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UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h7g2d8 Author Levy, Candice Liliane Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures by Candice Liliane Levy 2013 © Copyright by Candice Liliane Levy 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Arbiters of the Afterlife: Olam Haba, Torah and Rabbinic Authority by Candice Liliane Levy Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Carol Bakhos, Chair As the primary stratum of the rabbinic corpus, the Mishna establishes a dynamic between rabbinic authority and olam haba that sets the course for all subsequent rabbinic discussions of the idea. The Mishna Sanhedrin presents the rabbis as arbiters of the afterlife, who regulate its access by excluding a set of individuals whose beliefs or practices undermine the nature of rabbinic authority and their tradition. In doing so, the Mishna evinces the foundational tenets of rabbinic Judaism and delineates the boundaries of ‘Israel’ according to the rabbis. Consequently, as arbiters of the afterlife, the rabbis constitute Israel and establish normative thought and practice in this world by means of the world to come. ii There have been surprisingly few studies on the afterlife in rabbinic literature. Many of the scholars who have undertaken to explore the afterlife in Judaism have themselves remarked upon the dearth of attention this subject has received. For the most part, scholars have sought to identify what the rabbis believed with regard to the afterlife and how they envisioned its experience, rather than why they held such beliefs or how the afterlife functioned within the rabbinic tradition. This dissertation will seek to fill the lacuna in the treatment of this topic. The central argument of this dissertation is that rabbinic discussions of olam haba can be situated within the larger discourse of rabbinic authority and that the rabbis’ purported regulation of olam haba is part of a constellation of efforts by the rabbis to assert their authority and define post-Temple Judaism. This dissertation will demonstrate the complex interplay between rabbinic authority, Torah and theodicy and the ancillary function of olam haba for each of these. My analysis of rabbinic sources will demonstrate that, whether as a means of delineating the boundaries of Israel, as a reward for Torah study or as a mechanism of theodicy, olam haba served to establish, reinforce and perpetuate rabbinic authority and the tradition of the rabbis. This dissertation approaches the afterlife with an altogether different set of questions and contends that the examination of what the rabbis sought to uphold or negate by means of olam haba and their reasons for doing so can provide essential clues about the rabbis themselves, how they constructed their tradition and how they conceived of Israel. iii This dissertation of Candice Liliane Levy is approved. Yona Sabar Aryeh Cohen William M. Schniedewind Carol Bakhos, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv I dedicate this dissertation to ז’’ל Rachel Ouaknine my beloved grandmother. May she be welcomed into olam haba with the same grace and warmth that she showed to all those who came into her home. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX VITA XII CHAPTER ONE: “ALL ISRAEL HAS A SHARE IN THE WORLD TO COME”: UNCOVERING A DYNAMIC OF AUTHORITY 1 1.0 M. SANHEDRIN 10:1 - ALL ISRAEL HAS A SHARE IN OLAM HABA 2 1.1 ASSUMPTIONS AND QUESTIONS 2 1.2 SURVEY OF SCHOLARSHIP 7 1.3 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY OLAM HABA? 18 1.4 METHODOLOGY 22 1.5 ON AUTHORITY AND STRATEGY 31 CHAPTER 2A: THE EMERGENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE IN JUDAISM: TRACING THE LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION OF ‘OLAM 36 2.0 INTRODUCTION 37 2.1 LEXICAL STUDY: TRACING THE LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION OF ‘OLAM 37 2.1.1 ‘OLAM IN THE HEBREW BIBLE 39 2.1.2 SHIFT IN THE USE OF ‘OLAM? DANIEL AND DEUTERO-ISAIAH 41 2.1.3 PLURAL FORMS OF ‘OLAM AND ‘ALMA 42 2.1.4 ‘OLAM IN THE QUMRAN TEXTS 43 2.1.5 AION AS ‘OLAM 44 2.1.5.1 SEPTUAGINT 45 2.1.5.2 AION IN THE EXTRA-CANONICAL PARTS OF THE SEPTUAGINT 46 2.1.5.3 AION IN THE WORKS OF PHILO 47 2.1.5.4 AION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 48 2.1.6 FIRST AND SECOND ENOCH 50 2.1.7 ‘OLAM IN THE MISHNA AND TOSEFTA 52 vi 2.1.8 CONCLUSIONS 54 CHAPTER 2B: THE CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION OF THE AFTERLIFE IN JUDAISM: INFLUENCES AND CAUSES 55 2.2 INTRODUCTION 56 2.3 INFLUENCES 2.3.1 PERSIA 57 2.3.2 GREECE 60 2.4 BEYOND INFLUENCE: CAUSES AND ADAPTATIONS OF BELIEF IN THE AFTERLIFE 63 2.4.1 EXPLAINING THE BIBLICAL SILENCE ON THE AFTERLIFE 64 2.4.2 APOCALYPTICISM, PERSECUTION AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 68 2.4.3 ESCHATOLOGY AT QUMRAN 72 2.4.4 PHILO AND JOSEPHUS 74 2.5 CONCLUSIONS 76 CHAPTER THREE: ARBITERS OF ‘OLAM HABA: A CLOSE READING OF M. SANHEDRIN 10:1 78 3.1 INTRODUCTION 79 3.2 THE CONTEXT OF THE MISHNA 81 3.3 RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 84 3.3.1 RESURRECTION FROM THE TORAH 90 3.4 TORAH FROM HEAVEN 92 3.5 APIKOROS 100 3.5.1 APIKOROS AS EPICUREAN 100 3.5.2 APIKOROS IN THE TALMUD 106 3.6 EXTERNAL BOOKS 110 3.7 HEALING AND DIVINE NAMES 120 3.8 CONCLUSIONS 131 CHAPTER FOUR: OLAM HABA BY MEANS OF TORAH, OR TORAH BY MEANS OF OLAM HABA 134 4.1 INTRODUCTION 135 vii 4.2 RABBINIC AUTHORITY AND ORAL TORAH 136 4.3 ASSUMING THE ROLE OF THE PROPHETS 139 4.4 FROM PRIESTS AND SACRIFICE TO RABBIS AND STUDY 145 4.5 THE IDEA OF TORAH STUDY 4.5.1 WHAT DID THE RABBIS MEAN BY TORAH STUDY? 147 4.5.2 TORAH STUDY AS OBLIGATORY 148 4.5.3 TORAH STUDY VS. DEEDS 151 4.6 THE POWER AND EFFECTS OF TORAH STUDY 156 4.7 TORAH STUDY IN OLAM HABA 159 4.8 THE TRANSFORMATIVE ABILITY OF TORAH STUDY 163 4.9 TORAH STUDY AND THE SAGES AS VEHICLES TO OLAM HABA 165 4.10 CONCLUSIONS 167 CHAPTER FIVE: OLAM HABA AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL REWARD: COVENANT, RETRIBUTION AND THEODICY 172 5.1 INTRODUCTION 173 5.2 COVENANT, RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND THE PROBLEM OF THEODICY 174 5.3 SIFRE DEUTERONOMY 307 AND ITS EXEGETICAL CONTEXT 177 5.4 CLOSE READING OF SIFRE DEUTERONOMY 307 5.4.1 THE PERFECTION OF CREATION 182 5.4.2 THE PERFECTION OF DIVINE JUSTICE 185 5.4.3 OLAM HABA AS A MECHANISM OF RABBINIC THEODICY 187 5.4.4 MARTYRDOM, DIVINE JUSTICE AND OLAM HABA 192 5.4.5 THE “ROCK”: RABBINIC ANXIETIES CONCERNING DIVINE JUSTICE 200 5.5 CONCLUSIONS 204 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION 206 BIBLIOGRAPHY 213 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS יהושע בן פרחיה אומר: עשה לך רב וקנה לך חבר והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות. (משנה אבות א:ו) Many a teacher and friend have contributed to the realization of this work. I have learned a great deal from both and have been the beneficiary of much goodwill throughout the process of writing this dissertation. First and foremost, I am indebted to Professor Carol Bakhos for her dedication to my work and the support and guidance that she has provided throughout my tenure at UCLA. As a scholar and a mentor, Professor Bakhos has inspired me with her generosity as well as her knowledge and pursuit of excellence. Her willingness to challenge me as well as her unrelenting encouragement and faith in my abilities enabled me grow as a scholar and achieve what, at times, seemed impossible to me. I remain eternally grateful for the interest she showed in me as a young student and the influence that she had in my decision to pursue a doctorate at UCLA. I would also like to thank the other members of my dissertation committee, Bill Schniedewind, Aryeh Cohen and Yona Sabar. I have had the distinct privilege of learning from each of these scholars and am thankful for their generosity and availability throughout this process. The knowledge that they have imparted and their helpful feedback has greatly contributed to this work and it is all the better as a result of their involvement. I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge Ra’anan Boustan who so generously lent me his time as I researched and wrote this dissertation. Though Ra’anan was not a formal member of my dissertation committee, his insight and guidance throughout this process has been instrumental and I am grateful to him for that. ix I have had the extraordinary privilege of calling Dvora Weisberg both a teacher and a friend. Whether it involved obtaining a source, discussing a passage of Talmud or sharing an insight on a text, Dvora’s willing assistance was always accompanied by a smile and words of encouragement. I am honored to be your friend and I thank your for being such a great mentor. I would also like to thank my colleague and friend, Peter Lanfer who was always forthcoming with his suggestions, advice and experience throughout my time at UCLA. His friendship has been one of the many gifts that I have been fortunate to receive as a graduate student and I will treasure the many moments that we shared over the course of these last 9 years.
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