Introduction
This is “He Was Gathered unto His People—Death-The Grave-The Resurrection—Part 1” This will be a discussion on the 45th Torah Reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. Our focus text is Genesis/Beresheit 49:27-50:26.
This passage concludes the book of Genesis/Beresheit. It entails a closing out of the lives of the patriarchs Jacob/Ya’achov and Joseph/Yosef.
Now, despite there being so much relevant and applicable content in this reading this Shabbat, I’ve been led to discuss, primarily, just one aspect of the text that I believe will be of great interest to us but will also provide us important information that we all should be equipped with as we walk out this Faith of ours.
And what is this relevant content and information I’m talking about? I’m wanting to focus on the aspect of our reading that deals with the issue of death, the grave, and the resurrection.
A Most Uncomfortable Subject Matter
Despite the blessed assurance we have as covenant-keepers with the Creator of the Universe, the topic of death, the grave, and the resurrection is a generally an uncomfortable subject matter. Especially for those of us identify ourselves as Messianics, Netzarim, Hebrew Rooters, and the like.
Why? Because death and dying in and of itself has been hardwired within humanity to be the most terrible thing that will happen to every living being. For the Bible points us to an understanding that humans were never meant to die in the first place. And this understanding for the most part is a pervasive one. So then, rational humans are hardwired to pursue and hold to life—to live life—to yearn for life and to reject death. For the Elohim that created humanity, in whose image Adam was created, is an Elohim of life as opposed to death. Unfortunately, when Adam transgressed the Creator’s Torah—he sinned—every human (with maybe the exception of Enoch and Elijah)—every other human that would subsequently be born of a woman on this earth would experience death. And Yah has informed us that death is the result of sin—sin being the transgression of Yah’s set-apart ways—transgression of Yah’s Torah:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:1 (Rom 5:12 KJV)
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1Jo 3:4 KJV)
And so, how did sin—the transgression of Yah’s laws—become directly linked to death? Well, we know that Yah warned Adam and Eve (aka Chavah) the following if they transgressed His commandment:
…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.1 (Gen 2:17 KJV)
Adam and Eve transgressed the Creator’s commandments. And sure enough, after Adam’s transgression/sin was found out, Yah put forth the following judgment that would profoundly and directly affect all of Adam’s posterity—his descendants, including him:
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;1 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Gen 3:17-19 KJV)
The Pervasiveness and Inevitability of Death That is Due to Sin
And so, because of Adam’s sin—that one trespass—all humanity is condemned to both die—both physically and spiritually (Romans 5:16). In addition, every human who has ever lived is a sinner who has, consequently, fallen short of Yah’s glorious standards (Romans 3:23). Thus, because of the pervasiveness of sin, death is inevitable and inescapable. And it is because of this reality that the writer of Hebrews penned:
27 And just as ait is appointed for man to die once, and bafter that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once ato bear the sins of bmany, will appear ca second time, dnot to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly ewaiting for him. (Heb 9:27-28 ESV)
Because of the profound inevitability and harsh reality of death, it is expected and proper for humans to mourn when death enters their world. Because death is contrary—it is counterintuitive to Yah’s nature and to the purpose for which humans were created.
But for those who belong to Mashiyach/Messiah and who are in a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe, Yahoshua’s atoning sacrifice brings about the promise of a glorious resurrection and eternal life. And so, it is this promise of a resurrection through Yahoshua Messiah that effectively strips away the power that death has over humanity by removing deaths painful reality:
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?1 (1Co 15:51-55 KJV; cf. Hosea 13:14)
So Where Are We Heading with This?
I’m probably not telling you anything new or that you didn’t already know as it relates to the overall pervasiveness of death and the blessed hope for the coming resurrection of Yah’s set-apart ones. But having acknowledged all that we’ve mentioned thus far about death and the blessed hope, we still haven’t answered the trillion-dollar questions that rests in every rational human mind—or addressed the set of elephants in the room: What really happens to us when we die? What does the grave hold for us after we die? And how does the resurrection of Yah’s set-apart ones really work? Well, using the backdrop of this week’s Torah Reading, we aim to begin the process of answering these critical questions.
I will say at the outset of this discussion that this will not be an exhaustive examination of the topic of death, the grave, and the resurrection. I’m certain you would agree with me in acknowledging that this is one of the most far-reaching spiritual topics and issues that we will ever come across in our walk in Messiah. It is so because these are topics and issues that directly affect each and every person on the planet. So, every individual on the planet has a personal stake on these things whether they choose to acknowledge it or not.
But I will also say that before we part company in part-2 of our discussion—yes, I elected to break this discussion into two-parts to make the discussion less taxing and long—that by the time we leave this discussion, we will all have a biblically-sound—a biblically-based understanding of what happens to us and to everyone else when we die.
So, let’s get into our reading and see where it takes us on these issues.
Our Torah Reading
We find in our Torah Reading record of the events surrounding Jacob’s/Ya’achov’s death in Goshen of Egypt/Mitsrayim. Surrounded by his 12-sons and two grandsons, the last of the 3-covenant-bearing patriarchs instructs his sons to deliver his remains to Canaan—the Land of Promise—and bury him in the Cave of Machpelah, which his grandfather Avraham originally purchased from a Hittite for purposes of burying Sarah (Genesis/Beresheit 23).
Our Reading of this event is as follows:
29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be agathered to my people; bbury me with my fathers cin the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, awhich Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 aThere they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There bthey buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah– 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and awas gathered to his people. (Gen 49:29-33 ESV)
Why was it so important for Ya’achov to have assurances from his sons that his remains would be transported back to Canaan and buried on the property that belonged to his family and that held the remains of his grandparents and parents and one of his wives? Clearly Ya’achov/Jacob had a profound understanding of what he was about to experience in death. Seems as though Ya’achov recognized or believed that, as part of the covenant that he had with Yah, it was important that his remains be interred in the Land of Promise. For there was no question in this patriarch’s mind and heart that his soul needed to rest in the place that held the remains of his parents. Is it then possible that Ya’achov had some degree of trust and hope that Yehovah would resurrect him and his loved ones—his people—his kinsmen–sometime in the future? Seems as though Ya’achov/Jacob possessed no thought of his soul separating from his body when he died and abiding in some ethereal realm that had no connection whatsoever with the Land of Promise. Because if this was the case, which it wasn’t, why would it matter to him where his remains would be put to rest? It shouldn’t matter, right?
Scriptural Basis for the Body and Soul of Humanity
Scripture teaches that humans consist of two essential, co-dependent elements: (1) a physical body, and (2) a soul (Psalms/Tehilliym 31:9; Proverbs 16:24; Yesha’Yahu/Isaiah 10:18; Micah 6:7; Matthew 10:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
The human body is easily understood to be the frame or physical aspect of our person. The human soul, on the other hand, is a slightly more complex idea or concept to grasp. Now, our English term “soul” in the Hebrew is “nephesh.” The soul or nephesh is that which defines a person: the self-the mind-the passions, appetites, and emotions of the person.
It must be understood at the outset here that the human body and soul are not exclusive of one another. But rather, the body and the soul are inclusive of one another. In other words, one cannot exist without the other. These two-elements are essentially indistinguishable from one another.
Interestingly, the Hebrew term “nephesh” is used interchangeably for both “soul” and “body” in the Tanach, which lends to these two-essential, co-dependent elements of a person being wholly dependent one upon the other.
From a Hebraic, biblical standpoint, both humans and animals possess souls. But the thing that distinguishes humans and animals in Yah’s sight is that humans were made in Yehovah’s image. And that reality makes humans unique and set-apart from the rest of creation.
Now, when we get to the Brit-Hadashah, we find that the English terms body and soul have distinct Greek-terms attached to them. The term “body” in the Greek is “soma.” It is defined quite simply as body. There is a pretty cool definition of soma that fits most appropriately here, such that the soma is that which casts a shadow but is something that is distinguished from the shadow.
Then we have the English term “soul” in the Greek as “psuche.” And “psuche” is defined as simply “soul” or “life.”
The distinctions that exist between these two-Greek terms, I believe, to some degree, aids in the promotion of the denominationalists’ concepts and teachings on the independence and immortality of the human soul.
The added element of the human “spirit”—that being “ruach” in the Hebrew and “pneuma” in the Greek—seems less to do with the actual make-up of a person or human, but more to that animating element that came from the Creator that causes the soul and body to function.
The Apostle Paul/Shaul included the term “spirit” or “pneuma” as sort of an added element to describe the definitive wholeness of human:
Now may athe God of peace himself bsanctify you completely, and may your cwhole dspirit and soul and body be kept blameless at ethe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:23 ESV)
Here the apostle is bestowing upon his Thessalonian readers a “blessing” of sorts, that would ideally bring them as individuals to a sanctified state of existence before Yehovah through the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua Messiah. And contrary to denominationalists’ conventional wisdom, the spirit that Shaul is referring specifically to here in this verse is that living element—Yah’s breath of life—that animates each Thessalonian’s body and soul. Seems the apostle in making such a grand pronouncement to his readers did not want to leave anything related to his reader’s existence out in terms of his blessing and hopeful wishes for their salvation.
The spirit of man—that animating element—the breath of life—upon a person’s death returns to the Creator of the Universe (Ecclesiastes 12:7). In and of itself, the spirit of man—that breath of life—has no inherent consciousness.
Religion’s Take on the Concepts of the Human Soul and Body
Armed with this understanding that humans consist of a body and a soul, both of which is animated by Yah’s “breath of life,” we can now make some important criticisms of religion’s take on these essential concepts. For we know that denominationalism, catholicism, isalm, and most eastern religions teach that the body is the temporal framework or vehicle for its immortal soul and or spirit. And at death, the temporal body ceases to function as a suitable framework or vehicle. So, it ultimately deteriorates and returns to the earth from which it was originally made.
The soul on the other hand is the immortal, eternal element of the person that separates from the body at death and goes off to some ethereal destination (e.g., paradise, heaven, purgatory, animals, plants, etc.) that each religion has determined is appropriate for that conscious soul.
Are the denominationalists’, catholics’, islamists’, and easterner religions’ claims consistent with scripture as it relates to the question of death and dying? Did Ya’achov and Yosef possess this same understanding of death and dying and the grave? Or did Ya’achov and his son Yosef understand that their death would entail something entirely different, with a hope of “good things to come”—I.e., a future resurrection? If these believed that their souls were immortal, why was it so important for them to have their remains removed from Egypt/Mitsrayim to the Land of Promise—Canaan—where it would await—rest—sleep—in anticipation of a future resurrection? If this scenario was in fact understood by them, why would they care where there were interred/buried? Clearly, there was something important to their being buried alongside their loved ones in the true Faith, in the Land of Promise. For our focus passage records that Ya’achov states to his sons that he was going to be “gathered to my people” (49:29) and then when Ya’achov passed, Moshe writes that Ya’achov breathed his last—I.e., Ya’achov died—and “was gathered to his people” (49:33). Clearly, Ya’achov’s, followed later by Yosef’s deathbed professions, were not just mere last will and testaments, but more so, they were profound professions of their deeply abiding Faith in Yehovah. These were clearly placing their souls in the eternal hands of Yehovah Elohayka, whom they no doubt trusted would resurrect them in the world tomorrow—the “olam ha ba.” These no doubt saw their impending deaths as temporal—some have described it as “sleep,” in anticipation of a resurrection and residence in the Kingdom of Elohim—Gan Eden. In the parlance of death being a time that the soul and body sleep in their graves, there is always associated with that sleep, an implicit insinuation of a future resurrection.
Gathered to My People
In his giving specific instructions over the disposition of his remains to his sons, Ya’achov makes a mysterious statement that he expresses to his sons as an apparent fact: “I am to be gathered to my people.”
What could this possibly mean?
When this phrase “I am to be gathered to my people” is read and understood as it is written, Ya’achov believes that when he dies, some part of his being is going to be reunited with his kinsmen who have gone on before him. And the question that must be asked, and hopefully answered, is: Where is this place? Paradise? Heaven? Abraham’s Bosom? Purgatory? Or somewhere else less obvious to our Western, Judeo-Christian, Babylonian influenced sensibilities and worldview?
Consequently, the same denominationalists, catholics, islamists, and easterners suggest the understanding that this statement supports their belief in the human soul being immortal and God’s people, upon their death, going to a special place of reward and eternal bliss. But we will find as we explore this issue of death, the grave, and the resurrection from a Messianic/Biblical perspective, that much of what these groups believe and teach is not consistent with that which Scripture reveals on this critical subject.
Contextually, we know that Ya’achov as recorded in our reading is dying and he knows he’s dying. And so, in preparation for what is coming, he tells his sons that I’m about to be gathered to my people. In other words, I’m about to go the way of all those who I hold dear. I’m about to die. But die with the covenant promises still intact and with a blessed hope of resurrection in Yah’s good time. That being said, take my body back home and bury me in the family plot as part of my covenant heritage so that I may rest in peaceful anticipation of a restored paradise.
Defining the Term Gathered
Our English term “gathered” in the Hebrew is “’acaph” {aw-saf}. It is a term that is used 199 times in the Tanach.
Anciently, the term means an “assembling [together] of people” in a single place. And as it would relate to the content of our reading and our subject matter, we’re talking about Ya’achov’s, and Yosef’s remains being assembled with the remains of their parents and kinsmen. So, clearly there is this sense of reverence and respect and concern Yah’s set-apart people had, not just for their own remains when their time came, but also for the remains of their loved ones that passed before them, regardless the amount of time that may have passed since their deaths. Thus, there remained embedded within every one of them this abiding memory and knowledge that they were made in the image of Yah and that death, and the grave did not change or alter that reality.
Thus, “acaph” is used in the tanach to denote one’s death and the disposition of his or her remains (cf., Genesis/Beresheit 25:8, 17; Deuteronomy/Devarim 32:50; 2 Kings Melekiym 22:20).
Now, some contend this is a reference to the patriarchs’ life after death experience or some form of afterlife, whereby after their respective deaths, some part of their being—presumably their soul—finds itself in some ethereal location along with the souls of their loved ones that had previously died and gone on before them. This is popularly referred to as the “afterlife,” purgatory, gan eden, Avraham’s Bosom (Luke 16:22), gehinnom, hades, sheol, even heaven.
But if we take this term and the phrase in which it is framed contextually, this is an ancient euphemism used to describe the patriarchs’ overall death experience. It adds a poetic flavor to the otherwise ominously sad experience of death, that lovingly and reverentially links one’s passing to the passing of those died before.
No doubt those who advocate that this phrase is descriptive of an afterlife that is experienced by our ancient Hebrew cousins will submit the obvious contention that Moshe did not use the word “muwth” {mooth} (I.e., and he died) to describe what was happening to Ya’achov at this point in our reading. And I will contend that this is a valid point.
Consequently, some so-called rabbinic sages have insinuated that Ya’achov never died. According to at least one rabbinic source (I.e., Rabbi Schneur Zlaman of Liadi), the life of a “tzaddik” (I.e., a righteous person) is spiritual and their life consists of “faith, awe, and love of Elohim.” So, while the “tzaddik” exists in their earthly, physical body, these 3-attributes are contained therein. Their utterances and thoughts are deemed as holy, which like the rays of the sun, their disciples receive a reflection of these attributes. And once the tzaddik passes, the ones who were close to him receive these 3-attributes. Thus, his positive influence upon others keeps him alive for an indeterminate amount of time after his physical death.
In some cases, still according to these fringe sages, the tzaddik is more alive than before their physical death, since there is no physical limitations of time and space (Tanya, Igeret HaKodesh 27). Thus, Torah regards Ya’achov as alive even though our Torah Reading says otherwise.
Now, it should not be misconstrued that every so-called rabbinic sage held to such understandings of Ya’achov and other righteous ones living on esoterically after their physical presence passes. A seeming majority of rabbinic sages understood this phrase “and he was gathered to his people” to mean simply that Ya’achov died (Rabbi Yitzchak Rav Nachman). Which is to say that the phrase is a poetic euphemism that carries a sense of reverence with it, which I personally believe to be the case.
Suggestions of a Jewish Afterlife
Carrying this Jewish understanding of the righteous living beyond their death, we find that several commentators contend that although this statement appears to be an idiom—a euphemism—it seems to reflect a common belief among the ancients that upon their passing, they would be somehow—someway—reunited with loved ones and acquaintances in an afterlife of some type:
- The dead go down to “sheol”, with sheol meaning “the underworld”, the grave, hell, or the pit (Numbers/Bemidbar 16:33; Psalms/Tehilliym 6:6; Isaiah/Yesha’yahu 38:18). Which reminds me of a series of teachings that was given by a prominent Hebrew Roots teacher several years ago, that went to great lengths to promote the existence of this afterlife that the patriarchs experienced when they died. And this very well-read teacher left little room for refutation of his claims, citing dozens of obscure references he claimed supported his teaching. He believed that Yahoshua Messiah, when His remains were placed in that borrowed tomb, descended to this underworld-paradise-the pit-what have you, and preached to the souls that inhabited this realm, ultimately leading them out in the process (I.e., a veiled reference to Ephesians 4:7). We can certainly talk about his thinking in some future discussion. But suffice for now, scripture does not support the existence of an afterlife. For scripture makes it explicitly clear that there is no consciousness or awareness of the soul in “sheol” or rather, the grave (Psalms 6:5—”For in death there is no remembrance of you, in Sheol who will give you praise?”; Psalms 30:9—”What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth?” Psalms 88:10—”Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise thee? Isaiah/Yesha’yahu38:18—”For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit (I.e., sheol) cannot hope for thy truth.” Ecclesiastes 9:5—”For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”
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- Enoch was not…(Genesis/Beresheit 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). Indeed, some ancient sources contend that Enoch was transported from this earthly plain to the illusive Garden (Gan) Eden where he served as sort of this quasi-operative for the Kingdom of God. Indeed, he details of what happened to these two men is a mystery that scripture is silent.
- The Witch of Endor and the summoning of the spirit of Samuel (1 Samuel 28).
Hellenist Jewish Historian, Philo of Alexandria, contended that the soul, which is imprisoned by the body here on earth, returns, if it is the soul of a righteous one, to God; while the wicked suffer eternal death (H.A. Wolfson, Philo, 2 vols.).
From the Talmud and Midrash: The soul remains in a purgatorial period for 12-months (Ah…so the Catholics were not the first to postulate the belief in “purgatory”). Therefore, according to certain fringe Jewish Sages, Samuel was able to be raised from the dead within a year after his death (we’ll describe a little more about where this idea originated in part-2 of our discussion). Continuing: But after this purgatorial period, the righteous soul goes to paradise, otherwise known as Gan Eden. The wicked on the other hand go to hell or “gehinnom” (Shab. 152b-1553a; Tanh. Va-Yikra 8).
Often when we get into any Rabbinic Jewish discussions of an afterlife, there is mention of the Garden of Eden, or Gan Eden.
In the Aggadah, Gan Eden appears as a contradistinction—or alternative–to hell (BT Sotah 22a). According to such rabbinic sources, there are 2-Edens—2 Gan Edens: (1) the earthly Eden which Adam and Eve/Chavah were expelled from, that was beautifully filled with vegetation; and (2) the habitation or abode of the righteous.
Still other Hebrew thinkers contended that the souls of the righteous are “hidden under the Throne of Glory” (Shab. 152b).
Interestingly, this same thinking is linked to the Hebrew understanding of the Messianic Age. According to certain Jewish sages, when a righteous one is resurrected in the Messianic Age, that soul that had formerly gone to God and had been hidden under the Throne of Glory, that soul reunites with its former physical body and the person is reconstituted—or better, is resurrected.
Now, whether this happens to just the righteous or it will include also the wicked is not made clear by these rabbinic thinkers. But it is believed that at some point in history, the wicked will be judged and destroyed. And the ashes of the wicked souls will be scattered upon the ground to be trampled underfoot by Yah’s righteous ones.
But despite the lack of biblical support for such rabbinic claims, these rabbis did not buy into the concept of an “immortal soul.” Even these recognized that the Creator of the Universe will ultimately destroy the souls of the wicked, which is a contradiction to the belief/doctrine of the wicked soul burning and suffering in hell’s fire for all eternity. For it was our Master who, in preparing his chosen ones for their missionary work, taught them the following critical spiritual reality:
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mat 10:28 KJV)
The Contradiction
Despite this forklorish thinking by certain so-called ancients of an “afterlife,” Scripture suggests that our ancient Hebrew cousins were focused on the here and now, not in a life after death. So much so that Levitical Priests were strictly prohibited from coming into contact with dead bodies:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: 2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, 3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled. 4 But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.1 (Lev 21:1-4 KJV)
And consistent with this focus on the here and now—serving Yah in this world—keeping covenant with the Creator of the Universe–that most Hebrews had, especially in Tanach days, held to a “full-dead consciousness” when one dies—that is, when one dies, their soul and body cease to function and these rest in the grave (Ex. R. 52:3; Tanh. Ki Tissa 33; Ket. 77h, 104a; Ber. 18b-19ab). Some went so far as to write:
“The only difference between the living and the dead is the power of speech” (PR 12:46; Ber. 18b). Which is simply to say: when one dies, their whole being is dead; silenced. There is no immortal soul that leaves the body and wanders off to some other place and interacts with others who’ve gone on before them.
The Jewish Hope of a Resurrection
The Talmud discusses and supports the resurrection of the dead in the world to come as being a cornerstone of rabbinic eschatology. There is then a clear distinction between the Pharisaic from the Sadducean (reference: Matthew 22:23—”The same day came to Him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection…”). You see, the Sadducee denied any resurrection of the dead. And that was why they were “sad, you see.”
So sharp was the disagreement over the issue of a resurrection between these two sects of Judaism, that the Talmud—which laid claim to victory over this divisive issue—states that Torah:
“…excludes those who deny the resurrection doctrine from any portion of the world to come” (Sanh. 10:1; 90b-91a; Jos., Wars, 2:162ff).
In other words, any who denies or rejects that the righteous dead will be resurrected in the olam ha ba—the world to come—will be excluded or not admitted into the Kingdom of Elohim.
The Talmud and Mishnah describe the coming Messianic Kingdom as being a “political and physical utopia” (Ber. 34b; Shab. 63a).
This is a reference to the “olam ha ba.” In the “olam ha ba” the righteous will exist in glory and enjoy the bliss of the Divine Presence in a fully spiritual world (Ber. 17a).
Beyond such mentions, the rabbis generally do not speculate too much upon the “olam ha ba.” To these, the olam ha ba—the Messianic Kingdom—is an undeniable reality and unshakable future reality for the religious Jew.
Ya’achov’s Last Will and Testimony
Now, I’ve thrown a lot of information at you regarding various rabbinic thoughts regarding death, the grave, and the resurrection. And in so doing, I’ve only scratched the surface.
But for now, let’s finish looking at our reading and then in part 2, we’ll look at the origin of some of these rabbinic thoughts regarding the soul and death in comparison with what scripture has to say about these elements of the human experience.
Returning to our passage—picking up at 49:29, we find that Ya’achov instructs his sons to ensure that his remains be interred in the plot/cave that his grandfather Avraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (reference Genesis/Beresheit 25):
Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be agathered to my people; bbury me with my fathers cin the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, (Gen 49:29 ESV)
Clearly the heart of Ya’achov, and even Yosef in chapter 50, was to be found in the Land of Canaan, not Egypt/Mitsrayim. And Ya’achov’s last will and testament attests to the reality that Yisra’el’s covenant-backed home is Canaan and Mitsrayim (aka Egypt) was but a temporary abode or sojourn.
This death-bed discussion was an administrative—business directive if you will—explicit—without ambiguity. Yisra’el, although not having fully possessed the Land of Promise at that time, had legally acquired a piece of property there that would ultimately be the foundation upon which Yah would tender His covenant promise of giving the whole land to Avraham’s descendants. The last of the original patriarchs, Ya’achov, his remains would rest in the Cave at Machpelah as a memorial—even a testimony of Yehovah’s covenant with Avraham and Yitschaq.
In 49:33 we find Ya’achov ending his charging of his sons, laying down upon his bed, and as the text articulates, being “gathered unto his people”:
When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and awas gathered to his people. (Gen 49:33 ESV)
J.H. Hertz, in his Torah and Haftarah commentary, states that the sense here of the phrase “and was gathered unto his people” is that of Ya’achov’s soul departing his physical body and it going to join the souls of those who had gone on before him.”
Clearly J.H.Hertz had drank the Kool-Aide of the teachings and beliefs of those rabbis who bought into the concept of the “immortal soul” and the “afterlife.”
But again, is this thinking and belief of an immortal soul that departs the body upon death biblically supported? As we’ve been discussing, it is not biblical. But rather, it is fringe rabbinic gibberish that must be taken within known historic perspective. And we’ll get into the historical perspective of this gibberish in part-2 of this discussion.
But suffice to say at this juncture of our discussion, Scripture is very succinct, that is, it is to the point, in its treatment of the subject of death and what happens to every human they die: The body and soul returns to the ground from which it originates, and the breath of life—the ruach—the person’s unconscious spirit–returns to the Elohim that gave it (Ecclesiastes/Qoheleth 12:7; cf. 3:19; Genesis/Beresheit 2:7; 6:17; 7:22). Thus, the soul of man awaits a future resurrection in the grave or wherever his remains are placed. In the interim between death and resurrection, scripture simply does not support any temporal way point—or temporary abode for the dead. Oh, we do run into passages that when read and taken at face value, strongly suggest the existence—or at least a previous existence—of such temporary abodes as purgatory, paradise, the Bosom of Avraham, or heaven to name just a few. But when these passages are examined within known historical, cultural, and biblical context, we find that such thinking was more folklore and tradition than biblical truth. And by the time we get to the end of part-2 of this discussion, we will prove this to be true and we will be on firm footing to be able to understand the realities associated with death, the grave, and the future resurrection. We need not be spiritual slaves to the pagan-based understanding of death and the grave that yesterday’s and today’s organized religion adopted from the Greeks and Egypt.
Religion Drank the Immortal Soul Kool-Aide Too
Unfortunately, denominationalists have to some greater or lesser degree adopted this same concept of the immortal soul that departs the body upon a person’s death and goes on to heaven or paradise. But religiosity’s spin on this theme is that the righteous or saved individual, upon his or her death, is immediately whisked away to heaven where he or she is afforded the divine opportunity to walk the streets of gold; sing in the Halleluyah Choir; hang out with the patriarchs of our Faith; and gaze into the glorious face of Jesus Christ for all eternity. At least until the rapture, when their souls or spirits as some might have it, rejoins their bodies in the grave, and they are translated into glorious beings who once again re-enter heaven and do what they once did before the rapture.
And what happens, pray-tell, to the souls of the wicked. Well according to the denominationalists they are ushered to hell where they will exist in a fiery torment until the Great White Throne judgment in which case their souls will leave hell, stand before Jesus Christ, receive their condemnation, and be once again ushered back to hell to exist in a fiery torment for the rest of eternity.
All of this has always sounded confusing to me, and to some extent, this line of thinking is impossible to truly rectify in the light of scripture.
We find in the apocryphal book of Jubilees/Yoveliym in regard to Ya’achov’s passing:
“And he (he being Ya’achov) slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the double-cave in the land of Kena’an, near Avraham his father, in the grave which he dug for himself in the double-cave in the land of Chevron/Hebron” (45:15; Cepher).
So, with this thinking of Ya’achov being gathered to his people in his death, Jubilee/Yoveliym introduces to the reader this nuance of death being a form or type of “sleep.” The writer describes Ya’achov here, not as being gathered to his people as described in the authorized versions of our Torah Reading, but rather, of Ya’achov “sleeping” with his fathers in the grave.
And although Jubilees/Yoveliym is not considered to be canon, its content does to some degree reflect certain Hebraic perspectives and thoughts on a great many things. In this case, this concept of “sleep” as it relates to death is introduced into our discussion and it is a very important concept that we will discuss further in part 2. And once we grasp the importance of this analogy—death being analogous to sleeping or resting—we will get a better understanding of what happens when we die. It will dispel this erroneous notion that the soul departs its body upon one’s death and goes off someplace to dwell for an indeterminate amount of time.
Joseph/Yosef Repeats His Father Jacob’s/Ya’achov’s Example in his Death
Continuing with our reading in 50:1-13, we find recorded therein that Joseph/Yosef saw to it that his father Ya’achov’s remains were attended to according to ancient Egyptian embalming practices. Scripture notes that the ancient Egyptian embalming that Ya’achov’s remains underwent was part of a 40-day ritualistic process, while the mourning period was 70-days. Now, whether the embalming process and the mourning period ran concurrently or not, is not clear here. But suffice to say, a great amount of attention was given to the disposition of the patriarch’s remains. The passage records that the whole of Egypt/Mitsrayim mourned the death of Ya’achov along with Yosef and Yosef’s family. This is evidence of divine favor in action beloved.
So, after these processes were completed, Yosef petitions Pharaoh to permit him to transport Ya’achov’s remains back to Canaan where it would be interred in the family’s burial cave at Machpelah, in Canaan. Again, this hearkens back to Avraham’s purchase of this property from Ephron the Hittite for purposes of burying the matriarch Sarah, which was recorded in detail in Genesis/Beresheit 25. (We covered this event in our Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections 23 Post entitled “How Do We Know if We’ve Been Chosen of God.” I would humbly encourage you to read or listen to that discussion if you’ve not already done so and if you are so led).
Continuing: We see yet another example of the divine favor that Yosef enjoyed among the Egyptian people, as Pharaoh graciously consented to Yosef’s request.
Now, if we drop down to 50:24-26 of our reading, we find that Yosef had effectively assumed the role of patriarch over the House of Yisra’el after Ya’achov’s passing and burial. And this of course falls right in line with the dream that Yosef had and revealed to his family prior him being sold into Egyptian servitude/slavery by his brethren (Genesis/Beresheit 37:5-10). Recall that Yosef’s dreams, through the natural elements of creation as depicted therein, foretold of his brethren bowing before him and paying him homage and accepting his patriarchal leadership in the process. And recall that it was the revealing of these dreams back then that led to Yosef’s brethren, incited by profound jealousy, selling him into Egyptian slavery. Indeed, this is quite a story when viewed in its component pieces and as a whole.
And so, we find in this latter portion of our reading, Yosef, upon his death bed—the parallels between the deaths of Ya’achov and Yosef are indeed striking—but upon his death bed, Yosef prophesies about the future of the Hebrew nation. Yosef declares to his brethren as he was dying that Yah would come to them as a nation and take them out of Egypt/Mitsrayim and lead them to the Land of Promise—Canaan—the Land that was promised to Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov.
Again, we see this inextricable link between the Land of Promise and the Nation. So important was the Land to its covenant-people, that the patriarch insisted on having his remains buried there as well, despite his many years of prominence and greatness in Egypt/Mitsrayim. Not only are Yah’s people emotionally and spiritually linked to the Land, but Yah also too has an affinity for the Land as revealed by Moshe:
12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.1 (Deu 11:12 KJV)
Yah’s true, set-apart people know that His Kingdom will originate and operate from this Land, and it is there where the hope of the resurrection of the righteous will unfold (Revelation 3:12; 21:2, 10). Clearly the patriarch had some degree of understanding that the Land was somehow linked to their resurrection, which would explain in part why Ya’achov and Yosef were so adamant about having their remains returned and interred in Canaan.
Indeed, we could spend several discussion periods discussing the relevance of the land to Yah’s elect and to the patriarchs of old. But to do so would only take us off track in terms of our focus. Nevertheless, we can surmise that in terms of Ya’achov’s and Yosef’s passing, the location where their remains would be laid to rest was important to them, the nation of Yisra’el, and most importantly, to Yehovah our Elohim.
And finally in our text, we find that in the process of delivering his prophesy to Yisra’el, Yosef instructs his family to have his remains accompany the nation when she departed Egypt/Mitsrayim in the future and inter his remains on the family’s property—the same Cave at Machpelah where his parents were interred.
We will pick-up this discussion in part 2.
