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Question
Shalom Rabbis,
I am an Italian Noahide.
If I have understood correctly, Rambam affirms that the resurrection of the dead is reserved only for the righteous, who, after being resurrected, will live a long and joyful life at the end of which they will die again; after this second bodily death, they will definitively enter into the World to Come, which is a kingdom of only souls.
Then,according to Rambam,where do the souls of the righteous dwell in the period between the death of their bodies and the resurrection?
Best Wishes
Riccardo F. Gioviale
Catania,Italy
Answer
There is the first World of the Souls, where souls go upon dying and before the revival of the dead, and then, as you wrote, after the revival of the dead, they will again go to the World of the Souls (it's unclear whether there is a difference between the first and second World of the Souls). All this is according to the Rambam, on the other hand, our sages and most sources infer that the final and eternal stage is the revival of the dead.

Rabbi Ari Shvat
Lectures at various yeshivot, michlalot and midrashot. Has published many books & Torani articles and is in charge of Rav Kookโs archives.

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