The importance of the faith in the resurrection of the dead is stressed by the Sages and the Rambam. God’s original plan was for man to live eternally. The serpent/Satan interfered with this plan by encouraging sin in the world, thus introducing death at first and subsequently the significant truncation of the length of man’s life. Failing to believe in the resurrection of the dead is equated with believing that the serpent/Satan was victorious over God. Is the resurrection of the dead a reward for the righteous or an awakening for a great day of judgement for all – righteous and wicked?

Courtesy of the Virtual Beit Midrash, Yeshivat Har Etzion