The openings of the Garden of Eden and the openings of Gehenom

Synopsis

We learn about the fate of those who do not say 'Amen' with their whole heart. It is said that there is a corresponding opening for each gate in the Garden of Eden to a gate in Gehenom. The lowest chamber of Gehenom is described as Hell and Destruction, and those who enter there never rise again, but are lost from all the worlds; to this place it is said that those who are contemptuous of the 'Amen' are sent.

Eden Garden of Eden Gates Gehenom (Hell) Hell (Gehenom) Wicked Wickedness

43. We learned that the wicked in Gehenom all go up through certain compartments and that there are many openings to Gehenom. All the openings correspond to the openings in the Garden of Eden. When the wicked are taken out after receiving their punishments, they open the gates and put them outside. All the gates bear names corresponding to those in the Garden of Eden, and each and every gate IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN is called by a name corresponding to the RESPECTIVE gate in Gehenom. The gates in the Garden of Eden are known, gate for gate, WHICH MEANS, UPON SEEING THE KIND OF GATE IN GEHENOM, ONE IS ABLE TO KNOW THROUGH IT THE OPPOSING GATE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, WHAT KIND OF GATE IT IS.

43. תָּאנָא, חַיָּיבֵי דְּגֵיהִנָּם, כֻּלְּהוּ סַלְקֵי בִּמְדוֹרִין יְדִיעָן, וְכַמָּה פִּתְחִין אִית לֵיהּ לַגֵיהִנָּם, וְכֻלְּהוּ פִּתְחִין לָקֳבֵל פִּתְחִין דְּגַן עֵדֶן. וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּאַפְקֵי לְאִינּוּן חַיָּיבַיָּא דְּקַבִּילוּ עוֹנְשַׁיְיהוּ, אִינּוּן פַּתְחֵי פְּתִיחִין, וְשַׁוְּיָין לוֹן לְבַר. וְכֻלְּהוּ פִּתְחִין בִּשְׁמָהָן אִקְרוּן, לָקֳבְלֵיהוֹן דְּפִתְחִין דְּגַן עֵדֶן, וְכָל פִּתְחָא וּפִתְחָא, אִקְרֵי שְׁמָא, לָקֳבְלֵי הַהוּא פִּתְחָא דְּגֵיהִנָּם, וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָן פִּתְחִין לָקֳבְלֵיהוֹן פִּתְחִין, אִינּוּן פִּתְחִין דג"ע.

Aramaic Avadon Gehenom (Hell) Hell (Gehenom) Job Sheol

44. The last compartment in Gehenom is the lowest. That compartment is DOUBLE, a compartment over a compartment, and is called, "A land of gloom (Heb. efatah)" (Iyov 10:22). What is gloom? It is as in, "Foursquare it shall be" (Shemot 28:16), which is 'if' in Aramaic. Here too, efatah means double. That COMPARTMENT is called the bottom of Sheol. Sheol is one UPPER compartment and the bottom is the lower compartment. Therefore it is called the lower land of gloom, and ALSO called Avadon. Hence it is written, "Sheol and Avadon" (Mishlei 27:20), WHICH ARE THE DOUBLE COMPARTMENTS, ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER. Not all compartments are double, and not all are gloomy, THAT IS, THEY ARE NOT CALLED "A LAND OF GLOOM," except for this one.

44. בַּגֵיהִנָּם אִית מָדוֹרָא בַּתְרָאָה תַּתָּאָה דְּכֻלְּהוּ, וְהַהוּא מָדוֹרָא הֲוֵי מָדוֹרָא עַל מָדוֹרָא, וְאִקְרֵי אֶרֶץ עֵיפָתָה. מַהוּ עֵיפָתָה. כד"א רָבוּעַ יִהְיֶה כָּפוּל, וּמְתַּרְגְמִינָן מְרוּבַּע יִהְיֶה עִיף, אוֹף הָכָא עֵיפָתָה, כְּלוֹמַר כְּפוּלָה. וְהַהוּא אִקְרֵי שְׁאוֹל תַּחְתִּית, שְׁאוֹל הוּא מָדוֹרָא חַד. תַּחְתִּית, הוּא מָדוֹרָא תַּתָּאָה. ובג"כ אִקְרֵי אֶרֶץ עֵיפָתָה תַּחְתִּית, וְאִקְרֵי אֲבַדּוֹן. וע"ד כְּתִיב, שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדּוֹן. וְכֻלְּהוּ מָדוֹרִין לָא אַכְפָּלוּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ לָא עַיְיפִין בַּר מֵהַאי.

Amen Avadon Cloud Gehenom (Hell) Hell (Gehenom) Job Jonah Punishment Samuel Sheol

45. And we learned that whoever descends to Avadon, that is called bottom, never rises. That MAN is called a man who was destroyed and lost to all worlds. And we learned that to that place are lowered those men who despised saying Amen. Such a man is punished in Gehenom for the many Amen's that were lost to him, that he did not consider, and he is lowered to the lowest compartment, which has no opening, and he is lost and never rises from there. Hence it is written, "As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol shall come up no more" (Iyov 7:9). HE STATES, But no; it is written, "out of the belly of Sheol I cried and You did hear..." (Yonah 2:3), AND HE ROSE FROM THERE. It is also written, "He brings down to Sheol and brings up" (I Shmuel 2:6). AND HE ANSWERS, but this is Sheol FROM WHICH ONE ASCENDS, and there is the bottom FROM WHERE ONE DOES NOT RISE. We explained that this refers to one who repented BY DOING PENANCE, and there to one who did not.

45. וְתָאנָא, מַאן דְּנָחִית לַאֲבַדּוֹן דְּאִקְרֵי תַּחְתִּית, לָא סָלִיק לְעָלְמִין. וְהַהוּא אִקְרֵי גֶּבֶר דְּאִשְׁתְּצֵי וְאִתְאֲבִיד מִכֻּלְּהוּ עָלְמִין. וְתָאנָא, לְהַהוּא אֲתָר נַחְתִּין לְהַנְהוּ גַּבְרֵי דִּמְבַזֵּי לְאָתָבָא אָמֵן, וְעַל אָמֵן סַגִּיאִין דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ מִנֵּיהּ, דְּלָא חָשִׁיב לְהוּ, דַּיְינִין לֵיהּ בַּגֵיהִנָּם, וְנַחְתִּין לֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא מָדוֹרָא תַּתָּאָה, דְּלֵית בָּהּ פִּתְחָא, וְאִתְאֲבִיד וְלָא סָלִיק מִנֵּיהּ לְעָלְמִין. וע"ד כְּתִיב, כָּלָה עָנָן וַיֵּלַךְ כֵּן יוֹרֵד שְׁאוֹל לָא יַעֲלֶה. וְלָא, וְהָא כְּתִיב מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתָּ וְגוֹ.' וּכְתִיב מוֹרִיד שְׁאוֹל וַיָּעַל. אֶלָּא הָכָא שְׁאוֹל, הָתָם תַּחְתִּית. וְאוֹקִימְנָא הָא דְּאַהְדָּר בֵּיהּ, הָא דְּלָא אַהְדָּר בֵּיהּ.

Amen Avadon Flow Gehenom (Hell) Grades Hell (Gehenom) Jeremiah Punishment Waters World to Come, The

46. Rabbi Yosi said, as for the words, "For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and have hewn them out cisterns..." (Yirmeyah 2:13), "they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters" is by not wanting to sanctify the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Amen. What is his punishment? It is as is written, "and have hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns," by going to Gehenom one level after another until they reach Avadon that is called bottom. If he sanctifies the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, by meditating properly on Amen, he rises, level after level, to have delight in the World to Come, that ever flows and does not cease. This is the meaning of, "for Hashem preserves the faithful, and plentifully repays him who acts haughtily" (Tehilim 31:24).

46. א"ר יוֹסֵי, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב כִּי שְׁתַּיִם רָעוֹת עָשָׂה עַמִּי אוֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים לַחְצוֹב לָהֶם בֺּארוֹת וְגוֹ.' אוֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים, דָּא הוּא דְּלָא בָּעֵי לְקַדְּשָׁא שְׁמָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּאָמֵן. מַאי עוֹנְשֵׁיהּ. כְּתִיב לַחְצוֹב לָהֶם בֺּארוֹת בֺּארוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים, דְּנַחְתִּין לַגֵּיהִנָּם דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא, עַד דְּנַחְתִּין לַאֲבַדּוֹן דְּאִקְרֵי תַּחְתִּית. וְאִי אִיהוּ קַדִּישׁ שְׁמָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְכַוְּונָה בְּאָמֵן כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, סָלִיק דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא, לְאִתְעַדְּנָא מֵהַהוּא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּנָגִיד תָּדִיר לָא פָּסִיק, הה"ד אֱמוּנִים נוֹצֵר יְיָ' וּמְשַׁלֵּם עַל יֶתֶר עוֹשֵׂה גַּאֲוָה.