Beyond the Horizon: The Era of the Messiah and Resurrection in Jewish Thought

The story goes about the esteemed Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, who said to his followers: "Behold, the holy rabbi, Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, promised us before he ascended to the heavenly realms that he would not rest until he subjugates the 'Prince of Esau' and the 'Prince of Ishmael' to bring redemption to the people of Israel. But what did they do up above to thwart his plan to hasten the redemption? They led him to lofty places, to a world filled with delightful light, a clear and polished light, dazzling like the light of seven days, the abundance of sweet light made him forget the 'lower world,' the darkness of exile, and its bitterness. And on this, the Rebbe of Apta said: "But I will not allow my soul to be misled or intimidated by the rumblings of the upper worlds. I will shake the worlds!"

Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin concluded: "I commend the Rebbe of Apta for keeping his promise and truly shaking worlds for the fate of Israel, but he is alone in his work there... the adversaries try to silence him, and what can one person do? We must help him."

(From the book "The Eternal World" by Rabbi Aharon Zakai)

The Era of the Messiah and the World to Come

...Then all the souls in the treasury of souls, called the body which is the kingdom, will be completed and refined because since the destruction of the Temple, no new souls have come into the world, only old souls that are reincarnated and returning. They will all be rectified and will not need to reincarnate again. Now is the time for renewal, which will be at the beginning of the time of remembrance, sixty-six and a half years to the sixth millennia... And it will continue... until seventy-three years after six hundred to the sixth millennia, when all the kings of the world will gather in the great city of Rome to devise evil plans against Israel, and Hashem will rain down fire and hail and brimstone upon them, and they will perish from the world (as it is written in Ezekiel 38:22 in the war of Gog and Magog, "I will enter into judgment with him, with pestilence and blood, torrential rain, and hailstones, etc."), except for those kings who will not arrive in Rome; they will no longer fight against Israel because it will be known to them what happened to the kings who assembled in Rome. Instead, they will return to wage other wars. From that time, King Messiah will arise in the world, and many nations will join him with armies from one end of the earth to the other.

And all the people of Israel will gather in all those places where the armies of the King Messiah will be... until the completion of those seventy-three years... to a hundred years when... what is written "And they will bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to Hashem" will be fulfilled. Then all the nations will recognize the virtue of Israel, and they themselves will gather Israel from all nations and bring them as a gift to Hashem.

It was also said that when the war of Gog and Magog occurs, at that time, the children of Ishmael are destined to rise with all the nations of the world to come and battle over Jerusalem. Their head will be the King of Ishmael, and they will all be killed around Jerusalem, and Hashem will take vengeance on the nations and rebuke them before the ultimate unity. Afterwards, Vav Ze'ira, which is the foundation, will arise to connect with the kingdom and renew the souls that were dormant to renew the world... Then "Hashem will rejoice in His works," which are the souls, the fruits of Hashem's actions, to bring them renewed into the world so that all of Israel will be new creations with new souls - to unite all the worlds as one. Happy are those who remain in the world at the end of the sixth millennia to enter the seventh millennia, which is a day entirely Shabbat.

(Zohar, Vayera 119, Sweetness of Honey, pp. 643-645)

Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, from where is the resurrection of the dead derived in the Torah?

As it is said, "Happy are those who dwell in Your house; they will praise You, selah," "praise" is not written but "will praise," from here is the resurrection of the dead in the Torah. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi further said that anyone who sings in this world merits to sing it in the World to Come, as it is said, "Happy are those who dwell in Your house; they will praise You, selah."

(Sanhedrin 91b)

The Soul's Concern for the Body During Resurrection

Rabbi Yossi said: I heard that the soul, after it has entered the lower Garden of Eden, goes up to its place in the upper Garden of Eden and no longer desires to descend below. However, before it ascends and enters the Garden of Eden—it becomes the body's guardian through Dumah, to defend the body, and shows Dumah that the body is worthy of receiving the reward of four hundred worlds... lights... that the body will enjoy in the World to Come. Rabbi Chiya said: Rabbi Elazar said the body is worthy of receiving the 'T' Almins of desire before the soul shows it a sign because they announce about the soul in the Garden of Eden. But I heard that when the soul is given the ledger, it returns and strives for the body to be entered by Dumah with the inscription of the righteous, where those who will rise at the resurrection of the dead are recorded. And now Rabbi Yossi returns to explain and says [about the verse] "I gave the silver of the field; take it from me," and asks what is the silver of the field[?] and explains it is these four hundred coveted and cherished worlds that are given for the body to inherit and enjoy in the World to Come, meaning that Abraham, who alludes to the soul, strives concerning the four hundred shekels of silver, which are the four hundred Almins of desire for the need of the field, alluding to the body.

(Zohar, Chayei Sarah 123, Additions, Sweetness of Honey, pp. 16-17)

A New Song Will Be Heard After the Resurrection

When Hashem raises Israel from the dust in the resurrection, [then] the Shechinah will declare and say to Israel, "Sing to Hashem a new song"... Rabbi Yossi said: "Hoshia Lo Yeminah" meaning there will be salvation for the kingship, and then it will sing a new song. This will be at the time when Hashem takes vengeance on the world for Israel, and this is at the coming of the Messiah. Then this song will be said by the kingship because after the coming of the Messiah, the time is close for the resurrection of the dead when the world's dead will awaken from the dust, and the world will be renewed in complete existence for humanity will live forever, unlike before when death ruled the world through the serpent - which caused death to all creations and sullied the world by it and its face darkened. But after the resurrection of the dead, humanity will live forever, hence it is appropriate for the kingship to sing a new song at the coming of the Messiah about the soon-to-be-renewed world as the dead will be revived.

(Zohar, Chayei Sarah 124, Sweetness of Honey, pp. 20-21)

What will happen to the bodies of the earlier reincarnations during resurrection?

What will be of the first body of the first reincarnation?

... It answers: This body will not be lost because Hashem will not destroy His handiwork, and new creatures are destined to be made from them. These are the bodies that return at the resurrection of the dead without spirit, but when Hashem is destined to revive the dead, they will be rebuilt in their bodies and will stand for forty days without spirit and life. Hashem will have pity and mercy on them and will send to these bodies a spirit blowing in the Garden of Eden. Through this spirit, they will arise in their existence and serve the righteous who are engaged in Torah.

These will die as before, and then they will revive them again. About this, it is written [Ecclesiastes 4:2] "And I praise the dead who have already died," meaning that they have already died before, and when they arise a second time, they will know their Creator with knowledge that is not as clear as other people, and these will serve the holy nation.

In the book of Solomon the King, it is written about these bodies [Daniel 12:2] "And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace"; thus, both the righteous and the wicked will arise. Therefore, it is written in cryptic fashion "And many," and not specifying who the many are. For this reason, we said even though they were broken and lost, it is not so; they will not remain lost because we have no body from those who have died that will not rise, even the generation of the flood and the generation of the dispersion will be recreated as before.

(Zohar Supplements, Part 3, section 16, page 388, Sweetness of Honey, pp. 526-528)