״וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֹא יִהְיֶה אוֹר יְקָרוֹת וְקִפָּאוֹן״. מַאי ״יְקָרוֹת וְקִפָּאוֹן״?
---
וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר: אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁיְּקָרִין הֵן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה,
וּקְפוּיִין הֵן לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
כִּי הָא דְּרַב יוֹסֵף בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי חֲלַשׁ וְאִיתְנְגִיד, כִּי הֲדַר, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֲבוּהּ: מַאי חֲזֵית?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ:
עוֹלָם הָפוּךְ רָאִיתִי,
עֶלְיוֹנִים לְמַטָּה,
וְתַחְתּוֹנִים לְמַעְלָה.
אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, עוֹלָם בָּרוּר רָאִיתָ.
וַאֲנַן הֵיכִי הָתָם?
כִּי הֵיכִי דְּאִיתוּ אֲנַן הָכָא,
הָכִי אִיתִינַן הָתָם.
וְשָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים:
אַשְׁרֵי מִי שֶׁבָּא לְכָאן וְתַלְמוּדוֹ בְּיָדוֹ.
---
״וְהָיָה ה׳ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כׇּל הָאָרֶץ
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה׳ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד״. אַטּוּ הָאִידָּנָא לָאו אֶחָד הוּא?
אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בַּר חֲנִינָא:
לֹא כָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, עַל בְּשׂוֹרוֹת טוֹבוֹת אוֹמֵר:
״בָּרוּךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב״,
וְעַל בְּשׂוֹרוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹמֵר:
״בָּרוּךְ דַּיַּין הָאֱמֶת״.
לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כּוּלּוֹ ״הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב״. ״וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד״. מַאי ״אֶחָד״?
אַטּוּ הָאִידָּנָא לָאו שְׁמוֹ אֶחָד הוּא?
אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק:
לֹא כָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה,
נִכְתַּב בְּיוֹד הֵי וְנִקְרָא בְּאָלֶף דָּלֶת.
אֲבָל לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא כּוּלּוֹ אֶחָד,
נִקְרָא בְּיוֹד הֵי וְנִכְתַּב בְּיוֹד הֵי.
סְבַר רָבָא לְמִדְרְשַׁהּ בְּפִירְקָא,
אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא סָבָא: ״לְעַלֵּם״ כְּתִיב. רַבִּי אֲבִינָא רָמֵי: כְּתִיב ״זֶה שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם״ — ״וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדוֹר דּוֹר״.
אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
לֹא כְּשֶׁאֲנִי נִכְתָּב, אֲנִי נִקְרָא.
נִכְתָּב אֲנִי בְּיוֹד הֵא,
וְנִקְרָא אֲנִי בְּאָלֶף דָּלֶת.
“And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall not be light, but heavy clouds [yekarot] and thickness [vekippaon]” (Zechariah 14:6).
The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the expression “yekarot vekippaon”?
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: These are people who are considered important [yekarim] in this world and unimportant [kefuyim] in the World-to-Come.
This is like the incident involving Rav Yosef, son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who became ill and was about to expire. When he returned to good health, his father said to him: What did you see when you were about to die?
He said to him: I saw an inverted world. Those above, i.e., those who are considered important in this world, were below, insignificant, while those below, i.e., those who are insignificant in this world, were above.
He said to him: My son, you have seen a clear world. The world you have seen is the true world, as in that world people’s standings befit them.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: And where are we, the Torah scholars, there?
Rav Yosef responded: Just as we are regarded here, so are we regarded there.
Rav Yosef added: And I heard that they were saying in that world: Praiseworthy is the one who arrives here with his studies in hand.
---
The Gemara cites another verse from the prophecy at the end of the book of Zechariah: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth, on that day shall the Lord be one and His name one” (Zechariah 14:9).
The Gemara asks: Is that to say that now He is not one?
Rabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina said: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In this world, upon good tidings one recites: Blessed…Who is good and does good, and over bad tidings one recites: Blessed…the true Judge.
In the World-to-Come one will always recite: Blessed…Who is good and does good. There will be only one mode of blessing God for tidings.
The verse states: “On that day shall the Lord be one and His name one.”
The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the word one in this context? Is that to say that now His name is not one?
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In this world, God’s name that is written with the letters yod and heh is read as Adonai, which begins with the letters alef and dalet. God’s name is not pronounced in the same way as it is written. However, in the World-to-Come it will all be one, as God’s name will be both read with the letters yod and heh and written with the letters yod and heh. Rava thought to expound upon the correct punctuation and enunciation of the name of God during his public lecture before one of the Festivals.
A certain old man said to him: The word forever is written in the verse: “This is My name forever [le’olam]” (Exodus 3:15) without the letter vav, such that it can be read le’alem, to conceal, meaning that the name should be concealed.
Rabbi Avina raised a contradiction: It is written in the verse: “This is My name forever,” implying a requirement to conceal the name of God, and in the very next phrase it states: “And this is My memorial unto all generations” (Exodus 3:15), which indicates that the name of God is to be publicized and remembered by all.
Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I, i.e., My name, is not read as I am written. I am written with the letters yod and heh, and I am read with the letters alef and dalet.