It's the end of the world as we know it! (And Jewish texts have opinions about it!)

Although Jewish thought most frequently focuses on the here and now, rather than the afterlife or an apocalypse, texts relating to the latter are part of our tradition. Rabbinic texts expanded upon themes of a better world-to-come, resurrection, and a Moschiach (Messiah), alongside detailing signs of impending apocalypse.

Below is a selection of texts relating to the end-times.

SOURCE 1: Tanakhic Basis

ישעיהו כ״ו:י״ט

יִֽחְי֣וּ מֵתֶ֔יךָ נְבֵלָתִ֖י יְקוּמ֑וּן הָקִ֨יצוּ וְרַנְּנ֜וּ שֹׁכְנֵ֣י עָפָ֗ר כִּ֣י טַ֤ל אוֹרֹת֙ טַלֶּ֔ךָ וָאָ֖רֶץ רְפָאִ֥ים תַּפִּֽיל׃ {פ}

Isaiah 26:19

Oh, let Your dead revive!
Let corpses arise!
Awake and shout for joy,
You who dwell in the dust!—
For Your dew is like the dew on fresh growth;
You make the land of the shades come to life.^-e

SOURCE 2: The Last Holiday(s) In The World

מדרש משלי ט׳:א׳

אמר רבי אבהו: זו אסתר המלכה, שבשעה שהגיע צער לישראל בימי מרדכי, מה עשתה? התקינה סעודה לאחשורוש ולהמן הרשע, ושיכרה אותו יין ביותר, והיה הרשע סבור בעצמו שחלקה לו כבוד, והוא לא היה יודע שפרשה לו מצודה, שמתוך ששיכרה אותו יין, קנתה לה אומתה לעולם. "אף ערכה שולחנה" - שערכה לה שולחן בעולם הזה ובעולם הבא, ואי זה - זה שם טוב שקנתה לה בעולם הזה ובעולם הבא, שכל המועדים עתידים בטלים, וימי הפורים אינם בטלים לעולם, שנאמר (אסתר ט כח): "וימי הפורים האלה לא יעברו מתוך היהודים". אמר רבי אלעזר: אף יום הכיפורים אינו בטל לעולם, שנאמר (ויקרא טז לד): "והיתה זאת לכם לחוקת עולם לכפר על בני ישראל מכל חטאתם אחת בשנה".

Midrash Mishlei 9:1

Rabbi Abahu said, "This is Esther the Queen, as at the time that trouble came to Israel in the days of Mordekhai, what did she do? She set up a meal for Achashverosh and Haman the evildoer and she got him very drunk with wine, and the evildoer thought to himself that she was granting him honor and he did not know that she opened a trap for him - from that which she got him drunk with wine, she acquired her people forever; she even prepared her table that she set herself up a table in this world and in the world to come. And what is that? That is the good name that she acquired in this world and in the world to come; since all of the holidays are to be nullified in the future but the days of Purim will not be nullified, as it is stated (Esther 9:28), 'And these days of Purim will not be rescinded from the Jews.'" Rabbi Elazar said, "Also Yom Kippur will forever not be nullified, as it is stated, 'And it will be to you for an everlasting statute to atone for the Children of Israel from all of their sins once a year.'"

1. Why do you think that Purim (and possibly Yom Kippur) are the only holidays the rabbis say will survive the apocalypse?

2. If you could pick only one holiday to keep celebrating, which would it be?

3. What does this text tell us about Esther's character?

SOURCE 3: Rainbow Donkey

סנהדרין צ״ח א:י״ד

אמר ליה שבור מלכא לשמואל אמריתו משיח על חמרא אתי אישדר ליה סוסיא ברקא דאית לי אמר ליה מי אית לך בר חיור גווני

Sanhedrin 98a:14

King Shapur of Persia said to Shmuel mockingly: You say that the Messiah will come on a donkey; I will send him the riding [barka] horse that I have. Shmuel said to him: Do you have a horse with one thousand colors [bar ḥivar gavanei] like the donkey of the Messiah? Certainly his donkey will be miraculous.

1. What is the significance of the donkey?

2. What do you think the significance of the thousand colors is?

3. Why would King Shapur of Persia (215-270 C.E.) be in dialogue with the rabbis, if this is meant to be literal? If it is hypothetical, why might the rabbis construct this discussion?

SOURCE 4: Cleopatra???

סנהדרין צ׳ ב:כ׳

שאלה קליאופטרא מלכתא את ר"מ אמרה ידענא דחיי שכבי דכתיב (תהלים עב, טז) ויציצו מעיר כעשב הארץ אלא כשהן עומדין עומדין ערומין או בלבושיהן עומדין אמר לה ק"ו מחיטה ומה חיטה שנקברה ערומה יוצאה בכמה לבושין צדיקים שנקברים בלבושיהן על אחת כמה וכמה

Sanhedrin 90b:20

§ The Gemara relates: Queen Cleopatra asked Rabbi Meir a question. She said: I know that the dead will live, as it is written: “And may they blossom out of the city like grass of the earth” (Psalms 72:16). Just as grass grows, so too, the dead will come to life. But when they arise, will they arise naked or will they arise with their garments? Rabbi Meir said to her: It is derived a fortiori from wheat. If wheat, which is buried naked, meaning that the kernel is sown without the chaff, emerges with several garments of chaff, all the more so will the righteous, who are buried with their garments, arise with their garments.

1. Why would Cleopatra be in dialogue with the rabbis, if this is meant to be literal? If it is hypothetical, why might the rabbis construct this discussion?

2. Most people in the 21st century are not farmers and not particularly familiar with the mechanics of wheat growth. What might a modern metaphor with the same impact be?

3. How does this relate to Jewish customs of being buried in plain shrouds?

SOURCE 5: #LeviathanAndLox

בבא בתרא ע״ד ב:ו׳

(סִימָן כׇּל שָׁעָה יַרְדֵּן) אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב כֹּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם אַף לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִיחַ וְלִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם וְאִלְמָלֵי נִזְקָקִין זֶה לָזֶה מַחְרִיבִין כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ מָה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא סֵירַס אֶת הַזָּכָר וְהָרַג הַנְּקֵבָה וּמְלָחָהּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְהָרַג אֶת הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם

Bava Batra 74b:6

§ The Gemara provides a mnemonic for the following statements of Rav Yehuda citing Rav: Everything; time; Jordan. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created in His world, He created male and female. Even leviathan the slant serpent and leviathan the tortuous serpent He created male and female. And if they would have coupled and produced offspring, they would have destroyed the entire world. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He castrated the male and killed the female, and salted the female to preserve it for the banquet for the righteous in the future. As it is stated: “And He will slay the serpent that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

1. If one had to be destroyed to prevent them from destroying the world, why would God create two Leviathans? Why even create the Leviathans in the first place, beyond using them for catering the banquet at the end of the world?

2. Why make lox [salted fished] of the female Leviathan and not the male? Why is the Leviathan kosher in the first place?

3. Why would the rabbis need a mnemonic for something this specific?