Q&A: The Connection Between Faith and the Resurrection of the Dead
The Connection Between Faith and the Resurrection of the Dead
Question
I wanted to thank the Rabbi very much for all of his work—his books, articles, and interviews. I am a Haredi person who studied / studies in the Lithuanian approach, and it is important to me that everything make sense and not just be “because that’s what they said.” Thanks to the Rabbi, I have gained a lot of clarity in many areas that were very unclear to me.
My question is this: one of the principles of faith / belief (according to the Mishnah at the beginning of chapter Helek) is belief in the resurrection of the dead.
The definition I understand for the concept of faith / belief is not the fact that I have some piece of knowledge sitting in my head; rather, based on some knowledge / assumption / feeling, I am prepared to act accordingly. For example, “one witness is trusted regarding prohibitions” does not mean that you know that when he says this is a piece of fat that is absolute truth; rather, the Torah said to rely on what he says and act accordingly. Of course, believing on the basis of feelings is foolish, and believing in reasonable things is the correct approach, but honestly, the definition of faith is not my starting point but how I implement it.
So my question is simple: what is the connection between faith and the resurrection of the dead? How is my daily routine supposed to look different if I assume there will be resurrection of the dead or not? I will put on the same tefillin, eat the same matzah, so how do resurrection of the dead and faith even fit together? (The question also applies to the coming of the messiah.) And if you say that the practical upshot of belief in the resurrection of the dead is the fact that God will in the future reward the righteous and punish the wicked, then what is the difference between belief in the resurrection of the dead and belief in the World to Come? It is the same belief built on two different assumptions, so in the end it is the same “belief” (so why does the Mishnah count them as two separate principles?)
I tried to keep the email brief, and even so, sorry for the length.
Thank you for everything!!
Answer
Your assumption that faith / belief is only something meant for implementation seems strange to me. In any case, this is a semantic matter. So the resurrection of the dead is not something meant for implementation, and therefore don’t call it “faith” but rather an “opinion.” So what is the problem now?
Why are these two different principles? A possible explanation: the World to Come is the survival of the soul even apart from reward. Simply knowing that there is also something in us that is not physical. The resurrection of the dead may be part of recompense (and even that is not certain. Perhaps it is the realization of the Holy One blessed be He’s plan and not only a reward for us).
Discussion on Answer
You did not clarify anything, because you still have not gotten beyond semantics. So I am speaking about knowledge and not about faith / belief, and then there is no need for practical implications. So what is the problem here?
I won’t get into the Minchat Chinukh’s remarks, which are unfounded, and this is certainly not Maimonides’ intention. But Maimonides is indeed difficult on this point.
Beyond that, belief in the resurrection of the dead, on your approach, is relevant only if on that basis we observe commandments. That is, you are assuming that a person is obligated to serve not for its own sake (but rather for hope of reward). That is of course plainly unreasonable. Certainly not according to Maimonides at the beginning of chapter 10 of the Laws of Repentance.
Thank you very much for the response.
I would be glad to sharpen what I meant.
My definition of faith / belief as I presented it is not a semantic issue but a fundamental issue of definition. Knowledge is one thing, as the Rabbi noted, and that does indeed fit together with the “knowledge” that there will be resurrection of the dead, unlike faith / belief as I presented it, which does not fit together that way.
What compels me to this definition of faith / belief—beyond the example I brought from trustworthiness in monetary matters or in matters of prohibition and permission (where faith / belief is not expressed by your assuming or knowing that this is reality, but by how you are supposed to conduct yourself)—comes from the medieval authorities (Rishonim), foremost among them the Minchat Chinukh on the commandment of faith. He asks a fundamental question about the commandment of faith (and the Rabbi mentions this question in his book The First Existent): how can one command faith? After all, whichever way you look at it, if he believes, then why command him? And if he does not believe, why would he obey the command? Rather, it must be that the commandment of faith is to bring the knowledge from potential into actuality (more or less his wording).
Therefore I return and ask: if this is the definition of faith, then what “actualization” is relevant to resurrection of the dead?
As for my question about the difference between belief in the World to Come and resurrection of the dead, what I meant to ask was only with regard to the assumption that the “practical upshot” of resurrection of the dead could be that a person knows there will be a stage in which God will pay reward and punishment, and consequently he will act by observing Torah and commandments. If so, then from a practical standpoint there is no difference whether you base this on the World to Come or on resurrection of the dead; in terms of implementation, you are implementing the same thing (observance of Torah and commandments) from two causes (fairly similar ones).
Unrelatedly, I would be glad to know whether, according to the Rabbi (if the Rabbi was not convinced by what I wrote above), there is a difference between knowledge and faith / belief—beyond semantics…
Thank you for everything