Daf 151b (דַּף קנ״א ע״ב)

He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ), surely it is so (הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי), and the praise of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam (וּשְׁבָחָא דְּמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם) was greater than that of all the people of the world (הֲוָה יַתִּיר מִכָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא), for they died outside of the Holy Land (דְּאִינּוּן מִיתוּ לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), that Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam died outside the Holy Land (דְּמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא מִיתוּ), and all others died by the hand of that destroyer (וְכֻלְּהוּ מִיתוּ עַל יְדֵי דְּהַהוּא מְחַבְּלָא), except for Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam (בַּר אִינּוּן מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם), who did not die except by the hand of Kudsha Berikh Hu (דְּלָא מִיתוּ אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא).

But those who die in the Holy Land (אֲבָל אִינּוּן דְּמֵתִין בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), do not die by the hand of that destroyer (לָא מֵתִין עַל יְדֵי דְּהַהוּא מְחַבְּלָא), for the Holy Land is not under the domain of another (דְּהָא אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא לָא קַיְּימָא בִּרְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא), but under the domain of Kudsha Berikh Hu alone (אֶלָּא בִּרְשׁוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי). And concerning this it is written (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב): (Isaiah 26) “Your dead shall live, my carcasses shall arise; awake and sing, dwellers in the dust…” (יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שׁוֹכְנֵי עָפָר וְגוֹ׳). “Your dead shall live” - these are those who die in the Holy Land (יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ – אִלֵּין דְּמֵתִין בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), for they are His dead (דְּאִינּוּן מֵתִין דִּילֵיהּ), and not of another (וְלָא מֵאַחֲרָא), for the Sitra achra does not rule there at all (דְּלָא שַׁלְטָא תַּמָּן סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא כְּלַל), and for this reason it is written: “Your dead” (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב מֵתֶיךָ). “My carcasses shall arise” - these are those who died in another, foreign land (נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן – אִינּוּן דְּמִיתוּ בְּאַרְעָא נוּכְרָאָה אַחֲרָא), by the hand of that destroyer (עַל יְדֵי דְּהַהוּא מְחַבְּלָא).

And for this reason they are called carcass (וְעַל דָּא אִקְרוּן נְבֵלָה), just as a carcass transmits impurity through carrying (מַה נְבֵלָה מְטַמְּאָה בְּמַשָּׂא), so too those who die outside the Holy Land (אוּף אִינּוּן דְּמֵתִין לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), transmit impurity through carrying (מְטַמְאִין בְּמַשָּׂא) - Some say: through contact (נ״א: בְּמַגָּע). And for this reason they are carcass (וְעַל דָּא אִינּוּן נְבֵלָה). Every disqualified slaughtering is called carcass (כָּל שְׁחִיטָה דְּאִיפְסִיל, אִקְרֵי נְבֵלָה), because that slaughtering is from the Sitra achra (בְּגִין שְׁחִיטָה הָא אִיהִי מִסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא), and as soon as it is disqualified, the Sitra achra rests upon it (וּמִיַּד דְּאִיפְסִיל שַׁרְיָא עָלָהּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא). And because it belongs to him and he rests upon it (וּבְגִין דְּאִיהִי דִּילֵיהּ, וְשַׁרְיָא עָלָהּ), it is called carcass (אִקְרֵי נְבֵלָה). And the Secret of this is (Some say: its name fits it (וְרָזָא דָּא (ס״א: כִּשְׁמוֹ כֵּן הוּא): “Naval is he” (נָבָל הוּא), as it is written (שְׁמוּאֵל א׳ כ״ה): “And his name was Naval, and corruption was with him” (וְנָבָל שְׁמוֹ וּנְבָלָה עִמּוֹ). And for this reason, in every place where he dwells (וְעַל דָּא בְּכָל אֲתָר דְּאִיהוּ שַׁרְיָא), it is called carcass (אִקְרֵי נְבֵלָה). This defilement does not rest except in a place of rejection (מְנוּוָל דָּא לָא שַׁרְיָא, אֶלָּא בְּאֲתָר פְּסִילוּ), and for this reason, a disqualified slaughtering - that belongs to him (וְעַל דָּא שְׁחִיטָה דְּאַפְסִיל, הָא דִּילֵיהּ הוּא), and it is called by his name (וְאִקְרֵי עַל שְׁמֵיהּ). And therefore (וּבְגִין כַּךְ), those who die outside the Holy Land (מֵתִין דְּאִינּוּן לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), are under the dominion of the Other (תְּחוֹת רְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא), and the Sitra achra rests upon them (וְשַׁרְיָא עָלַיְיהוּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא), and they are called carcass (אִקְרוּן נְבֵלָה).

Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust (הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שׁוֹכְנֵי עָפָר), “dwellers” means those who reside, who are sleeping, but not dead (שׁוֹכְנֵי – דַּיְירִין דְּמִיכִין, וְלָא מֵתִין). And who are they? (וּמַאן אִינּוּן) – those who sleep in Chevron (דְּמִיכִין דְּחֶבְרוֹן), for they are not dead, but sleeping (דְּאִינּוּן לָא מֵתִין, אֶלָּא דְּמִיכִין). And concerning them it is written "death" (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּהוּ גְּוִיעָה), as one who passed away, yet they remain in existence within the earth (כְּמַאן דְּגָוַוע, וְאִית בֵּיהּ קִיוּמָא לְאַנְעֲרָא). So also are the four pairs in Chevron (אוּף הָכִי אִינּוּן ד׳ זוּגֵי דְּחֶבְרוֹן), they are sleeping and not dead (דְּמִיכִין אִינּוּן וְלָא מֵתִין), and all of them remain in their existence in their bodies (וְכֻלְּהוּ קַיְימוּ בְּקִיוּמַיְיהוּ בְּאִינּוּן גּוּפִין דִּלְהוֹן), and they know hidden secrets (וְיַדְעֵי סִתְרִין גְּנִיזִין), more than the rest of humankind (יַתִּיר מִשְּׁאָר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא).

Hidden things are there (גְּנִיזִין הֲווֹ תַּמָּן), within the opening of Gan Eden are their bodies (גּוֹ פִּתְחָא דְּגַּן עֵדֶן אִינּוּן גּוּפִין דִּלְהוֹן), and these are the dwellers in the dust (וְאִלֵּין אִינּוּן שׁוֹכְנֵי עָפָר). And for this reason, all whose Neshamot departed in the Holy Land (וְעַל דָּא כָּל אִינּוּן דְּנַפְקוּ נִשְׁמָתַיְיהוּ בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא), did not go out by the hand of that destroyer (לָא נָפִיק עַל יְדֵי דְּהַהוּא מְחַבְּלָא), and he does not rule there (וְלָא שַׁלְטָא תַּמָּן), but only by the hand of the angel of mercy (אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי דְּמַלְאָכָא דְּרַחֲמֵי), for the Holy Land exists within his domain (דְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא קַיְּימָא בְּעַדְבֵיהּ).

There is a place in the settled land (אֲתָר אִית בְּיִשּׁוּבָא), over which that destroyer does not rule (דְּלָא שַׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ הַהוּא מְחַבְּלָא), and he is not given permission to enter there (וְלָא אִתְיְיהִיב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לְאַעֲלָא תַּמָּן). And all those who dwell there (וְכָל אִינּוּן דְּדַיְירֵי תַּמָּן), do not die until they exit outside the city limits (לָא מֵתִין, עַד דְּנָפְקִין לְבַר מִקַּרְתָּא). And there is no one from among those who dwell there (וְלֵית לָךְ בַּר נָשׁ מִכָּל דְּדַיְירִין תַּמָּן), who does not die (דְּלָא מֵתִין), for all of them die like other human beings (וְכֻלְּהוּ מֵתִין כִּשְׁאַר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא), but not in the city (אֲבָל לָאו בְּמָתָא). Why is this? (מַאי טַעְמָא) – because they cannot remain constantly in the city (בְּגִין דְּלָא יַכְלִין לְמֵיתַב תָּדִיר בְּמָתָא), but these go out and others come in (אֶלָּא אִלֵּין נָפְקִין, וְאִלֵּין עָאלִין), and for this reason they all die (וְעַל דָּא כֻּלְּהוּ מֵתִין). Why does that destroying angel not rule there? (מַאי טַעְמָא לָא שַׁלְטָא תַּמָּן הַהוּא מַלְאָךְ מְחַבְּלָא).

If you say because it is not within his domain (אִי תֵּימָא דְּלָא קַיְּימָא בִּרְשׁוּתֵיהּ), behold the Holy Land itself is not within the dominion of the Sitra achra (הָא אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּלָא קַיְּימָא בִּרְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא), and people die there – so why in that place do they not die? (וּמֵתִין, בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר אֲמַאי לָא מֵתִין). And if you say it is because of holiness (אִי תֵּימָא בְּגִין קְדוּשָּׁה), there is no place in all the settled land whose holiness is like that of Eretz Yisrael (לֵית אֲתָר בִּקְדוּשָׁה בְּכָל יִשׁוּבָא כְּגַוְונָא דְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל). And if you say it is because of the man who built it (וְאִי תֵּימָא, בְּגִין הַהוּא גַּבְרָא דְּבָנֵי לָהּ), how many people were there whose merit was greater than his? (כַמָה בְּנֵי נָשָׁא הֲווֹ דִּזְכוּתֵיהוֹן יַתִּיר מִדִילֵיהּ). Rabbi Yitzchak said (אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק): I have not heard, and I will not say (אֲנָא לָא שְׁמַעְנָא וְלָא אֵימָא).

They came and asked Rabbi Shimon (אָתוּ שָׁאִילּוּ לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן). He said to them (אָמַר לוֹן): Indeed, in that place the Angel of Death does not rule (וַדַּאי הַהוּא אֲתָר לָא שַׁלְטָא עָלֵיהּ מַלְאָךְ הַמָּוֶת), and Kudsha Berikh Hu does not desire that in that place a human being should ever die (וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא בָּעֵי דִּבְהַהוּא אֲתָר יְמוּת בַּר נָשׁ לְעָלְמִין). And if you say that before then, in that place, before it was built, people died there – it is not so (וְאִי תֵּימָא, דְּקֹדֶם לָכֵן בְּהַהוּא דּוּכְתָּא, עַד לָא אִתְבְּנֵי, מִיתוּ בֵּיהּ בְּנֵי נָשָׁא – לָאו הָכִי). Rather, from the day the world was created (אֶלָּא מִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא), that place was established for permanence (אִתְתָּקַּן הַהוּא אֲתָר, לְקִיּוּמָא), and this is a secret of secrets (וְרָזָא דְּרָזִין הָכָא), for those who contemplate the mysteries of wisdom (לְאִינּוּן דְּמִסְתַּכְּלֵי בְּרָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא).