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Why must belief in resurrection be a separate principle when we already believe in divine reward and punishment? The fundamental need drives human psychology: we cannot live knowing our potential for perfection is permanently lost through death. Resurrection represents God's chesed (חסד) that restores hope and prevents the resignation that would otherwise follow from humanity's fallen state.
This shiur examines the thirteenth principle of Maimonides' Ani Maamin - belief in the resurrection of the dead. Rabbi Zweig begins by questioning why this needs to be a separate principle when we already believe in reward and punishment (the 11th principle). He notes that while we don't need to know details about other rewards, resurrection seems to require specific belief in bodily revival. The discussion addresses a fundamental tension in Maimonides' own position: if resurrection is only temporary (according to Rambam (רמב"ם)'s view that the ultimate state is purely spiritual), why is it essential to believe in this interim stage? Rabbi Zweig contrasts this with Nachmanides' view that bodily resurrection is eternal.
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Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
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What does it mean to 'believe' in God's existence, and why is this relevant to daily Jewish life? The shiur redefines emunah not as intellectual belief but as constantly certifying God's reality through our actions, particularly chesed. This transforms us from egocentric to theocentric beings, gives us absolute worth derived from God's reality, and connects us to ultimate truth through emulating the divine attribute of kindness.
