Chillin’ In The World To Come

Parshas Achrei Mot

Many years ago, I saw the following short story in a local magazine and haven’t found the right opportunity to share it with you until now. It is called The Fisherman’s Dream and was written by Jack V. Grazi:

While on vacation in Mexico, an American tourist complimented a Mexican fisherman on the fine quality of the day’s catch of fish he was selling. He asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long,” answered the Mexican. “But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, I have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs –“ “I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you!” the American interrupted. “You should start fishing earlier every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch to make more money. With the extra money you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you can buy a second boat and a third boat and so on until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your fish to middle men, you can negotiate directly with processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your own huge enterprise.” “How long will that take?” asked the Mexican. “Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years of serious work” replied the American. “And after that?” “Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting.” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!” “Millions? Really? And after that?” “After that you’ll be able to retire, move to a small town near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, go fishing, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!”

The story you just read is very cute. And it even teaches a powerful lesson for life. Yet it is not a Jewish story. And the lesson it teaches is not a Jewish lesson. In fact, our Torah teaches us just the opposite.

You see, according to mainstream Jewish philosophy G-d created two worlds, Olam HaZeh (“This World”) and Olam HaBa (“The World to Come”). Olam HaZeh is where we work hard studying Torah, observing the commandments, refining our character traits, and trying to overcome all the challenges and tests that inevitably come our way, while Olam HaBa is where we receive eternal reward for all our hard work. Olam HaZeh is temporary while Olam HaBa is eternal - and is when life truly begins.

So it turns out that according to our religion the place for us to relax and “chill out” - like the fisherman in the story - is not really in this world but in the next. This world is just a preparation of sorts for the World to Come.

We find this very Jewish idea mentioned in many places, including a verse in this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Acharei-Mos:

“You shall observe My decrees and My judgments, which man shall carry out and live by them – I am G-d” (Leviticus 18:5).

Rash”i explains that the words “and live by them” in this verse must be referring to eternal life in the World to Come [i.e. the place where man is rewarded for all the decrees and judgments that he carried out during his time in This World], for if the verse refers to life in this world, is it not man’s destiny to die?

The great Italian Jewish kabbalist and philosopher Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (commonly known by the acronym, Ramcha”l ) elaborates on this idea in his classic work Mesillas Yesharim (“Way of the Upright”) in the first chapter titled “Man’s Mission in his World” (which, in my humble opinion, should be required reading for any Jew who takes his Judaism - and his life - seriously):

Now, what our Sages, of blessed memory, have taught us is that mankind was created only to take delight in G-d, and to benefit from the radiance of His Shechinah (Divine Presence), for this is the true delight, and the greatest pleasure of all pleasures that can possibly exist. The true place for this greatest pleasure is the World to Come, for that is the world that was created with the design necessary for this purpose. But the path that we must traverse to reach this desired destination of ours is this world. And this is the meaning of what the Sages, of blessed memory, have said (Avos 4:16): "This world is similar to a vestibule before the World to Come". Thus, man’s ultimate goal lies beyond this world, but he can reach the World to Come only by passing through this world. Now, the means that enable a person to reach this goal are the mitzvos that G-d, blessed be His Name, commanded us to fulfill, and the place for performing the mitzvos is only in this world. Therefore, man was placed in this world first, so that through these means, which are available to him here, he can reach the place that has been prepared for him, which is the World to Come, there to be sated by enjoying the good that he earned for himself through these means, i.e. his performance of the mitzvos.   

This is what the Sages, of blessed memory, meant when they said (in Eruvin 22a) regarding the verse (in Deuteronomy 7:11): “You shall observe the commandment … that I command you today to do them”: Today – in this world – is the time to do them [the mitzvos]; and tomorrow  - in the World to Come – is the time to receive reward for fulfilling them.

What the Sages are telling us here is probably the most important teaching in all of Judaism - that this physical world that we live in is not our final destination, but rather a place to prepare ourselves for our ultimate home in the next world where life truly begins.

A story is told about a wealthy American businessman who was passing through the Polish town of Radin paid a visit to the home of the leader of his generation, the saintly Rabbi Yisroel Meir HaKohen ZT”L, known to all as the ‘Chofetz Chaim’. Upon entering the home, he was struck by how sparsely it was furnished. “Where is all your furniture!?”, the businessman asked. “And where is yours?”, replied the Chofetz Chaim. Somewhat startled by the response, the businessman said, “Oh, I am only passing through”. To which the Chofetz Chaim replied, “I, too, am only passing through”.

In this very Jewish story, the Chofetz Chaim reminds the American businessman – and all of us – of this profoundly Jewish teaching: If we work hard and occupy ourselves with Torah study, mitzvah observance and character refinement while we are still in this world, we will be able to enjoy the great reward that we will receive when we begin life in the World to Come.

But if we forget that we are only passing through this world, and we preoccupy ourselves for most of our lives with all our mundane pursuits – or we just sit back and chill – and neglect our spiritual side, then what will we have to enjoy for all eternity in the World to Come?

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