The New Jerusalem

And I decreed death upon Adam the first man. What is the meaning of "and concerning the reading of it"? Rabbah said that Rabbi Yochanan said: The Jerusalem of the World to Come is not like the Jerusalem of this world. In the Jerusalem of this world, anyone who wishes to ascend ascends; in the Jerusalem of the World to Come, only those invited to it ascend. And Rabbah said that Rabbi Yochanan said: In the future the righteous will be called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: "Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I created for My glory, I formed him, indeed I made him" (Isaiah 43:7). And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said that Rabbi Yochanan said: Three are called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and these are they: the righteous, the Messiah, and Jerusalem. The righteous, this is as we have said. The Messiah, as it is written: "And this is the name by which he shall be called: the LORD is our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6). Jerusalem, as it is written: "It shall be eighteen thousand round about, and the name of the city from that day shall be: the LORD is there" (Ezekiel 48:35); do not read "there" (shamah) but rather "her name" (shemah) [the plain sense being that the LORD dwells there]. Rabbi Elazar said: In the future they will say "Holy" before the righteous just as it is said before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: "And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy" (Isaiah 4:3). And Rabbah said that Rabbi Yochanan said: In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise Jerusalem three parasangs upward, as it is said: "And she shall be lifted up and shall dwell in her place" (Zechariah 14:10); what is "in her place" (tachteha)? It means: as her present height (ke-tachteha) [that is, lifted as high as her own dimensions]. And from where do we know that this "in her place" is three parasangs? Rabbah said: That certain elder said to me: I myself saw the first Jerusalem, and it was three parasangs. And lest you say there is hardship in ascending, Scripture teaches: "Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?" (Isaiah 60:8). Rav Pappa said: Learn from this that this cloud rises three parasangs. Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: The Holy One, blessed be He, sought to set Jerusalem within a measure, as it is said: "And I said: Where are you going? And he said to me: To measure Jerusalem, to see how broad it is and how long it is" (Zechariah 2:6). The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, You have created many cities in Your world belonging to the nations of the world, and You did not give the measure of their length or the measure of their breadth; yet Jerusalem, in whose midst is Your name, in whose midst is Your Temple, and in whose midst are the righteous, You set within a measure?! Immediately: "And he said to him: Run, speak to this young man, saying: Jerusalem shall be inhabited as open towns, because of the multitude of people and cattle in it" (Zechariah 2:8). Resh Lakish said: In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will add to Jerusalem one thousand tef of gardens, one thousand kefel of towers, one thousand litzoy of fortresses, one thousand and two shiloh of palaces; and each and every one of them will be as large as Sepphoris in its tranquility. It was taught: Rabbi Yose said: I myself saw Sepphoris in its tranquility, and there were in it one hundred and eighty thousand markets of sellers of cooked dishes.