Berakhot 18: The Inversion
The Talmud (Berakhot 18b): “The living know that they will die”: these are the tzadikim, called living even in their death.
“The dead know nothing”: these are the reshaim, called dead during their life.
The lesson draws two proofs: Benayahu, son of a “living man”, and “the dead shall be put to death”.
The cemetery is called beit hachaim, the House of the Living: it is there that the tzadikim stop dying.
We have seen the scientific proofs, the 50 million witnesses. Now let us see what the Talmud has said about life and death for more than 2000 years.
“For the living know that they will die: these are the tzadikim, who in their death are called living. And the dead know nothing: these are the reshaim, who in their life are called dead.” — Talmud, Berakhot 18b
The Talmud says: “the living know that they die”. The lesson draws attention to the verb: not “will die” in the future, but “die” in the present, a continuous state.
The tzadikim know that they die: they know they live in death, that is, in this world. On the other side, the reshaim know nothing: they think they live in this world, but they are dead.
“Benayahu, son of Yehoyada, son of a living man.”
The Talmud asks: why specify “son of a living man”? Are not all fathers alive? If my father has died, we say “of blessed memory”; but here Yehoyada is presented as a “living man”, as if it were special.
The lesson’s answer: most fathers are dead spiritually, even if they walk on earth. Only Yehoyada was called a “living man”, because he was a tzadik: he knew that he was dying in this world.
“The dead shall be put to death.” (Numbers 35)
Question: how can one kill someone who is already dead? Answer: the one who kills is called “dead”, even though he walks, breathes, eats. He is spiritually dead: he does not know that he is dying in this world, he thinks he is living.
What is the cemetery called in Hebrew? בֵּית הַחַיִּים, “the House of the Living”. Why this name? It is completely inverted: the dead are buried there!
The tzadikim know that they die in this world. So every second is precious, they waste nothing. They fill their “cart” with life: mitzvot, Torah, good deeds. Because they know that this world is a temporary death, and the next world eternal life.
The Talmud says that this world is death and the next world life. But where is the proof in the Torah itself? Did Moses already know all this?
The next chapter announces: Vayikra 12 and Rashi will give the answer.
Did you follow the lesson?
Five questions on the third chapter.