A min (מין) — the rabbinic term for a heretic or sectarian — once confronted Gaboha with a challenge that strikes at the heart of Jewish faith. "You claim that God will raise the dead," the heretic said. "Show me where in the Torah — in the Five Books of Moses — this doctrine is stated explicitly. Not in the Prophets. Not in the Writings. In the Torah itself."
The challenge was calculated. The heretic knew that many Jews believed in resurrection but struggled to find a clear, unambiguous proof text in the Torah. The Prophets spoke of dry bones coming to life (Ezekiel 37). The Writings mentioned those who "sleep in the dust" awakening (Daniel 12:2). But the Torah — the most authoritative text of all — seemed silent on the matter.
Gaboha was not intimidated. He opened the Torah to Deuteronomy and pointed to a verse that most people read without thinking twice. God says to Moses: "You will sleep with your fathers and rise up" (Deuteronomy 31:16). The heretic objected — the verse continues "and this people will go astray," suggesting that "rise up" refers to the people, not to Moses rising from death.
But Gaboha pressed further, citing additional verses and traditions recorded in Genesis Rabbah (61:7) and Megillat Taanit (chapter 3). The key argument was theological, not textual: a God who creates life from nothing is certainly capable of restoring life from something. The heretic wanted a proof text; Gaboha gave him an entire worldview.
The tradition records that the heretic left without a rebuttal. Whether he was convinced or merely silenced, the rabbis preserved the exchange as ammunition for every future generation that would face the same question.