כא א"ל קיסר לרבן גמליאל אמריתו דשכבי חיי הא הוו עפרא ועפרא מי קא חיי
21 'From the Hagiographa': as it is written, And the roof of thy mouth, like the best wine of my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cant. VII, 9. As the entire Song is interpreted by the Rabbis as a dialogue between God and Israel, the last phrase is understood to refer to the dead, whom God will cause to speak again. ');"><sup>21</sup></span> But perhaps it means merely that their lips will move, even as R. Johanan said: If a <i>halachah</i> is said in any person's name in this world, his lips speak in the grave, as it is written, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak? [Thus he did not satisfy them] until he quoted this verse, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give to them;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XI, 21. ');"><sup>22</sup></span> not to you, but to them is said; hence resurrection is derived from the Torah. Others say that he proved it from this verse, But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. IV, 4. ');"><sup>23</sup></span> just as you are all alive to-day, so shall you all live again in the world to come.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is deduced from 'this day', which is superfluous. ');"><sup>24</sup></span> The Romans asked R. Joshua b. Hananiah: Whence do we know that the the Holy One, blessed he He, will resurrect the dead and knows the future? — He replied: Both are deduced from this verse, And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and rise up again; and this people shall go a whoring etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXXI, 16. ');"><sup>25</sup></span> But perhaps 'will rise up, and go a whoring'? — He replied: Then at least you have the answer to half, viz., that He knows the future. It has been stated likewise: R. Johanan said on the authority of R. Simeon b. Yohai: Whence do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, will resurrect the dead and knoweth the future? From, Behold, Thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and … rise again etc. It has been taught: R. Eliezer, son of R. Jose, said: In this matter I refuted the books of the sectarians,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Herford, op. cit. states that [H] is an error for [H] Cutheans, Samaritans, as is proved by parallel passages in the Sif.; cf. 87a, and D.S. ');"><sup>26</sup></span> who maintained that resurrection is not deducible from the Torah. I said to them: You have falsified your Torah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The words 'to them', from which R. Gamaliel (p. 605) deduced the resurrection are left out in the Samaritan text.] ');"><sup>27</sup></span> yet it has availed you nothing. For ye maintain that resurrection is not a Biblical doctrine, but it is written, [Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment], that soul shall utterly be cut off<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H]. ');"><sup>28</sup></span> [Heb. hikkareth tikkareth]; his iniquity shall be upon him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XV, 31. ');"><sup>29</sup></span> Now, [seeing that] he shall utterly be cut off in this world, when shall his iniquity be upon him? surely in the next world.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., at the resurrection. ');"><sup>30</sup></span> R. Papa said to Abaye: Could he not have deduced both [this world, and the next] from he shall be utterly cut off?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. next passage in text. ');"><sup>31</sup></span> — They would have replied: The Torah employed human phraseology. This is disputed by Tannaim: That soul shall utterly be cut off [hikkareth] he shall be cut off in this world and [tikkareth] in the next: this is R. Akiba's view. R. Ishmael said: But the verse has previously stated, he reproacheth the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off are there then three worlds? But [interpret thus]: and [that soul] shall be cut off — in this world: hikkareth, he is to be cut off — in the next; whilst as for [the repetition] tikkareth, that is because the Torah employs human phraseology.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra 64b. ');"><sup>32</sup></span> How do both R. Ishmael and R. Akiba utilize his iniquity shall be upon him? — For that which has been taught: I might think that [this is so] even if he repented: therefore Scripture saith, his iniquity is upon him: I decreed [that he shall be cut off] only if his iniquity is still in him. Queen Cleopatra<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Not of 'Anthony and Cleopatra' fame. Bacher, Agada der Tanaiten, I, 68, n. 2, regards [H] (Cleopatra, the Queen) as a corruption of [H] the Patriarch of the Samaritans (v. Gen. Rab. XCIV, 6). Cp. Koh. Rab. V, 12, where the disputant of the belief of the resurrection of the dead with R. Meir is a Samaritan, [H].] ');"><sup>33</sup></span> asked R. Meir, 'I know that the dead will revive, for it is written, And they [sc. the righteous] shall [in the distant future] blossom forth out of the city [Jerusalem] like the grass of the earth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXII, 16: the bracketed addition gives the sense according to Rabbinic interpretation; v. Keth. 111a. ');"><sup>34</sup></span> But when they arise, shall they arise nude or in their garments?' — He replied, 'Thou mayest deduce by an <i>a fortiori</i> argument [the answer] from a wheat grain: if a grain of wheat, which is buried naked, sprouteth forth in many robes, how much more so the righteous, who are buried in their raiment!' An emperor said to Rabban Gamaliel: 'Ye maintain that the dead will revive; but they turn to dust, and can dust come to life?'