stolen sword. This Jehoshua withheld, well aware that the Angel could not enter Paradise. A divine voice then cried: ‘Restore the sword for his needs!’ Jehoshua answered: ‘Lord, I will do so, if he swears never to draw it when You take a man’s soul. Hitherto he has slaughtered his victims like beasts, even children in their mothers’ bosoms.’ The Angel renounced this savage practice, and Jehoshua gave him back the sword.
Thereupon Elijah commanded the righteous: ‘Make room! Make room!’ and Jehoshua, going farther into Paradise, saw God seated among thirteen companies of the righteous. God asked: ‘Jehoshua ben Levi, have you ever beheld the rainbow?’ He answered: ‘Lord of the Universe, what person of my age has been refused this great sight?’ God smiled and said: ‘Are you not Jehoshua ben Levi?’ Forwhile a single truly pious man is alive on earth, the Rainbow no longer needs to remind God of His promise, made in Noah’s day, that he would never again flood the whole world as a punishment of its wickedness. God knew that Jehoshua, not having seen a rainbow in all his life, had evaded this question to avoid the sin of presumption.
The Angel of Death then lodged a complaint against Jehoshua with the sage Gamaliel. Gamaliel said: ‘Jehoshua did well! Now go back and tell him to survey Eden and its treasure houses, and make a report for me. Especially I wish to know whether there are Gentiles in Paradise, and whether there are Children of Israel in Hell.’
This mission the Angel of Death carried out; and Jehoshua reported to Gamaliel as follows: ‘Paradise has seven gates, each leading to the next. The First House, facing the entrance, holds converts who came to God of their own free will. Its walls are crystal, its beams cedar, and Obadiah the righteous prophet rules over it.
‘The Second House is similarly built, and holds the penitents of Israel. Manasseh ben Hizkiyahu rules over it.
‘The Third House is of silver and gold. There grows the Tree of Life, under whose shade sit Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes, all those Israelites who went out of Egypt, and the whole generation of the Wilderness; also King David, his son Solomon as all the kings of Judah—except Manasseh, who lies in Hell. Moses and Aaron guard this house, which contains fine silver vessels, costly oils, couches, stools, canopies, and candelabra of gold, pearls and precious stones.
‘When I asked: “For whom are these preserved?”, King David answered: “For the righteous of Israel, dwelling in the world whence you came.” And when I asked again: “Are any of Esau’s descendants here?”, he answered: “No, for if one such performs a good deed, God rewards him while he yet lives, but at the end he inherits Hell; whereas among the Children of Israel, every man receives his punishment while he yet lives, but afterwards wins a place in Paradise—unless he causes Israel to sin, as did King Manasseh.”
‘The Fourth House is built of gold, its beams are olive wood, and holds the righteous whose lives were bitter as the unripe olive.
‘The Fifth House, through which Gihon flows, is built of silver, crystal, pure gold and glass. Its beams are gold and silver, and the fragrance of Lebanon pervades every hall. Here I saw silver and golden couches, sweet spices, with red and purple cloths woven by Eve; also scarlet yarn, and goat’s hair braided by angels; and here dwell the Messiah son of David, and Elijah. When the Messiah asked me: “How do the Children of Israel spend their time in the world whence youcome?”, I replied: “In hourly preparation for your coming.” At this he wept.
‘The Sixth House holds those who have died while performing their duty to God.
‘The Seventh House holds those who have died of grief for Israel’s sins.’ 126
(
h
) Some say that the inhabitants of Paradise stand on their heads and walk on their hands; as do all the dead. If a sorcerer summons a dead
Thereupon Elijah commanded the righteous: ‘Make room! Make room!’ and Jehoshua, going farther into Paradise, saw God seated among thirteen companies of the righteous. God asked: ‘Jehoshua ben Levi, have you ever beheld the rainbow?’ He answered: ‘Lord of the Universe, what person of my age has been refused this great sight?’ God smiled and said: ‘Are you not Jehoshua ben Levi?’ Forwhile a single truly pious man is alive on earth, the Rainbow no longer needs to remind God of His promise, made in Noah’s day, that he would never again flood the whole world as a punishment of its wickedness. God knew that Jehoshua, not having seen a rainbow in all his life, had evaded this question to avoid the sin of presumption.
The Angel of Death then lodged a complaint against Jehoshua with the sage Gamaliel. Gamaliel said: ‘Jehoshua did well! Now go back and tell him to survey Eden and its treasure houses, and make a report for me. Especially I wish to know whether there are Gentiles in Paradise, and whether there are Children of Israel in Hell.’
This mission the Angel of Death carried out; and Jehoshua reported to Gamaliel as follows: ‘Paradise has seven gates, each leading to the next. The First House, facing the entrance, holds converts who came to God of their own free will. Its walls are crystal, its beams cedar, and Obadiah the righteous prophet rules over it.
‘The Second House is similarly built, and holds the penitents of Israel. Manasseh ben Hizkiyahu rules over it.
‘The Third House is of silver and gold. There grows the Tree of Life, under whose shade sit Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes, all those Israelites who went out of Egypt, and the whole generation of the Wilderness; also King David, his son Solomon as all the kings of Judah—except Manasseh, who lies in Hell. Moses and Aaron guard this house, which contains fine silver vessels, costly oils, couches, stools, canopies, and candelabra of gold, pearls and precious stones.
‘When I asked: “For whom are these preserved?”, King David answered: “For the righteous of Israel, dwelling in the world whence you came.” And when I asked again: “Are any of Esau’s descendants here?”, he answered: “No, for if one such performs a good deed, God rewards him while he yet lives, but at the end he inherits Hell; whereas among the Children of Israel, every man receives his punishment while he yet lives, but afterwards wins a place in Paradise—unless he causes Israel to sin, as did King Manasseh.”
‘The Fourth House is built of gold, its beams are olive wood, and holds the righteous whose lives were bitter as the unripe olive.
‘The Fifth House, through which Gihon flows, is built of silver, crystal, pure gold and glass. Its beams are gold and silver, and the fragrance of Lebanon pervades every hall. Here I saw silver and golden couches, sweet spices, with red and purple cloths woven by Eve; also scarlet yarn, and goat’s hair braided by angels; and here dwell the Messiah son of David, and Elijah. When the Messiah asked me: “How do the Children of Israel spend their time in the world whence youcome?”, I replied: “In hourly preparation for your coming.” At this he wept.
‘The Sixth House holds those who have died while performing their duty to God.
‘The Seventh House holds those who have died of grief for Israel’s sins.’ 126
(
h
) Some say that the inhabitants of Paradise stand on their heads and walk on their hands; as do all the dead. If a sorcerer summons a dead
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