The dead know of the pain of the living
This section consists chiefly of a parable in which Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Aba participate. While traveling, the two come across a place where they decide to spend the night. They lay down to sleep, resting their heads on some raised ground under which is a grave. A voice from this grave speaks to them, and they learn that it belongs to a Jew who is unable to enter the Garden of Eden because his young son was stolen by an abusive heathen. He tells the Rabbis that not only do the dead know of the sufferings of the living, but without the prayers of the dead, they would not survive for half a day. The voice then tells them his son is being beaten at that moment and orders them to leave. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Aba run for half a mile and wait until morning, at which time they see a man with blood running from his shoulders. When they question him, they discover that he is Lachma bar Livai, the son of the dead man. Yet, they do not converse with him or return to the grave site out of fear.
Rabbi Yehuda then explains the two promises God made to Jacob: that He would go down into exile with Jacob, and that He would raise Jacob from his grave to witness the joy of the celestial company that dwelled with Yisrael in captivity. Finally, Rabbi Shimon interprets the verse, "A new king arose..." revealing that Egypt was not granted dominion over all the nations until after Joseph's death.
We are never alone. If we should fall to the greatest depth of sin and darkness, we are never by ourselves. The Light, the supernal angelic forces, and the souls of the Righteous sages are constantly with us to aid us in the moment we choose to transform and embrace the spiritual path of correction.
The prayers of the righteous souls now blanket our world with protection, healing, and Light as we read this passage. The energy arising here launches the process known as the Resurrection of the Dead. It completes our Final Redemption with tender mercy and kindness, for this is the ultimate attribute of spiritual Light and is the desire of the great sages. In the process, the supernal forces responsible for provoking our Evil Inclination are eternally relieved of their duties, as goodness and freedom reigns supreme.
276. Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom was traveling with Rabbi Aba. They entered a place and lodged there. They ate and, when they wanted to lie down, they lay their heads on a mound of earth where there was a grave. Before they fell asleep, someone called from the grave and said, MY seed is going into the ground - MEANING GOING TO WASTE. It has been twelve years that I have not awakened, except now, for I see the face of my son here!
276. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שָׁלוֹם, הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאוֹרְחָא, וְרִבִּי אַבָּא הֲוָה עִמֵּיהּ, עָאלוּ לְחָד אַתְרָא, וּבָתוּ תַּמָּן, אָכְלוּ, כַּד בָּעוּ לְמִשְׁכַּב, שָׁווֹ רֵישֵׁיהוֹן בְּהַהוּא תִּלָּא דְּאַרְעָא, דַּהֲוָה חַד קִבְרָא תַּמָּן, עַד דְּלָא דְּמִיכוּ, קָרָא חַד קָלָא מִן קִבְרָא, אָמַר זַרְעָא לְאַרְעָא אַזְלָא, תְּרֵיסַר שְׁנִין הֲוָה דְּלָא אִתְּעָרִית, בַּר הָאִידָּנָא, דְּפַרְצוּפָא דִּבְרִי חֲמֵינָא הָכָא.
277. Rabbi Yehuda said, Who are you? He said to him, I am a Jew, and I sit alone, AS IN EXCOMMUNICATION. For I cannot enter THE GARDEN OF EDEN because of the pain of my son who was stolen, when he was still small, by a heathen who beats him every day. His pain prevents me from entering my place, and I awoke just now in this place.
277. א"ר יְהוּדָה, מַאן אַתְּ. א"ל יוּדָאי אֲנָא, וַאֲנָא יָתִיב נְזִיפָא, דַּאֲנָא לָא יָכִילְנָא לְמֵיעַל, בְּגִין הַהוּא צַעֲרָא דִּבְרִי, דְּגַנְבֵיהּ הַהוּא עכו"ם, כַּד אִיהוּ הֲוָה זְעֵירָא, וְאַלְקֵי לֵיהּ כָּל יוֹמָא, וְצַעֲרָא דִּילֵיהּ דָּחֵי לִי לְמֵיעָאל בְּדוּכְתָּאי, וּבְהַאי אַתְרָא לָא אִתְּעָרִית, בַּר הָאִידָּנָא.
278. He said to him, Do you know the pain of the living? He said to him, I SWEAR by the minister of my grave that were it not for our prayers for the living, they would not survive in the world for even a half day. I awoke here, for they were telling me every day that my son would come here soon, but I do not know if alive or after his death.
278. אָמַר לֵיהּ וְאָתּוּן יַדְעִין בְּצַעֲרָא דְּחַיֵּי. א"ל, שָׂרֵי קִבְרִי, אִי לָאו בָּעוּתָא דִּילָן עַל חַיֵּי, לָא יִתְקַיְּימוּן פַּלְגּוּת יוֹמָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְהָאִידָּנָא אִתְעָרִית הָכָא, דַּהֲווֹ אַמְרִין לִי כָּל יוֹמָא, דִּלַעֲגָלָא יֵיתִי בְּרִי הָכָא, וְלָא יָדַעְנָא אִי בְּחַיֵּי אִי בְּמוֹתָא.
279. Rabbi Yehuda said to him, What do you do in that world? The grave rumbled and he said, Go, arise, for now they are beating my son. They were amazed and fled from there about a half a mile. They sat until morning light. They rose to go and saw a man who was running and fleeing FROM HIS MASTER - AS HE WAS SAVED FROM HIM BY THE PRAYERS OF HIS DEAD FATHER. And he was bleeding from his shoulders. They held him and he told them THE STORY OF THE HEATHEN WHO KIDNAPPED HIM WHEN HE WAS A CHILD, AND WHO BEAT HIM UNTIL HE STARTED TO BLEED. They said to him, What is your name? He said to them, Lachma bar Livai. They said, Was not Livai bar Lachma THE NAME OF that deceased? We are afraid to talk with him anymore! They did not return to him. Rabbi Aba said, This is what they said - that the prayers of the dead protect the living. How do we know? IT IS because it is written, "And they went up to the Negev and he came to Cherubs" (Bemidbar 13:22), MEANING TO PRAY AT THE GRAVE OF THE PATRIARCHS, THAT THEY WOULD PRAY FOR THEM.
279. א"ל רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, מַאי עֲבִידְתַיְיכוּ בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. אִתְרְגִישׁ קִבְרָא, וְאָמַר, אַזִילוּ קוּמוּ, דְּהָאִידָּנָא יִלְקוּן לִבְרִי, תַּוְוהוּ, וְעָרְקוּ מִתַּמָּן כְּפַלְגוּת מִיל, יָתְבוּ עַד דְּנָהִיר צַפְרָא. קָמוּ לְמֵיזַל, חָמוּ חַד בַּר נָשׁ, דַּהֲוָה רָהִיט וְעָרַק, וַהֲוָה שָׁתִית דָּמָא אֲכַתְפוֹי, אַחְדוּ בֵּיהּ, וְסָח לְהוֹ עוֹבָדָא, אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ מַה שְּׁמֶךָ. אָמַר לְהוּ, לַחְמָא בַּר לֵיוָאֵי. אָמְרוּ, וּמַה לֵיוָאֵי בַּר לַחְמָא הֲוָה הַהוּא מֵיתָא, וּמִסְתָּפֵינָא לְאִשְׁתַּעוּיֵי יַתִּיר בַּהֲדֵיהּ. לָא אֲהַדְרוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, הַאי דְּאָמְרוּ, דִּצְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּמֵתַיָּיא, מְגִינָן עַל חַיֵּי. מְנָלָן. דִּכְתִּיב וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן.
280. Rabbi Yehuda said, Come and behold. The Holy One, blessed be He, made two vows to Jacob. He would descend with him and sojourn with him in exile, and He would raise him from his grave to see the joy of the holy camp OF THE CHARIOTS AND THE ANGELS, who sojourned with his children IN EXILE DURING THE REDEMPTION. This is the meaning of, "I will go down with you into Egypt" (Beresheet 46:4), MEANING I will descend with you into exile. "And I will surely bring you up again," MEANING DURING THE REDEMPTION, BECAUSE "BRING YOU UP" IS AN EXPRESSION OF REDEMPTION, as is written, "And I will bring you up from your graves, My people" (Yechezkel 37:12), and, "There the tribes used to go up..." (Tehilim 122:4).
280. א"ר יְהוּדָה, תָּא חֲזֵי, תְּרֵין נְדָרִין נָדַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיַעֲקֹב. חַד, דְּיֵיחוּת עִמֵּיהּ לְמֵידָר עִמֵּיהּ בְּגָלוּתָא, וְחַד דְּיֵּסְקִינֵיהּ מִקִּבְרֵיהּ, לְמֵחֱמֵי חֶדְוָותָא דְּסִיַּיעְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא דְּדַיְירֵי עִם בְּנוֹהִי, הה"ד, אָנֹכִי אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ מִצְרָיְמָה אָנֹכִי אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ בְּגָלוּתָא. וְאָנֹכִי אֲעַלְךָ גַּם עָלֹה, כד"א וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם עַמִּי. וּכְתִיב שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים וְגוֹ.'
281. Another explanation of, "Now there arose a new king..." (Shemot 1:8) Rabbi Shimon said, On that day, permission was granted to the Minister of Egypt to be ABOVE all the other nations. For we learned that before Joseph died, Egypt was not granted dominion over Yisrael, but when Joseph died, "Now there arose a new king." "Arose" MEANS as one who was lowly and arose, FOR ON THAT DAY THE MINISTER OF EGYPT AROSE TO BE GREAT, AS MENTIONED EARLIER.
281. ד"א וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ עַל מִצְרָיִם וְגוֹ,' אר"ש, בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא, אִתְיְהִיב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּתָא לְשָׂרוֹ שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם, עַל כָּל שְׁאַר עַמִּין, דְּתָנָא, עַד דְּלָא מִית יוֹסֵף, לָא אִתְיְהִיב שֻלְטָנוּ לְשֻׁלְטָנָא דְּמִצְרַיִם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כֵּיוָן דְּמִית יוֹסֵף, כְּדֵין וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ עַל מִצְרָיִם, וַיָּקָם: כְּמַאן דַּהֲוָה מָאִיךְ וְקָם.