Ácháré Mot / Kárét

Rabbi Ami said: Why was the Torah portion that describes the death of Miriam juxtaposed to the portion dealing with the red heifer? To tell you: Just as the red heifer atones for sin, so too, the death of the righteous atones for sin. Rabbi Elazar said: Why was the Torah portion that describes the death of Aaron juxtaposed to the portion discussing the priestly garments? This teaches that just as the priestly garments atone for sin, so too, the death of the righteous atones for sin.

Rabbi Abba bar Avina said: Why is the death of Miriam juxtaposed to the ashes of the heifer? It teaches that just as the ashes of the heifer atone, so the death of the righteous atones. Rabbi Yudan said: Why is the death of Aaron juxtaposed to the breaking of the tablets? It teaches that Aaron’s death was as difficult before the Holy One blessed be He as the breaking of the tablets. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: On the first of Nisan, Aaron’s sons died. Why, then, does it mention their death on Yom Kippur? It teaches that just as Yom Kippur atones, so, too, the death of the righteous atones. From where is it derived that Yom Kippur atones? As it is stated: “For on this day he shall atone for you, to purify you” (Leviticus 16:30). From where is it derived that the death of the righteous atones? As it is written: “They buried the bones of Saul” (II Samuel 21:14), and it is written: “and God acceded to the entreaty of the land thereafter” (II Samuel 21:14).

§ The Sages taught the following baraita: If one dies suddenly without having been sick, this is death through snatching. If he became sick for a day and died, this is an expedited death. Rabbi Ḥananya ben Gamliel says: This is death at a stroke, as it is stated: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes at a stroke” (Ezekiel 24:16). And when this prophecy is fulfilled it is written: “So I spoke to the people in the morning and at evening my wife died” (Ezekiel 24:18).

The Gemara discusses the significance of death at different ages: If one dies when he is fifty years old, this is death through karet, the divine punishment of excision, meted out for the most serious transgressions. If he dies when he is fifty-two years old, this is the death of Samuel from Ramah. If he dies at the age of sixty, this is death at the hand of Heaven.

Do not let the group of Kohathite clans be cut off from the Levites.

One who dies at the age of seventy has reached old age. One who dies at the age of eighty dies in strength, as it is written: “The days of our years are seventy, or if by reason of strength, eighty years” (Psalms 90:10). Rabba said: Not only is death at the age of fifty a sign of karet, but even death from fifty to sixty years of age is death by karet. And the reason that all of these years were not counted in connection with karet is due to the honor of Samuel from Ramah, who died at the age of fifty-two.

...

The Gemara relates that when Rav Yosef turned sixty he made a holiday for the Sages. Explaining the cause for his celebration, he said: I have passed the age of karet. Abaye said to him: Master, even though you have passed the karet of years, have you, Master, escaped the karet of days? As previously mentioned, sudden death is also considered to be a form of karet. He said to him: Grasp at least half in your hand, for I have at least escaped one type of karet.

All Israel have a portion in the world to come, for it says, “Your people, all of them righteous, shall possess the land for ever; They are the shoot that I planted, my handiwork in which I glory” (Isaiah 60:21). And these are the ones who have no portion in the world to come: He who maintains that resurrection is not a biblical doctrine, that the torah was not divinely revealed, and an epikoros. Rabbi Akiva says: “Even one who reads non-canonical books and one who whispers [a charm] over a wound and says, “I will not bring upon you any of the diseases which i brought upon the Egyptians: for I the lord am you healer” (Exodus 15:26). Abba Shaul says: “Also one who pronounces the divine name as it is spelled.”

AND THE SOULS THAT DO THEM SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM AMONG THEIR PEOPLE. “His offspring is cut off, and his [own] days are shortened.” This is Rashi’s language. Now in the matters of excision mentioned in the Torah there are three different expressions. One is that which states, that man shall be cut off; a second one is that which says, and the souls which do them shall be cut off, or that soul shall be cut off from before Me; and a third form of expression is that which states, that soul shall utterly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him. Now of a [a person doing work on] the Day of Atonement Scripture states, that soul will I destroy from among his people, and on this the Rabbis commented in the Sifra: “Excision is mentioned in many places in Scripture. But I do not know what it is. Now that it says, and I will destroy, it teaches that excision means ‘destruction’ [of the soul].”
The explanation of the subject is as follows. If someone eats forbidden fat or blood and he is [still] a righteous person whose merits outweigh [his sins], but he could not control his desire for it, and thus stumbled in this sin, his days will be shortened and he will die in his youth before reaching old age, which is sixty years, but his soul is not destined for destruction; rather, its portion will be in the World of Souls in accordance with the person’s good deeds, since he was a righteous man, and he will also have a portion in the World to Come, which is the world after the resurrection. Of this case it is said, that man shall be cut off. But [in the case of] one who, as a result of this grave sin, now has more sins [in gravity] than his merits, the punishment of excision for this weighty transgression affects the soul that sins after it is separated from the body, and it is cut off from life in the World of Souls. It is with reference to those liable to this form of excision that Scripture alludes, in saying, that soul shall be cut off from before Me. And it is further written [in this connection], that soul will I destroy from among his people. These sinners do not suffer bodily excision [as is the case in the first type mentioned above], but may sometimes live to reach many days, even old age and hoary heads, as it is written, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing. It is this which our Rabbis have said: “But he whose sins outweigh his merits, including a non-Jew who sins with his body — and Rav Papa said that this refers to a particular sin, that is to say, one who commits incest with one of the forbidden relations — these descend to Gehenna and they are punished for twelve months; after twelve months their bodies are destroyed, and their souls burnt, and the winds scatter [their ashes] under the soles of the feet of the righteous etc.” And there is a still more stringent form of excision, where both the body is cut off [from life in this world] and the soul [even from life in the World to Come]. It is of this [third kind of excision mentioned above] that it is said, Because he hath despised the word of the Eternal, and hath broken His commandment, that soul ‘hikareith tikareith’ (shall be utterly cut off), his iniquity shall be upon him. And the Rabbis interpreted it: “‘Hikareith’ (he shall be cut off) in this world; ‘tikareith’ (he shall be cut off) in the World to Come,” meaning to say that he shall die in his youth, and his life shall be as that of the depraved in that his soul will not share in the life after the resurrection and he will have no portion in the World to Come. This double expression of excision is not stated in the Torah except in matters of idolatry and blasphemy. Our Rabbis have further interpreted in Tractate Shebuoth: “Because he hath despised the word of the Eternal. This refers to one who throws off the yoke, [i.e., he denies the essential principle of the religion], and perverts the sense of the Torah. And he hath broken His commandment. This is one who breaks the covenant of the flesh” [i.e., circumcision]. But this does not apply to all cases where excision is mentioned, it being explained there in the Gemara that the double expression of ‘hikareith tikareith’ (he shall utterly be cut off) does not apply to all other people who are liable to excision by law of the Torah, except for those derived by interpretation of this verse; since this verse refers to a blasphemer and a worshipper of idols, and the Rabbis added by interpretations, those who deny the essential principle [of G-d’s existence], and those hardened wicked ones [mentioned above]. This is similar to that which is said of them in the tradition, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched. These are the ones who are enumerated in the Mishnah and in the Beraitha: “And these are they that have no share in the World to Come.” And so also it appears, that not all those liable to excision are punishable by the death of their offspring, except for those where the word aririm (childless) is mentioned. And it is possible that all forbidden [sexual] relationships have been likened to each other [in this respect of the punishment, namely death of the offspring], but in the case of other sins for which excision is incurred, such as for eating forbidden fat and blood, we do not have [this aspect of punishment].
Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “There is a difference between ‘v’ha’avad’ti’ (and I will destroy) and ‘v’nichr’thah’ (it shall be cut off), and I could not explain.” The learned scholar [Rabbi Abraham] thought that the soul that is “destroyed” is destroyed for ever, and the one that is “cut off” is denied life for a time, and yet doth G-d not take away life.
Know and understand that the forms of excision mentioned with reference to the soul, constitute a great [source for] trust in the existence of souls after death, and the granting of reward in the World of Souls. For in His saying, blessed be He, and that soul shall be cut off from among his people, or that soul shall be cut off from before Me it denotes that the soul that sinneth shall be cut off in its iniquity, but other souls that did not sin, will exist before Him in the splendor on high. It is for this reason that He explains, that soul … its iniquity shall be upon it, for it is the sin that is in it which will cause it to be cut off. And the meaning of the matter is that the soul of man is the lamp of the Eternal, which has been breathed into our nostrils out of the mouth of the Most High, and the spirit of G-d, as it is said, And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and so it remains in its [original] state and does not die [with the death of the body], for it is not a composite [of the four elements] so that it be subject to the law of existence and decomposition, as are all components. But the existence of the soul is fitting [for all time], living forever as do the Separate Intelligences. Therefore Scripture did not need to state that as a reward for [fulfillment of] the commandments the soul will exist [after the death of the body, for it is self-understood that it will exist from a knowledge of the nature of the soul], but instead it states that as a punishment for sins, the soul will be desecrated and defiled, and become cut off from its proper existence. This is the sense of the expression kareth (cutting off) which the Torah uses, intimating that it is like a branch cut off from the tree, from the roots of which it derives its nourishment. It is this which our Rabbis have said: “From among his people — but his people are in peace.” For the cutting off of the soul that sinneth, proves the existence of all other souls that do not sin, these being his people [mentioned in the verse] which are in peace. And we have already explained that all assurances of the Torah, whether for reward or punishment, are all miraculous in nature, and are of the type of hidden miracles, the Torah always promising [certain blessings] in a non-natural manner [which result not from the processes of nature, but because of the observance of the law], and warning against [consequences which result not from the processes of nature, but as punishment for our violation of the law]. Therefore He warned here of kareth which is of a miraculous nature [since in the natural order of things the soul should exist forever], and did not promise the eternal existence of the soul [as a reward for observance of the commandments], since that is its natural state.
Now there are thirty-six sins for which the Torah prescribed excision as a punishment, many of them being in connection with prohibitions of forbidden sexual relationships, that is to say, forbidden sexual intercourse. Similarly, punishments of death imposed by the court for forbidden sexual intercourse, are sixteen. But there is no death penalty at all for eating forbidden foods. The reason why these great punishments, such as death by the court and excision [by Heaven] are [imposed] for forbidden sexual relationships, is because immorality is something very abhorrent to the Torah, as is mentioned in this section and in many places of Scripture. The Sages always mention “idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed” [as being the three gravest sins], mentioning immorality after idolatry and before bloodshed [thus showing the greatness of the sin, in that it is mentioned immediately after idolatry]. This is like that which the Rabbis have said: “The G-d of these people [i.e., the Israelites] abhors lewdness.” There is also one of the great secrets of creation in this matter. And the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim: “Because man’s temptation to sexual intercourse is great, and because of the strong [natural] desire for it, which can cause many stumblings, a great punishment was needed in order to discipline people.” This also is true.
Kedoshim

And now I will begin to speak about that which I intended: You should know that just like the blind man does not grasp appearance of colors and the deaf man does not grasp the sound of voices and the eunuch sexual desire, so too bodies do not grasp spiritual pleasures. And just like the fish do not know the element of fire, since they are in the element of water, which is its opposite; so too, in this physical world, pleasures of the spiritual world are not known. Rather we do not have among us any of this pleasure, but only pleasures of the body and that which is grasped by the senses [regrading] food and drink and sex. And anything besides these is non-existent for us and we do not recognize it. [Neither] do we grasp it at first thought, but only after great analysis. And it is fitting that it is like this, since we are in the physical world, and that is why we only grasp the lower temporary pleasures. But the spiritual pleasures are permanent, lasting forever, without end. And there is no connection or similarity in any way between these [two types] of pleasures. And it is not fit for us, the masters of Torah, and not for the Godly of the philosophers that we should say that the angels or the stars or the spheres do not have any pleasure; but rather they truly have great pleasure in that they know and grasp the truth of the Creator, may He be blessed. And so [too], when the one that will be purified is purified and he goes up to that level after his death, he does not grasp the physical pleasures and does not want them. But rather it is similar to if a king who is the top of the government would divest himself of his kingdom and his government and go back to playing ball with children, like he used to do before his kingdom. Since that was in his being small of years when he did not distinguish between the worth of these two things; just as we today praise and elevate the physical pleasures and not the spiritual pleasures. And when you reflect on the matter of these two pleasures, you will find the inferiority of the one and loftiness of the other - and even in this world. And that is because you will find that most people always tire themselves and their bodies in toil and exertion, that has no equal, in order that worth and honor come to him and that people elevate him. And this pleasure is not pleasure of food and drink. And likewise, many people will choose to take revenge on his enemies more than acquiring many physical pleasures. And [also] many people distance themselves from the greatest of the physical pleasures out of fear that disgrace and embarrassment from people come to him from this, or because he is seeking to have a good name. And if its matter is such in this physical world, all the more so is it in the spiritual world; and that is the World to Come - that our souls will fathom there the knowledge of the Creator, may He be blessed, just like the supernal bodies fathom [Him] or more [so]. And this pleasure cannot be divided into sections and cannot be recounted; and you will not find a parable by which to compare this pleasure. But rather it is as the prophet, peace be upon him, said when the greatness of that good and its value were so wondrous in his eyes. He said (Psalms 31:20), "How great is Your good that You have hidden for those that fear You." And so [too], they, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 17a), "In the World to Come there is no eating and no drinking and no bathing and no anointing and no intercourse, but rather the righteous ones sit and their crowns are upon their heads and they derive pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence." He wants to say by stating, "and their crowns are upon their heads," the permanence of their soul in the existence of that which is fathomed by them, and that is the Creator, may He be blessed; and in that He - meaning that which is fathomed (the active Intellect) - and he are one thing, as the philosophers have mentioned in ways that are [too] lengthy for here. And by their saying, "and they derive pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence," I would say that those souls derive pleasure in that which they grasp and know of the truth of the Creator, may He be blessed, like the holy creatures and the other levels of angels derive pleasure, in what they grasp and know of His existence. Behold, that the ultimate good and objective is to reach this supernal company and to be with this honor and the level mentioned, and the preservation of the soul - as we have explained - without an end, in the existence of the Creator, may He be blessed, Who is the cause of its existence, since [the soul] has grasped Him, as is explained by the first philosophers. And this is the great good, to which there is no good to equate to it and no pleasure to compare to it, since how can the eternal that has no end and no finish be compared to something finite. And this is what it stated (Kiddushin 39b), "'In order that it will be good for you and you will lengthen your days' (Deuteronomy 22:7) - in the world that is completely long." And the complete bad and great reprisal is that the soul be cut off and be destroyed and that it not be alive and existent. And this is the cutting off (karet) that is written in the Torah, as in (Numbers 15:31), "and that soul will surely be cut off (hikaret, yikaret)." And they, of blessed memory, said, "Hikaret - in this world, yikaret - in the World to Come" (Sanhedrin 64b). And it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the soul of my master shall be bundled in the bundle of life." Behold, in all that he chose and accustomed himself to the pleasures of the body and disdained truth and loved falsehood, his soul was cut off from this level and it remained cut off matter [after his death]. And the prophet, peace be upon him, already elucidated that the World to Come is not grasped by the physical senses and this is what is stated (Isaiah 64:3), "an eye has not seen, O Lord, except for You." And they said in explanation of this, "All of the prophets only prophesied about the days of the Messiah, but about the World to Come, 'an eye has not seen, O Lord, except for You'" (Berakhot 34b). As for the matter of good outcomes and reprisals and bad (besides cutting off) that are written in the Torah, it is what I will explain to you. And it is that He says to you, "If you will do these commandments, I will help you with their performance and to be complete in them, and I will remove from you all of the obstacles and impediments." As it is impossible for a man to do the commandments for Him, when he is sick and hungry or thirsty and in a time of war and siege. And therefore, He makes it come out that all of these matters will be removed, and that they be healthy and quiet until [their] knowledge is perfected and they merit life in the World to Come. Behold that the objective of the reward of doing [the precepts of] the Torah is not in all of these things. And so too, if they violate the Torah, the punishment of these bad things that will befall them is [so that] they will not be able to do the commandments; and as it is stated (Deuteronomy 28:47), "Since you did not serve." And when you reflect upon this with complete reflection, you will find it is as if He says to you, "If you have done some of the commandments from love and with effort, I will help you to do them all, and I will remove from you the obstacles and impediments; and if you abandon one of them in the manner of disgracing [it], I will bring impediments to you that will impede you from them doing all of them, until you not have wholeness and existence in the World to Come. And this is the matter that they said, of blessed memory (Avot 4:2), "The payment (reward) of a commandment is a commandment and the payment of a sin is sin." And the Garden of Eden, however, is a rich and fertile place - the choicest of lands. It has many rivers and fruit-bearing trees. God, may He be blessed, will reveal it to people in the future to come and show that way that leads to it, and they will enjoy it. And it is possible that they will find very wonderful plants that are very useful in it, besides the ones that are known and famous to us. And all of this is neither impossible nor unlikely, but rather it is likely - and even if had not been written in the Torah; all the more so, since it is elucidated and publicized in the Torah. Gehinnom, however, is the name for the pain and the punishment that will come to the evildoers, but the Talmud did not give a [definitive] description of this punishment. Rather, there are those that say that the sun will approach them and burn them, and their proof to this is from that which is stated (Malachi 3:19), "behold [the sun of] the day is coming, burning like a furnace." And there are some that say that a strange heating up will begin in their bodies and burn them, and their proof to this is from that which it states (Isaiah 33:11), "your spirit is fire, it shall consume you." And the revival of the dead is from the main fundamental principles of Moshe, our teacher - peace be upon him. And there is no religion and no attachment to the Jewish religion for the one who does not believe [in] this. But it is [only] for the righteous, and so [too] is [this found in] the language of Bereishit Rabbah, "The power of rain is for the righteous and for the evildoers, but the revival of the dead is only for the righteous." And how should the evildoers be revived - as they are dead even in their lifetime? And so [too] did they say (Berakhot 18b), "Evildoers are called dead even in their lives, righteous people are called living even in their death." And you should know that man, per force, must die and decompose and return to what he is composed of. The days of the Messiah, however, is the time when rulership will return to Israel and that they will go back to the land of Israel and that this king will be very great, and the seat of his rulership will be in Zion (Jerusalem). His fame will grow and his mention will be among all of the nations, [even] more than King Shlomo. And all of the peoples will make peace with him and all of the lands will serve him, due to his great righteousness and due to the wonders that will come about though him. And anyone that comes against him, God, may He be elevated, will deliver into his hand. And all of the [relevant] verses in Scripture testify to his success and our success with him. And nothing about existence will change from what it is now, except that rulership will return to Israel. And this is the language of the sages (Sanhedrin 91b), "There is no difference between this world and the days of the Messiah except for the subjugation by the nations alone." And there will be in his days rich and poor, strong and weak, in relation to each other. But it will be very easy in those days for people to find their sustenance; to the point that with a little effort that a person exerts, a great output will result. And this is what they said (Shabbat 30b), "In the future the land of Israel will produce loaves of bread and woolen garments"; since people say that when a person finds something prepared and ready, "So-and-so found baked bread and cooked food." And the proof to this is that which is stated (Isaiah 61:5), "and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vintners," to show that there will [still] be planting and reaping. And therefore this sage who said this statement to his student got angry when [the latter] did not understand his words and thought that it was as its simple meaning. And he responded to him according to his understanding and that answer was not a true answer. And the proof that he did not respond to him with a true answer is that he brought a proof from (Proverbs 26:4-5), "Do not answer a fool according to his folly[... Answer a fool according to his folly]." And the great objective that will occur in those days is that we shall rest from the subjugation by the nations which prevents us from the performance of all of the commandments; and that wisdom will grow, as it is stated (Isaiah 11:9), "since the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord." And the wars will cease, as it is stated (Micah 4:3), "and nation will not lift up sword against nation." And great wholeness will be found in those days and we will merit through it to life in the World to Come. But the Messiah will die and his son will reign in his place, and [likewise] his grandson. And the prophet has already elucidated his death: "He will not tire and will not be crushed until he puts justice in the world"(Isaiah 42:5). And his rulership will extend for very many days and the lives of people will also lengthen. Since when worries and troubles are removed, the days of a man are lengthened. And one should not wonder that his rulership will last for thousands of years, since the sages said about the gathering of good, that when it gathers, it will not quickly separate. And we do not desire and hope for the days of the Messiah because of the multitude of produce and wealth and not [since] we will ride on horses and not [since] we will drink wine accompanied by types of song, as ones of confused intellect imagine. But [rather] the prophets and pious ones desired the days of the Messiah - and their longing for it grew - because of what will be in it from the gathering of the righteous and the proper administration and wisdom, and from the righteousness of the king and his great uprightness, and the heft of his wisdom and closeness to God, as it is stated (Psalms 2:7), "the Lord said to me, 'You are my son, I conceived you today'"; and the performance of all of the commandments of the Torah of Moshe, our teacher - peace be upon him - without negligence and laziness and without duress. As it is stated (Jeremiah 31:33), "And they will not continue to teach a man [to his brother and a man to his fellow] saying, 'Know the Lord,' since they will all know me, from their small ones to their big ones"; "and I have placed my Torah in their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:32); "and I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). And there are many of these [types of] verses about this matter. And through these matters, they would strongly attain [life in] the World to Come. And the objective is the World to Come and towards it is the effort. And therefore this sage (the author of this Mishnah), who is established in his knowledge of the truth, investigated [what is] the ultimate objective and left that which was other than it, and said, "All Jews have a share in the World to Come." And [even] if it is the desired objective, it is not fitting for one who wants to be one who serves from love, that he should serve in order to reach the World to Come, as we have elucidated in what came before. But [rather], one should serve in the way that I will say. And that is that if he believes that there is wisdom, and it is the Torah which came to the prophets from the Creator, may He be elevated, who informed them through it of the virtues and they are the commandments and the defects and they are the sins, [then] it is fitting for him from the angle of his being a man of proper disposition that he should do the good and go away from the bad. And when he does this, he achieves humanness and is distinguished from animals. And when a person is whole [like this], it is from the nature of the whole person that there not be an impediment for his soul to exist in the existence that is known for it, and that is the World to Come, as we have said. And this is [the meaning of] what is stated (Psalms 32:9), "Do not be like a horse, like a mule that does not understand, with a bit and a bridle is his mouth restrained" [to be] like the impediments of animals from impulses, which is something external, like a bit and a bridle. And it is not fitting for a person to be like this, but [rather] his impediment should be from him and from his essence. I mean to say that the human form when it is complete is what impedes him from those things that wholeness prevents, and these are called the defects. And [his form] will energize him and push him towards that which will bring him to wholeness and that is the virtues. This is what has been clarified to me from all of their words about this lofty and weighty matter. And I will still write a composition in which I will gather all of the homilies that are found in the Talmud and in other [books] and I will elucidate them and analyze them such that they be fitting with the truth of [their] matters, and I will also give proofs [to this] from their words. And I will reveal which of the homilies are like their simple understanding and which are parables and which were dreams [even though] they are described in completely straightforward statements, as if they were in a waking state. And in that composition I will elucidate for you many beliefs and there I will elucidate all of the things of these principles that I have given to you a little [here, that you] extrapolate from them to the others. And one should not be exacting with me, that in this essay I have somewhat overlooked words and matters about which experts are exacting; since I have overlooked this exactitude to allow for understanding for the one that has no prior education in this lofty matter that not all people grasp. And [concerning others enumerated by the Mishnah as not having a share in the World to Come,] the word, "epikores," is Aramaic. Its meaning is one who abandons (mafkir) and denigrates the sages or a specific Torah scholar or denigrates his teacher. And they said that "outside books" are the books of those who err and so [too] the book of Ben Sira - and he composed books that included buffoonery about matters of facial recognition. They do not have reason or a point except for wasting time with vanities. For example, those books found by the Arabs of historical stories and the conduct of kings, the genealogy of the Arabs, songbooks and the like are from the books that do not have any wisdom or physical benefit, except for wasting time. "And one who whispers [an incantation] over a wound" [has no share in the World to Come] - and provided that it is with spit - because this involves a denigration of God, may He be blessed. And [likewise], one who pronounces the name [of God] with its letters, yod, hay vav, hay - which is the explicit name (shem hameforash). And they have already mentioned things besides these, that if one does them, he has no share in the World to Come: they said (Bava Metzia 59b), one who whitens the face of his fellow in public and one calls his fellow by his nickname and (Yerushalmi Chagigah 2:1) one who derives honor from his friend's disgrace. Since one would not do from these acts - and even though one might think them to be light sins - except for one with an inferior spirit that does not have wholeness and is not fitting for the World to Come. And from that which is necessary that we mention here - and [here] is the most fitting of all places - is that the fundamental beliefs and the foundational principles of our religion are thirteen principles:

The good that is hidden for the righteous is the life of the world to come. This will be life which is not accompanied by death and good which is not accompanied by evil. The Torah alludes to this in [the promise, Deuteronomy 22:7]: "So that good will be granted you and you will live long."
The oral tradition explains: "So that good will be granted you" - in the world that is entirely good; "and you will live long" - in the world which is endlessly long, the world to come.
The reward of the righteous is that they will merit this pleasure and take part in this good. The retribution of the wicked is that they will not merit this life. Rather, they will be cut off and die.
Whoever does not merit this life is [truly] dead and will not live forever. Rather, he will be cut off in his wickedness and perish as a beast. This is the intent of the meaning of the term karet in the Torah as [Numbers 15:31] states: "That soul shall surely be cut off."
[Based on the repetition of the verb,] the oral tradition explains: hikaret means to be cut off in this world and tikaret, to be cut off in the world to come. After these souls become separated from bodies in this world, they will not merit the life of the world to come. Rather, even in the world to come, they will be cut off.

Since the goat sent [to Azazel] atones for all of Israel, the High Priest confesses upon it as a spokesman for all of Israel as [Leviticus 16:21] states: "He shall confess upon it all the sins of the children of Israel."
The goat sent to Azazel atones for all the transgressions in the Torah, the severe and the lighter [sins]; those violated intentionally and those transgressed inadvertently; those which [the transgressor] became conscious of and those which he was not conscious of. All are atoned for by the goat sent [to Azazel].
This applies only if one repents. If one does not repent, the goat only atones for the light [sins].
Which are light sins and which are severe ones? The severe sins are those for which one is liable for execution by the court or karet. False and unnecessary oaths are also considered severe sins even though they are not [punished by] karet. [The violation of] the other prohibitions and [the failure to perform] positive commandments that are not punishable by karet are considered light [sins].

Even though Teshuvah atones for all [sins] and the essence of Yom Kippur brings atonement, [there are different levels of sin and hence, differences in the degree of atonement.] There are sins that can be atoned for immediately and other sins which can only be atoned for over the course of time. What is implied?
If a person violates a positive command which is not punishable by karet and repents, he will not leave that place before he is forgiven. Concerning these sins, [Jeremiah 3:22] states: "Return, faithless children! I will heal your rebellious acts."
If a person violates a prohibition that is not punishable by karet or execution by the court and repents, Teshuvah has a tentative effect and Yom Kippur brings atonement as [Leviticus, loc. cit. states "This day will atone for you."
If a person violates [sins punishable by] karet or execution by the court and repents, Teshuvah and Yom Kippur have a tentative effect and the sufferings which come upon him complete the atonement. He will never achieve complete atonement until he endures suffering for concerning these [sins, Psalms 89:33] states: "I will punish their transgression with a rod."
When does the above apply: When the desecration of God's name is not involved in the transgression. However, a person who desecrated God's name, even though he repented, Yom Kippur arrived while he continued his repentance, and he experienced suffering, will not be granted complete atonement until he dies. The three: repentance, Yom Kippur, and suffering have a tentative effect and death atones as [Isaiah 22:14] states: "It was revealed in my ears [by] the Lord of Hosts, surely this iniquity will not be atoned for until you die."

The goat [of the Day of Atonement] that was sent [into the wilderness] (Lev. 16:20, seq.) served as an atonement for all serious transgressions more than any other sin-offering of the congregation. As it thus seemed to carry off all sins, it was not accepted as an ordinary sacrifice to be slaughtered, burnt, or even brought near the Sanctuary; it was removed as far as possible, and sent forth into a waste, uncultivated, uninhabited land. There is no doubt that sins cannot be carried like a burden, and taken off the shoulder of one being to be laid on that of another being. But these ceremonies are of a symbolic character, and serve to impress men with a certain idea, and to induce them to repent; as if to say, we have freed ourselves of our previous deeds, have cast them behind our backs, and removed them from us as far as possible.

And [part of] the content of excision is the shortening of years; like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 10:27), “but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” But there is a difference in the matter of the shortening of the years between death [at the hands of the Heavens] and excision. For [in the case of] excision, the death of the person is before fifty years, whereas [in the case of] death, [it] is before sixty - like those that died in the desert. This is meaning to say, that one about whom it was decreed to live for seventy or eighty years, but became liable for death [at the hands of the Heavens], will die at less than sixty years. However there are righteous ones the [decree for which] is to have less days than sixty [years] - as they said (Taanit 5b), “One [who dies] at fifty-two years, this is the death of Samuel of Rama.” And it is stated (Numbers 4:18), “Do not let the group of Kohathite clans be cut off from the Levites.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Yerushalmi Bikkurim 2:1) from this that excision is before fifty years. Its explanation is, let not an accident be how you cause the tribe of the Kohatites to be cut off from the service of the Levites. For if you do not guard them - that they should not come to see when the holy [vessels] are covered - they shall be excised from the service of the Levites, and will die before they are fifty years; as it is stated (Numbers 8:25), “But at the age of fifty they shall retire from the workforce, etc.”