Before the world was created, how could it be written: "And... died"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yehuda wonders why God created Adam if He knew that Adam would sin and that He would have to sentence him to death. He wonders why those who study the Torah and those who don't both die in this world. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Aba discuss why they are permitted to seek out the mysteries in the Torah but they have no right to inquire about the ways of God, as for example when it pertains to question such as those above. The conclusion is that there are things that are secret to God and that no one should even ask about them, except for Rabbi Shimon who can explain things to his generation openly.

Adam Creation Death Death and the Afterlife Sin Tents Torah World to Come, The Year

42. Rabbi Yehuda was walking along the way with Rabbi Aba. He said to him: I wish to ask you one thing. Since the Holy One, blessed be He, was aware that Adam was going to commit sin in His presence and that He would sentence him to death, why did He create him? Didn't the Torah exist 2,000 years prior to the creation of the world, MEANING BEFORE THE SIN OF ADAM? And in the Torah it is written: "When a man dies in a tent" (Bemidbar 19:14), "if a man die," "and...died" and "such and such lived and died." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, want from man in this world? If man studies Torah day and night he will die, and if he does not study Torah he will die. The same course applies to all, except that THE SINNER is removed from the World to Come. HOWEVER, IN THIS WORLD ALL ARE EQUAL, as it is written: "As is the good, so is the sinner" (Kohelet 9:2).

42. ר' יְהוּדָה הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא בַּהֲדֵי ר' אַבָּא, שָׁאַל לֵיהּ, אָמַר מִלָּה חַד בָּעֵינָא לְשָׁאֲלָא, כֵּיוָן דְּיָדַע קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּזַמִּין ב"נ לְמֶחֱטֵי קַמֵּיהּ, וּלְמִגְזַר עָלֵיהּ מִיתָה, אֲמַאי בָּרָא לֵיהּ. דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא הֲוָה תְּרֵי אַלְפִין שְׁנִין עַד לָא אִיבְרֵי עָלְמָא. וּכְתִיב בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל. אִישׁ כִּי יָמוּת. וַיָּמָת. וַיְחִי פְּלוֹנִי וַיָּמָת. מַאי קָבָעֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לב"נ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, דַּאֲפִילּוּ אִי אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמָמָא וְלֵילְיָא יְמוּת, וְאִי לָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמוּת, כֹּלָּא בְּחַד אָרְחָא, בַּר פְּרִישׁוּתָא דְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, כד"א כַּטוּב כְּחוּטָא.

Flesh Holy Name Sin Torah

43. He said to him: Why do you need to toil in the ways of your Master and the edicts of your Master? Ask about that which you have permission to know and gaze at, and about that which you have no permission to know, it is written: "Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin" (Kohelet 5:5), since we have no right to inquire about the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His mysteries, the utmost high secrets that He covered and hid. He said to him: If so, the entire Torah is concealed and hidden, since it is the most Holy Name and whoever studies the Torah, it is as if he deals in His Holy Name. If so, we are not permitted to inquire and gaze IN THE TORAH.

43. א"ל, אוֹרְחוֹי דְּמָארָךְ, וְגַזְרֵי דְּמָארָךְ, מַה לָךְ לְמִטְרַח בְּהוּ. מַה דְּאִית לָךְ רְשׁוּ לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא שָׁאִיל, וּדְלֵית לָךְ רְשׁוּ לְמִנְדַּע, כְּתִיב אַל תִּתֵּן אֶת פִּיךָ לַחֲטִיא אֶת בְּשָׂרֶךָ, דְּאוֹרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְסִתְרִין, גְּנִיזִין עִלָּאִין, דְּהוּא סָתִים וְגָנִיז לֵית לָן לְשָׁאֲלָא. אָ"ל, אִי הָכִי, הָא אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא סָתִים וְגָנִיז, דְּהָא הִיא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה הֲוֵי, וּמַאן דְּמִתְעֲסָק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא כְּאִלּוּ אִתְעֲסָק בִּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא, וְאִי הָכִי, לֵית לָן לְשָׁאֲלָא וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא.

Holy Name Torah

44. He said to him: The entire Torah is both concealed and revealed and the Holy Name is both concealed and revealed, as it is written: "The secret things belong to Hashem our Elohim: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children" (Devarim 29:28). "But those things which are revealed belong to us," meaning that we have permission to inquire and observe and gaze at them to know them. However, "the secret things belong to Hashem our Elohim:'' They are His and to Him they are proper, since who could know and comprehend His concealed mind, let alone ask about it.

44. אָ"ל אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא סָתִים וְגַלְיָיא, וּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא סָתִים וְגַלְיָיא, וּכְתִיב הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהַנִּגְלוֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ, לָנוּ, הַנִּגְלוֹת דְּאִית רְשׁוּ לְשָׁאֲלָא, וּלְעַיְּינָא וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּהוּ וּלְמִנְדַּע בְּהוּ. אֲבָל הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַיְיָ' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, דִּילֵיהּ אִינּוּן, וְלֵיהּ אִתְחַזְיָין, דְּמַאן יָכִיל לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִתְדַּבְּקָא דַּעְתּוֹי סְתִימָא, וכ"ש לְמִשְׁאַל.

Messiah, The

45. ת"ח, לֵית רְשׁוּ לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא לְמֵימַר מִלִּין סְתִימִין וּלְפָרְשָׁא לוֹן, בַּר בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, ר"ש דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִסְתָּכַּם עַל יְדוֹי. וּבְגִין דְּדָרָא דִּילֵיהּ רְשִׁימָא הוּא לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, וע"ד מִלִּין אִתְּמָרוּ בְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא עַל יְדוֹי, וְלָא יְהֵא דָּרָא כְּדָרָא דָּא דְּאִיהוּ שָׁארִי בְּגַוֵיהּ, עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא.