• גביהה בן פסיסא’s debates about תחיית המתים, rights to Eretz Yisroel, and unpaid debts with מצרים

A מין once told גביהה בן פסיסא, a wise and sharp sage who was a hunchback, ווי לכון חייביא – “Woe to you sinners, who say the dead will live. If the living die, can the dead come back to life?!” He replied, “Woe to you sinners, who say the dead will not live. If those who never existed come to life, then those who already existed should certainly come to life!” Africans once came before Alexander and claimed Eretz Yisroel was rightfully theirs, as descendants of כנען, since it is called “the Land of כנען.” Geviha received permission from the Sages to respond, and answered that the same Torah declares כנען a slave to his brothers, and all a slave’s property belongs to his master! Furthermore, they owe compensation for many years of missed servitude! They requested time to respond, and fled, abandoning fully grown fields in a year of shemittah. In another incident, Egyptians came to Alexander demanding the Jews return the gold and silver they “borrowed” when leaving מצרים. Geviha responded that they owe the Jews wages for six hundred thousand men for four hundred thirty years of labor in מצרים, and they too fled, abandoning fully grown fields in a year of shemittah.

• Rabbi and Antoninus: when a person receives a נשמה, and יצר הרע

The Gemara records several questions that Antoninus asked Rebbe. Among them: נשמה מאימתי ניתנה באדם – when is a soul placed into man? משעת פקידה – From the time of conception, או משעת יצירה – or from the time of the embryo’s formation? Rebbe answered משעת יצירה, but Antoninus argued that the human seed would surely spoil if it did not have a נשמה. Rebbe later declared that Antoninus taught him that one receives a נשמה from שעת פקידה, and Rebbe found support from a passuk. Antoninus asked Rebbe: מאימתי יצר הרע שולט באדם – when does the יצר הרע begin to exert control over a person? משעת יצירה או משעת יציאה – From the time of the embryo’s formation, or from the time of birth? Rebbe answered משעת יצירה, but Antoninus objected that if so, בועט במעי אמו ויוצא – [the fetus] would kick against its mother’s womb and leave prematurely!? Rebbe later declared that Antoninus taught him that the יצר הרע is שולט on a person from birth, and found support in the passuk: לפתח חטאת רבץ – sin crouches at the door.

• Description of life לעתיד לבא based on discrepancies between pesukim

Reish Lakish quoted one passuk implying that crippled people will come back to life with their deficiencies, while another passuk says the lame will leap and the mute will sing. He explained that people will rise with their defects and then be healed. Ulla quoted: בלע המות לנצח – He will conceal death forever, indicating no one will die, yet another passuk implies that although people will live long, they will die!? He answers that death will still exist for idolators, who will exist then to tend to Klal Yisroel’s physical needs. Rav Chisda quoted a passuk which says the sun and moon will be ashamed, because of the brilliant light of צדיקים, while another passuk says the light of the moon and sun will be many times greater than they are today!? He answers that during ימות המשיח their light will be greater, whereas in עולם הבא, their light will be “shamed.” According to Shmuel, who said: אין בין העולם הזה לימות המשיח אלא שיעבוד גליות בלבד – there is no difference between this world and the Days of Moshiach, except for the subjugation of Jews in exile (but the natural order will remain), the Gemara answers that the luminaries will grow stronger in the camp of צדיקים, but in the מחנה שכינה, their light will be shamed.

Siman – Exit Sign. The Mitzri’im who ran out the exit from the great hunchback Rabbi’s house, not wanting to pay their debt to the Jews from all their years of slavery, passed a newborn boy at the door whose yetzer hora just began to exert control him, and were followed by people leaping and singing for joy, who came back to life and were healed.