Sanhedrin 105a
סנהדרין ק״ה א — ד"ה בִּלְעָם הוּא דְּלָא אָתֵי לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי
Sanhedrin 105a:10
The discussion records the teaching that the righteous of the nations have a share in the World to Come, alongside debates about the scope of that principle and the status of particular nations. This is the central Talmudic locus for the question.
בִּלְעָם הוּא דְּלָא אָתֵי לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, הָא אַחֲרִינֵי אָתוּ. מַתְנִיתִין מַנִּי? רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הִיא, דְּתַנְיָא: רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, ״יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה כׇּל גּוֹיִם שְׁכֵחֵי אֱלֹהִים״. ״יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה״ – אֵלּוּ פּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, ״כׇּל גּוֹיִם שְׁכֵחֵי אֱלֹהִים״ – אֵלּוּ פּוֹשְׁעֵי גּוֹיִים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: וְכִי נֶאֱמַר ״בְּכׇל גּוֹיִם״? וַהֲלֹא לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא ״כׇּל גּוֹיִם שְׁכֵחֵי אֱלֹהִים״! אֶלָּא ״יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה״ – מַאן נִינְהוּ? ״כׇּל גּוֹיִם שְׁכֵחֵי אֱלֹהִים״.
The Gemara infers from the mishna: Balaam is the one who does not come into the World-to-Come; but other gentiles come into the World-to-Come. Whose opinion is expressed in the mishna? It is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: It is written: “The wicked shall be turned back to the netherworld, all the nations that forget God” (Psalms 9:18). “The wicked shall be turned back to the netherworld”; these are the sinners of the Jewish people, as only the sinners are sentenced to the netherworld. “All the gentiles that forget God”; these are the sinners of the gentiles. From the fact that it is written: “All the gentiles,” it is apparent that none of the gentiles have a share in the World-to-Come. This is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But is it stated in the verse that the sinners of the Jewish people will be like all of the gentiles? It is stated only: “All the gentiles that forget God.” Rather, the wicked shall be turned back to the netherworld, and who are they? They are all the gentiles that forget God. Gentiles who fear God do have a share in the World-to-Come.