְיָין לָהּ לְבַר. וַתָּרָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ, דְּלָא שַׁרְיָיא בְּעָלְמָא וְאִסְתַּלְקַת מִנָּהּ. וְכַד אִסְתַּלְקַת מֵעָלְמָא, הָא לֵית מַאן דְּיַשְׁגַּח בְּעָלְמָא וְדִינָא שָׁלְטָא (בדינא) כְּדֵין עֲלוֹי. וְכַד יִתְמָחוּן חַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא וְיִסְתַּלְּקוּן מִנֵּיהּ (דעלמא), שְׁכִינְתָּא אֲהַדְרַת מְדוֹרָהּ בְּעָלְמָא.
So here, the words, “and they bore up the ark” indicate that they thrust her forth, and the words, “it was lifted up above the earth”, that she found no more rest in the world, and so departed altogether from it. And in the absence of the Shekinah there is no one to take thought for the world, with the result that divine justice is exercised upon it with rigour. But when the wicked are blotted out and removed from the world, the Shekinah again takes up her abode therein.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יֵיסָא, אִי הָכִי הָא אַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִתְמָחוּן חַיָּיבַיָא דְּהֲווּ בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא אַמַּאי לָא אֲהַדְּרַת שְׁכִינְתָּא לְאַתְרָהּ כְּדִבְקַדְמִיתָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּגִין דְּלָא אִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ בָהּ שְׁאָר זַכָּאֵי עָלְמָא. אֶלָּא (אבל) בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּאֲזְלוּ נַחְתַת וְשַׁוִּיאַת מְדוֹרָהּ עִמְּהוֹן. וּמַה בְּאַרְעָא נוּכְרָאָה אָחֳרָא לָא אִתְפָּרְשָׁא מִנַּיְיהוּ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִי אִשְׁתְּאָרוּ בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא.
R. Jose put to R. Abba the question: ‘Why, after the sinners in the land of Israel were wiped out, did the Shekinah not return to her former habitation?’ R. Abba replied: ‘It is because the remnant of the righteous did not remain there, for wherever these went the Shekinah descended and made her habitation with them. We thus see that in a strange land she does not separate from them; how much more would she cling to them had they remained in the Holy Land!
וְהָא אִתְּמָר. בְּכָל חוֹבִין דְּחַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא דַּחְיָין לָהּ לַשְּׁכִינְתָּא. חַד מִנַּיְיהוּ מַאן דִּמְחַבֵּל אָרְחֵיהּ עַל אַרְעָא כִּדְאֲמָרָן. וּבְגִין כָּךְ לָא חָמֵי אַנְפֵּי שְׁכִינְתָּא וְלָא עָאל בְּפַלְטֵרִין. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּאִלֵּין וַיִּמָּחוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ אִתְמָחוּן מִן כֹּלָּא.
All sins of mankind repel the Shekinah, particularly the sin of him who corrupts his way upon the earth. Therefore such a one will not see the face of the Shekinah, and will not gain entrance to the celestial Palace.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּזַמִּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַחְיָיאָה מֵתַיָיא, כָּל אִנּוּן מֵתִין דְּיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן לְבַר בִּשְׁאָר אַרְעִין נוּכְרָאִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יִבְרָא לוֹן גּוּפַיְיהוּ (נ"א יוקים לון בגופייהו) כְּדְקָא חָזֵי. דְּהָא גַּרְמָא חַד דְּאִשְׁתָּאַר בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ תְּחוֹת אַרְעָא הַהוּא גַרְמָא יִתְעֲבִיד כְּחֲמִירָא בְּעִיסָה וְעֲלֵיהּ יִבְנֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּל גּוּפָא.
For when the day comes on which the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the dead to life, He will physically re-create all those dead who have been buried in strange lands. For if but one bone of them is left in the earth, this will be like the lump of leaven which causes the dough to rise, and on it the Holy One, blessed be He, will build up the whole body.
וְלָא יָהִיב לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נִשְׁמָתִין אֶלָּא בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. דִּכְתִיב, (יחזקאל ל״ז:י״ב) הִנֵּה אֲנִי פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם עַמִּי וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל. דְּיִתְגַּלְגְּלוּן תְּחוֹת אַרְעָא. וּלְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב וְנָתַתִּי רוּחִי בָכֶם וִחְיִיתֶם וְגו'. דְּהָא בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל יְקַבְּלוּן נִשְׁמָתִין כָּל (אנון) בְּנֵי עָלְמָא. בַּר אִלֵּין (דרא דטופנא) דְּאִסְתָּאֲבוּ וּסְאִיבוּ אַרְעָא. בְּאִלֵּין כְּתִיב וַיִּמָּחוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ. מִן הָאָרֶץ דַּיְיקָא. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאַקְשׁוּ וְאַפְלִיגוּ קַדְמָאֵי עַל דָּא. וַיִּמָּחוּ כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים ס״ט:כ״ט) יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִים.
But God will not restore their souls1The neshamah (v. pp. 203, 278). to them save in the land of Israel, as it is written, “Behold I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel” (to which they will roll through subterranean passages), and then “I will put my spirit in you and you shall live” (Ezek. 37, 12, 14). We see thus that only in the land of Israel will souls be provided for the resurrected. But those will be excluded who defile themselves and defile the earth, and of them it is written, “and they were blotted out of the earth”. The word “earth” we take to mean here “the land of the living” (although some of the ancient sages question this), and the whole expression is analogous to the verse, “let them be blotted out of the book of the living” (Ps. 69, 29).’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וַדַּאי לֵית לוֹן חוּלָקָא בְּעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי דִּכְתִיב וַיִּמָּחוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ. וּכְתִיב לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ. אֲבָל יְקוּמוּן בְּדִין. וְעֲלַיְיהוּ כְּתִיב, (דניאל י״ב:ב׳) וְרַבִּים מִישֵׁנִי אַדְמַת עָפָר יָקִיצוּ אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם וְאֵלֶּה לַחֲרָפוֹת וּלְדֵרָאוֹן עוֹלָם. וּפְלוּגְתָּא בְּהָא אֲבָל כֹּלָּא כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָיא:
R. Simeon said to him: ‘Undoubtedly they will have no portion in the world to come, since the expression “and they were blotted out of the earth” is the exact opposite of the expression “they shall inherit the land for ever” (Is. 60, 21); but they will be called up for judgement, as it is with reference to them that the Scripture says, “and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence” (Dan. 12, 2).’