Every compartment of Gehinnom (the place of spiritual purification after death) contains 7,000 crevices. Every crevice contains 7,000 scorpions. Every scorpion has 300 cavities, and every cavity holds 7,000 pouches of venom, each pouring six rivers of deadly poison. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jerahmeel ben Solomon, when a person touches this venom, their body bursts apart. The angels of destruction collect the scattered limbs, reassemble the body, revive it, and begin the punishment all over again.
The underworld has seven named levels, each measuring 300 years' journey in every direction. From the surface downward: Sheol. Beer Shahat (the Pit of Corruption). Tit-Hayaven (the Mire of Clay). Shaare Mavet (the Gates of Death). Abadon (Destruction). Shaare Salmavet (the Gates of the Shadow of Death). And Gehinnom itself. The total span of the underworld is 6,300 years' walking distance. The fire in each level is sixty times hotter than the level above it.
Sheol, the uppermost, consists of half fire and half ice. When sinners escape the flames, the ice tortures them. When they escape the ice, the fire burns them. The angels keep their souls locked inside their bodies so they cannot die.
Sinners spend twelve months in each level before being lowered to the next. When they finally reach the deepest point, the righteous see them and plead with God: "Have mercy. Let it be enough." But God replies, "It is not yet enough. They destroyed My Temple and sold My children as slaves." Those lowered into Arqa, the layer beneath the river of fire that flows from the heavenly throne, never ascend again.
Above Arqa lies the cosmic geography: Tehom, Tohu, Bohu, the sea, the waters, and finally the inhabited world with its mountains, valleys, law, and charity. At the time of final judgment, 6,000 angels surround each person and lead them to the scales. If guilt outweighs merit, the angels of terror pass the soul downward through successively worse angelic custodians until the Angel of Death hurls it into the depths. If merit outweighs guilt, the angels of peace pass it upward to the angels of mercy, who escort it into the Garden of Eden.
XVII. (1) There are besides in every compartment 7,000
holes (crevices), and in every hole there are 7,000 scorpions.
Every scorpion has 300 slits (cavities); in every slit are 7,000
pouches of venom, and from each of these flow six rivers of
deadly poison. When a man touches it, he immediately
bursts, every limb is torn from him, his body is cleft asunder,
and he falls dead upon his face. The angels of destruction
collect his limbs, set them aright, and revive the man and
place him upon his feet, and take their revenge upon him
anew. This takes place in the uppermost compartment,
which is called Sheol. The height thereof is 300 years'
journey, the width 300 years' journey, and its length the
same.
38 [XVII. 2
(2) The second compartment is Beer Shahat, of the same
height, width, and length. The third is Tit-Hayaven, of
equal size. The fourth is Shaare Mavet, of the same size.
The fifth, Abadon, of the same size. The sixth, Shaare
Salmavet, of the same size. The seventh, Gehinnom, of
the same size. Thus the length of hell is altogether 6,300
years' journey. [We read further that the fire of Gehinnom
is one-sixtieth of the fire of Sha'are Salmavet, and so of
every consecutive compartment till the fire of SheoL]
Sheol consists half of fire and half of hail (ice), and when
the sinners contained therein emerge from the fire they are
tortured by the hail (ice), and when they emerge from the
hail (ice) the fire burns them, and the angels who preside
over them keep their souls within their bodies. As it is said,
' For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be
quenched.'
(3) Every day the angel of death comes and drives them
on like cattle from mountain to valley and from valley to
mountain, as it is said, ' They are sent down to Sheol like
sheep; death acts like a shepherd unto them.' The angels
of destruction punish the sinners for twelve months in
Gehinnom. After twelve months they revive their bodies
and lower them to Shaare Mavet, where they are again
punished for twelve months. Thence they are lowered into
Shaare Salmavet, and after twelve months' punishment
the}^ are lowered into Tit-Hayaven, and again after twelve
months' punishment they are lowered into Beer Shahat.
Thence, after the same lapse of time, to Abadon, and finally,
after twelve months' punishment, they are lowered thence
into Sheol, where they are seen by the righteous, who say,
' 0 Lord, who art merciful to all Thy creatures, let it be
enough for them!' But God answers, 'It is not yet
enough, for they have destroyed My temple, and have sold
My children as slaves among the nations.' Thence they are
lowered to Arqa, and placed beneath the river of fire that
flows from beneath the heavenly throne, and he who is
lowered into Arqa ascends no more.
(4) Above Arqa is Tehom, and above Tehom is Tohu.
Above this is Bohu, and above Bohu is the sea, and above
the bottom of the sea are the ^Yaters. Above the ^Yaters is
the inhabited world, on the surface of which rise the moun-
tains and dales. This earth is inhabited by man and beasts,
by the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. Therein is
law, charity, and piety, and the fear of the Lord.
(5) At the time of judgment 6,000 angels of trembling
surround man and lead him to the place of judgment,
where they weigh his merit and his guilt in the balance.
Then if his guilt turns the scale they lead him to Gehinnom
and hand him over to the angels of terror, and these again
to the angels of anguish, and these to the angels of trembling;
the angels of trembling then to the angels of destruction,
who hand him over to the angel of death. He throws him
into the depth of Gehinnom, as it is said, 'And the angel
of the Lord pushes him.'
(6) If, however, his merits turn the scale, they lead him
to the gates of Paradise and hand him over to the minister-
ing angels, who hand him over to the angels of peace, and
these to the angels of mercy, who bestow great honour
upon him in the Garden of Eden.
Paradise.
