Playback speed
Mashiach and Olam Haba Part 4: Techiyat HaMeitim
- In Part 1 we saw the position of the Rambam - that the Messianic Age will be entirely non-miraculous, without any change in the natural order. Similarly, there will be NO change in the mitzvot or the principles of the Torah. As such, Yemot HaMashiach will relate entirely to THIS world (Olam Hazeh) and must not be confused with ‘Olam Haba’.
- In Part 2 we saw the position of the more mystical thinkers for whom Yemot HaMashiach is an entirely miraculous age which merges and morphs with Olam Haba. They see Yemot HaMashiach as a blend of physical and spiritual; the return to an Edenic state in which people will live eternally in a life free not only from sin, but from the urge to carry out that sin. In those times we will no longer need the system of Torah and mitzvot and we will receive a new Torah which is more suited to our redeemed world.
- In Part 3 we saw a potentially apocalyptic perspective in the form of Mashiach ben Yosef. We also examined whether Mashiach ben Yosef could come without the cataclysmic events often associated with him and whether the establishment of a Jewish State in Israel could be a realization of Mashiach ben Yosef.
- In this part we will examine the concept of Techiyat Hametim and the controversy this caused during the lifetime of the Rambam.