[Avodah] Long Lifespans in Bereishis

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Oct 24, 2017 at 06:28:28PM -0400, hankman (RVM) wrote:
: > (Note that Radak, comm. to Is. 65:20, is a bit stingier. He predicts
: > lifespans of only 300 to 500 years. See also his commentary to
: > Ps. 92:15. But the 12th century Babylonian Gaon R. Samuel b. Ali
: > predicts lifespans closer to 1000 years!)"

: This quote leads to an issue I will expand upon slightly in another
: post. But the basic issue is if the world is Charuv at 6000 years and
: yemos Moshiach are before the olom is charuv, (while olom keminhago
: noheig) there is not enough time left (we are now 5778) for a life span
: of 300 to 500 years let alone 1000 years.

This all depends on the machloqes about defining olam haba
and whether techiyas hameisim is permanent. As well as any machloqesin
as to whether yemos hamoshiach starts with techiyas hameisim or
ends with a new era, that itself starts with teshiyas hameisim.

Rambam: olam haba means the non-physical world a neshamah is in between
life and teshiyas hameisim, as well as after a second death. Since olam
haba is the ultimate form of existence, defining that ultimate as the
place souls go when dead necessitates a second death after techiyas
hameisim. The Rambam (and the Iqarim, and others, I just picked on name
for thumbnail-sketch reasons) then has to explain what the point of the
second life is.

Ramban (similarly, among others): olam haba, the ultimate existence,
is body together with guf after techiyas hameisim. And therefore the
post-th"m life must be external.

According to the first shitah, it could be that post-th"m life is in
gan eden is Adam's sense and thus life lasts as long as his could have.

But then there's the question of whether your assumed dates hold.... My
point is mainly that I think there are too many unknowns to even ask
your question. I just anded up belaboring the one unknown I once wrote
about. <http://www.aishdas.org/mesukim/5764/shemini.pdf> on how this
machloqes may impact what is the point of Brikhas Gevurah ("Atah Gibor").


BTW, I just noticed, underlying that machloqes about what is olam haba
and techiyas hameisim might be a difference in the definition of a person.

It looks to me like the Rambam is saying a person is a soul who lives
in a body. And therefore the ultimate in existence is not to have that
body interpolated between me and experiencing Hashem's Presence.

Whereas the Ramban is saying that a person is a synthesis of body and
soul, and therefore cannot enjoy the rewards of their efforts when the
two halves are separated.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             If a person does not recognize one's own worth,
micha at aishdas.org        how can he appreciate the worth of another?
http://www.aishdas.org             - Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye,
Fax: (270) 514-1507                  author of Toldos Yaakov Yosef