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Resrrection and Days of Creation

In our tradition we have a doctrine: Resurrection of the Body. Is there any background in Judaism of that doctrine ?
And the second question: In Genesis G-d created universe in seven days: how do you translate yom — a day or an age?

Answer:

1) The concept of the Resurrection of the body is present in Judaism, and according to the Rambam (Maimonides) it is one of the fundamentals of Jewish faith (the last of his 13 principles).

However, unlike the coming of the Messiah, the Resurrection is not something that we can have an intellectual grasp on. Whereas Maimonides explains that in the days of the Messiah, the world will continue to conduct itself according to natural principles, this cannot be said of the time of the Resurrection, which is something beyond human grasp — a time somehow beyond time, when all things dead will return to life.

The Resurrection is thus a time in which the world will be elevated to a totally new mode of existence, shedding the familiar ways of nature for new standards that we are today incapable even of imagining.

The concept of the Resurrection is discussed in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 90, 92), and a number of Scriptural proofs are mentioned.

2) The word “Yom” translates everywhere in Scripture as “day,” and this is the meaning of the seven “days” of creation — which is why our own week consists of seven days. In spite of this, there is much discussion among commentaries as to whether the days are days just as we know them, or whether they are days that hardly resemble the short periods of time we are familiar with today.

This discussion does not necessarily alter the literal meaning of the word. Although the seven days were days, a day in a world that does not yet exist, or which has just come into existence, cannot necessarily be compared with the days we know. For instance, the concept of days applies in the Torah even to the time before the celestial bodies (by which our days are counted) came into being.

Therefore, although the word certainly means a day, and this is the meaning the Torah wishes to convey, this does not necessarily mean that the Creation must be historically understood as having taken seven literal, everyday “days.”

Best wishes.

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2 Comments

  1. Question of the Messiah , according of our tradition Jeshua was The Messiah. But His birth consist some false information. He was not born in Betlehem but probably in Nazareth. He entered in Jerusalem by riding on a donkey according the scriptures. He was wept away by evil forces. Anyway there is missing The Messiah who will born in Betlehem and will be a king of Israel. I think that The next Messiah will born in Betlehem. The First Messiah came in the beginning of the messianic era and the same ” Person” come back at the end of messianic era and will born in Betlehem. Anyway there is many facts in both of tradition which points in that way. May I have some comments about the subject.

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