Pesachim 50a § 1
An Inverted World
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Passage Content
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi explained:
The 2 roots yakar and kafuy refer to 2 types of people
who are considered important [yekarim] in this world
and unimportant [kefuyim] in the World to Come.
Like the incident involving his son, Rav Yosef,
who became ill and fell into a Coma.
When he returned to good health, his father asked:
The 2 roots yakar and kafuy refer to 2 types of people
who are considered important [yekarim] in this world
and unimportant [kefuyim] in the World to Come.
Like the incident involving his son, Rav Yosef,
who became ill and fell into a Coma.
When he returned to good health, his father asked:
| Father: | What did you see when you were about to die? |
| Son: | I saw an inverted world! Those above,
i.e., those who are considered important in this world, were below, insignificant! While those below, i.e., those who are insignificant in this world, were above. |
| Father: | My son, you have seen a clear world! |
| Since the world you have seen is the true world, as in that world people’s standings befit them. |
|
| Father: | And where are we, the Torah scholars, there? |
| Son: | [What he says] |