Order of the Garden of Eden

R. Joshua ben Levi said: There are two ruby gates in the garden of Eden, over which there are six hundred thousand ministering angels, each and every one of whose faces shines as bright as the firmament. When a righteous person comes to them, they strip him of the garments he was wearing in the grave and clothe him in eight garments of the clouds of glory. Two crowns are placed upon his head, one of precious stones and gems and the other of blood-red gold. They also place eight myrtle branches in his hand and praise him, saying: Go, eat your bread with joy (Ecclesiastes 9:7). They usher him into a place of water brooks, surrounded by eight hundred roses and myrtles. Each and every one of them has his own canopy, in accordance with his honor, as it is stated: For over every honor there shall be a canopy (Isaiah 4:5). Four rivers flow from it: one of oil, one of balsam, and also of wine and honey. Above each and every canopy there is a gold vine upon which thirty gems are hanging, each of which shines as brightly as the appearance of the dawn. Every canopy includes a table of precious stones and gems, and sixty angels stand by the head of each and every righteous person, saying to them, “Go, eat honey with joy, as you engaged in the Torah, regarding which it is stated: sweeter also than honey (Psalms 19:11); and drink wine that has been preserved in its grapes from the six days of Creation, as you engaged in the Torah, which is compared to wine, as it is stated: I would have you drink of spiced wine (Song of Songs 8:2).” The ugliest of them have the appearance of Joseph and of R. Yoḥanan.¹ Silver pomegranate flowers encircle them, facing the sun; and there is no night for them, as it is stated: But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn (Proverbs 4:18).

They are renewed in three watches: in the first watch, one becomes young and enters the realm of youngsters and rejoices with the joy of youngsters. In the second watch, he becomes a youth and enters the realm of the youth and rejoices with the joy of the youth. In the third watch, he becomes elderly and enters the realm of the elderly and rejoices with the joy of the elderly.

In the garden of Eden, there are eight hundred thousand types of trees, in every corner, the smallest of which is finer than all spice trees. In every corner there are six hundred thousand ministering angels, who are singing with beautiful voices. The Tree of Life is in the middle, and its trunk covers the whole of the garden of Eden. It incorporates five hundred thousand tastes, each of which is distinct from the others, and the scent of each is distinct from the others. Seven clouds of glory are above it, and when the four winds sway against it, its scent wafts from one end of the world to the other. Beneath it, Torah scholars are elucidating the Torah, each of whom has two canopies, one of stars and the other of the sun and moon. Between each and every canopy there is a curtain of clouds of glory, and within it is Eden, which contains 310 worlds, as it is stated: that I may cause those who love me to inherit substance [yesh] (Proverbs 8:21). The numerical value of yesh is 310.

Inside are seven houses of righteous people. In the first are those executed by the monarchy, such as R. Akiva and his colleagues. In the second are those who drowned at sea. In the third are R. Yoḥanan and his disciples. What was their power? As he used to say: If all the heavens were parchment, and all the world scribes, and all the forests quills, they would be unable to write what I learned from my teachers, and I took away from them only as much as a dog lapping from the sea. The fourth group are those upon whom the cloud descended and covered. The fifth group are penitents—“in the place where penitents stand, even the fully righteous may not stand” [b. Berakhot 34b]. The sixth group are bachelors, who have never tasted the taste of sin. The seventh group are paupers, who have knowledge of the Bible and the Mishnah, and engage in decent behavior. Regarding them, scripture states: And all those who take refuge in You shall rejoice (Psalms 5:12). And the Holy One sits among them and elucidates the Torah to them, as it is stated: My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me (Psalms 101:6). The Holy One did not elaborate any further regarding the honor that is prepared for them, as it is stated: No eye has seen it, God, aside from You, Who will act for those who await Him (Isaiah 64:4).