R. Simeon was once going from Cappadocia to Lydda with R. Judah. R. Phineas b. Jair was coming the other way with two men behind him. Suddeynly the ass of R. Phineas came to a stop and would not budge. Said R. Phineas: ‘Let him be, he must have scented some newcomers here, or a miracle is to be wrought for us.’ While they were there R. Simeon emerged from behind a rock, and the ass immediately began to move forward. ‘Did I not tell you’, said R. Phineas, ‘that he scented some newcomers?’
He got down and embraced him, saying: ‘I saw in a dream the Shekinah coming to me and giving me beautiful presents. Now I see it.’ R. Simeon said: ‘From the sound of your ass’s hoofs I know that you are wholly joyful.’ Said R. Phineas: ‘Let us sit down in a suitable spot, since the words of the Torah require coolness.’ They found a spring of water and a tree and sat down.
R. Phineas said: ‘I was reflecting that, in the resurrection of the dead, God will reverse the way of this world so that what is now first will then be last. We know this from the bones which God revived by the hand of Ezekiel, as it is written first, “And the bones drew near, each bone to his fellow”, and then, “And I saw, and behold there were sinews on them and flesh came up and skin formed on them above, but there was no breath in them” (Ezek. 37, 7-8). Thus we see that what a man is divested of here first will there be last, for here the breath is lost first and then the skin and then the flesh and then the bones.’
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הֲוָה אָזִיל מִקַּפּוּטְקִיָּא לְלוּד, ורִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָזִיל עִמֵּיהּ, עַד דַּהֲווֹ אָזְלֵי פָּגַע בְּהוּ רִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר, וּתְרֵין גּוּבְרִין טוֹעֲנִין אֲבַתְרֵיהּ. שָׁכִיךְ חֲמָרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי פִּנְחָס. טָעִינוּ לֵיהּ, וְלָא אָזִיל. אָמַר רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, שְׁבִיקוּ לֵיהּ, דְּהָא רֵיחָא דְּאַנְפִּין חַדְתִּין קָא אָרַח, אוֹ נִסָּא אִתְעָבִיד לָן הַשְׁתָּא. עַד דְּאִינּוּן תַּמָּן, נָפַק רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מִבָּתַר חַד טִנָרָא. נָטַל חֲמָרָא וְאָזִיל, אָמַר רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, וְלָא אֲמָרִית לְכוּ, דְּהָא רֵיחָא דְּאַנְפִּין חַדְתִּין קָא אָרַח.
R. Simeon was once going from Cappadocia to Lydda with R. Judah. R. Phineas b. Jair was coming the other way with two men behind him. Suddeynly the ass of R. Phineas came to a stop and would not budge. Said R. Phineas: ‘Let him be, he must have scented some newcomers here, or a miracle is to be wrought for us.’ While they were there R. Simeon emerged from behind a rock, and the ass immediately began to move forward. ‘Did I not tell you’, said R. Phineas, ‘that he scented some newcomers?’
נָחַת וְגָפִיף לֵיהּ רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, וּבָכָה, אָמַר לֵיהּ, חֲמֵינָא בְּחֶלְמִי, דְּאַתְיָא שְׁכִינְתָּא לְגַבִּי, וְיָהָבַת לִי נְבִזְבְּזָן רַבְרְבָן, וְחַדִּינָא בָּהּ. הַשְׁתָּא כְּמָה דַּחֲמֵינָא. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, מִקָּל פַּרְסֵי דַּחֲמָרָךְ, יְדַעְנָא דְּאַנְתְּ הוּא. הַשְׁתָּא חֶדְוָה שְׁלִים. אָמַר רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, נֵתִיב בְּדוּךְ חַד, דְּמִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִצְטְרִיךְ צָחוּתָא. אַשְׁכָּחוּ עֵינָא דְּמַיָיא, וְאִילָנָא, יָתְבוּ.
He got down and embraced him, saying: ‘I saw in a dream the Shekinah coming to me and giving me beautiful presents. Now I see it.’ R. Simeon said: ‘From the sound of your ass’s hoofs I know that you are wholly joyful.’ Said R. Phineas: ‘Let us sit down in a suitable spot, since the words of the Torah require coolness.’ They found a spring of water and a tree and sat down.
אָמַר רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, מִסְתָּכַּל הֲוִינָא דְּהָא לִתְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים, בְּאָרְחָא אָחֳרָא יַעְבִּיד לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּמַה דְּהֲוָה הַשְׁתָּא קַדְמָאָה, לִיהֱוִי כְּדֵין בַּתְרָאָה. מְנָלָן. מֵאִינּוּן עֲצָמוֹת, הַנְהוּ גַּרְמִין דְּאַחֲיָא לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַל יְדֵי יְחֶזְקֵאל, דִּכְתִּיב, (יחזקאל ל״ז:ז׳) וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמוֹת עֶצֶם אֶל עַצְמוֹ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וּלְבָתַר כְּתִיב וְרָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵיהֶם גִּידִים וּבָשָׂר עָלָה וְגוֹ'. וַיִּקְרַם עֲלֵיהֶם עוֹר מִלְמָעְלָה וְרוּחַ אֵין בָּהֶם. דְּהָא מַה דְּאַפְשִׁיט בְּקַדְמִיתָא, לִיהֱוֵי בַּתְרָאָה. בְּקַדְמִיתָא (אפשיט מרוחא, ולבתר) עוֹר, וּלְבָתַר בָּשָׂר, בְּקַדְמִיתָא אַפְשִׁיט מֵרוּחָא, וּלְבָתַר עוֹר, וּלְבָתַר בָּשָׂר, וּלְבָתַר עֲצָמוֹת.
R. Phineas said: ‘I was reflecting that, in the resurrection of the dead, God will reverse the way of this world so that what is now first will then be last. We know this from the bones which God revived by the hand of Ezekiel, as it is written first, “And the bones drew near, each bone to his fellow”, and then, “And I saw, and behold there were sinews on them and flesh came up and skin formed on them above, but there was no breath in them” (Ezek. 37, 7-8). Thus we see that what a man is divested of here first will there be last, for here the breath is lost first and then the skin and then the flesh and then the bones.’