(א) ט֥וֹב שֵׁ֖ם מִשֶּׁ֣מֶן ט֑וֹב
וְי֣וֹם הַמָּ֔וֶת מִיּ֖וֹם הִוָּלְדֽוֹ׃
(1) A good name is better than fragrant oil, and the day of death than the day of birth.
ר' יוחנן כי הוה מסיים ספרא דאיוב אמר
הכי סוף אדם למות וסוף בהמה לשחיטה והכל למיתה הם עומדים
אשרי מי שגדל בתורה ועמלו בתורה
ועושה נחת רוח ליוצרו
וגדל בשם טוב
ונפטר בשם טוב מן העולם
ועליו אמר שלמה (קהלת ז, א) טוב שם משמן טוב ויום המות מיום הולדו.
When Rabbi Yoḥanan would conclude study of the book of Job, he would say:
A person will ultimately die, and an animal will ultimately be slaughtered, and all are destined for death.
Happy is the one who grew up in Torah, whose labour is in Torah,
who gives pleasure to their Creator,
who grew up with a good name and
who took leave of the world with a good name.
About such a person, Solomon said: “A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1)
“The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (Ecc. 7:1).
To what might this be compared?
To two ships laden with merchandise sailing the ocean, one coming in and the other going out, and people praised the one coming in.
Some people stood there and wondered: ‘Why are you praising this one [the one returning home] and not the other [the one departing]?’
They replied: ‘We are praising the ship that came in, because we know that she [already] went out in peace and [we are grateful that she has now] returned in peace.
As to the one now going out, we do not know what her fate will be.’
(ב) הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֵין בּוֹ גּוּף וּגְוִיָּה אֶלָּא נַפְשׁוֹת הַצַּדִּיקִים בִּלְבַד בְּלֹא גּוּף כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת.
הוֹאִיל וְאֵין בּוֹ גְּוִיּוֹת אֵין בּוֹ לֹא אֲכִילָה וְלֹא שְׁתִיָּה וְלֹא דָּבָר מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁגּוּפוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם צְרִיכִין לָהֶן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְלֹא יֶאֱרַע דָּבָר בּוֹ מִן הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁמְּאָרְעִין לַגּוּפוֹת בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. כְּגוֹן יְשִׁיבָה וַעֲמִידָה וְשֵׁנָה וּמִיתָה וְעֶצֶב וּשְׂחוֹק וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. כָּךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים (גמרא ברכות יז א) "הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֵין בּוֹ לֹא אֲכִילָה וְלֹא שְׁתִיָּה" וְלֹא תַּשְׁמִישׁ (גמרא ברכות יז א) "אֶלָּא צַדִּיקִים יוֹשְׁבִים וְעַטְרוֹתֵיהֶם בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶן וְנֶהֱנִין מִזִּיו הַשְּׁכִינָה".
הֲרֵי נִתְבָּרֵר לְךָ שֶׁאֵין שָׁם גּוּף לְפִי שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה. וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ צַדִּיקִים יוֹשְׁבִין דֶּרֶךְ חִידָה אָמְרוּ. כְּלוֹמַר הַצַּדִּיקִים מְצוּיִין שָׁם בְּלֹא עָמָל וּבְלֹא יְגִיעָה. וְכֵן זֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ עַטְרוֹתֵיהֶן בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶן כְּלוֹמַר דַּעַת שֶׁיָּדְעוּ שֶׁבִּגְלָלָהּ זָכוּ לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא מְצוּיָה עִמָּהֶן וְהִיא הָעֲטָרָה שֶׁלָּהֶן כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה (שיר השירים ג יא) "בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ".
וַהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיה לה י) "וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם עַל רֹאשָׁם" וְאֵין הַשִּׂמְחָה גּוּף כְּדֵי שֶׁתָּנוּחַ עַל הָרֹאשׁ. כָּךְ עֲטָרָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים כָּאן הִיא הַיְדִיעָה. וּמַהוּ זֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ נֶהֱנִין מִזִּיו הַשְּׁכִינָה. שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים וּמַשִּׂיגִין מֵאֲמִתַּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַה שֶּׁאֵינָם יוֹדְעִים וְהֵם בַּגּוּף הָאָפֵל הַשָּׁפָל:
(2) The World to Come has neither body nor corporeality, rather, just the souls of the righteous - divested of body - like the ministering angels.
Since it [the soul] has no corporeality, there is no need there for eating, drinking, nor any other of the bodily necessities which human bodies require in this world; neither will any of the many things which happen to bodies in this world come to pass there, such as, sitting down, standing up, sleep, death, sadness, mirth or the like. Thus did the ancient sages say: “In the World to Come there is no eating, no drinking, and nor sex. Rather, the righteous are sitting with their crowns upon their heads, and indulge in feasting upon the luminousness of the Shekinah”.
It should be clear to you that there is no body because there is neither eating nor drinking. That expression of “sitting” is figurative, as if saying that [the souls of the] righteous are there without effort or fatigue, and the phrase they employed, saying: “with their crowns upon their heads”, means that they have conscious knowledge of the reason why they have merited to be in the World to Come, and this is their crown, as, for example, Solomon said: “The crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him” (Songs. 3:11).
Moreover, it was said: “And everlasting shall joy be upon their heads” (Is. 35.10); Now joy is not a body to rest upon one's head, so the ‘crown' spoken of by the S ages refers to knowledge. But what is the meaning of the phrase, “and indulge in feasting upon the luminousness of the Shekinah”? It is that they know and attain part of the Truth of the Holy One, blessed is He! something they do not know while in the dark, low body.