Da'at Tevunot

Said the Intellect - Our sages may their memory be for a blessing taught us that the world exists for six thousand years, and afterwards in the seventh millennium is destroyed and afterwards the Holy One blessed is He renews His world (Sanhedrin 97b). And we also found that they said (ibid 92a) regarding the seventh millennium, "The righteous what do they do? The Holy One blessed is He makes for them sails and they float upon the water, as it says (Isaiah 40:31) "And those who trust in haShem will renew their strength...". From the simple meaning of the words we learn there are there time periods, and they are the six thousand years; the seventh millennium, and the renewal of the world. For six thousand years the world stands as it is now; in the seventh millennium the world has still not been renewed and the righteous are like they lived in the resurrection of the dead, but the Holy One blessed is He makes for them sails etc; and the renewal of the world - that the Holy One blessed is He will renew the world in a complete renewal. And indeed, the world is as it is now, here we see that the body has control like a person residing in his house, because this is his place and not another; but in the seventh millennium the righteous become elevated from the earth, and the body remains external to the place of its rest, and it is like a person wandering from his place, and like a visitor diverted to sleep. Therefore it has no remaining control except like Moshe our teacher may he rest in peace in his ascension to the mountain, where since he ascended from the earth he no longer went in the ways of the occupants of the earth. And similarly with regard to the seventh millennium the sages may their memories be for a blessing called it (Sanhedrin 97a) "A day that is completely Sabbath for eternity", for you rest upon it from all the physical labors which are secular, but the body does not move yet from its existence, for no renewal has been made yet to creation. But from the renewal of the world and onward, which is (Eruvin 22a) "...tomorrow to receive their reward", there is no need anymore for the control of the body at all, for it is not needed other than for service in its time, but is existence will become subjugated to the soul, to be pampered with the heavenly goodness forever and ever:...