Reincarnation_Res

RESURRECTION AND REINCARNATION
M.M.NINAN
“This whole world is merely a vestibule for the world to come.” (Mishna Avot 4:3)
Even then it was only a prod to good conduct here and now.
Mosheh ben Maimon, called Moses Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn, or RaMBaM,
Belief in resurrection of the dead is one of Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith.
(commentary on Mishnah Sanhedrin, Chapter 10).
The formula as it appears in the standard prayer book is as follows:
"I believe with complete faith that there will occur Resurrection of the Dead at the
time it is willed by the Creator, may His Name be blessed, and may His memory be
exalted forever and ever.
The Doctrine of Resurrection of the Dead is mentioned already in the Mishna (c.170
CE), and the Talmud goes to great lengths to prove that it has been intimated clearly
and repeatedly, albeit not stated expressly, by the Prophets and in the Five Books of
Moses."
The second blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, which is recited three times
daily, contains several references to resurrection. (Note: the Reform movement,
which apparently rejects this belief, has rewritten the second blessing accordingly).
The resurrection of the dead will occur in the messianic age, a time referred to in
Hebrew as the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come, but that term is also used to refer to
the spiritual afterlife. When the messiah comes to initiate the perfect world of peace
and prosperity, the righteous dead will be brought back to life and given the
opportunity to experience the perfected world that their righteousness helped to
create. The wicked dead will not be resurrected.
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