Q: Is there a proof in the torah for techiyat hameisim and olam habah? Or is that the blind faith type of thing?
A: Everything in this world is a mirror or a mashal to the next world. There is something to learn from each thing that goes on in Olam Hazeh - this world that we can parallel to Olam Habah - the next world.
To answer your question, I want to tell you about a song called "Conversation in the Womb" which is based on a mashal (and I think a medrash or gemara but I'm not 100% sure the exact source) which shows that there is another world beyond the world we live in.
This conversation is between two unborn children (twins) in the womb of their mother. One is a pessimist and the other is an optimist. One believes that after living in the mother's womb, he will die and his life will be over. The other believes that there is a life, a beautiful, sunny, happy life beyond the life he knows right now. The first paragraph starts with the pessimist and the second switches to the optimist and so forth. Here are the words to the song:
My dear brother
Look around and tell me what your eyes behold
Don't deny that you see
It's only you and me
Our existence,
It is empty,
It is cold
Our existence,
It is empty,
It is cold
But dear brother
You must have faith that we are not the only ones
For in the distance there's a place
Where we'll stand up tall and straight
I believe there is a world to come
Yes, I believe that there is a world to come
My dear brother
Don't be blind,
Don't be stubborn,
Don't be set.
Imagination it's all right
But it won't light up the night
What you see is exactly what you get
Oh what you see is exactly what you get
But dear brother
You will surely find when all is said and done
That the future it will show
There is so much we don't know
Oh I believe that there is a world to come
Yes I believe that there is a world to come.
My dear brother
Where have you gone?
Is this the moment I have known?
I can faintly hear the cry
My dear brother must have died
It's all over now forever I'm alone
It's all over now forever I'm alone
But dear brother
Please don't mourn me when my life has just begun
For what you hear are sounds of joy
"Congratulations it's a boy"
Oh i believe that there is a world to come
Yes i believe that there is a world to come
Cuz what you hear are sounds of joy
"Congratulations it's a boy"
Soon you'll be here with me in this world to come
Soon you'll be here with me in this world to come.
So you see that birth is a mashal to the life we live. We only know the reality of our existence in this world and can't imagine anything different. But a time will come when we will live in Olam Habah and it will be a whole new incredible experience.
Hashem created the world and everything in it - there's a purpose and reason for our existence. He did so much to give us such a beautiful world. Do you think it's for nothing? That after this world where we work so hard, live full lives, do mitzvos, help others, connect to Hashem, learn Torah - and then what?!
The next world is the place where we will be rewarded for all the good we have done while we were alive in this world.
It says in Pirkei Avos (4:21), “HaOlam hazeh domeh li’prozdor bifei haOlam Habah; Haskein atzmacha baprozdor, k’dei she’tikaneis la’trakilin” - This world is but a hallway before the Next World; Prepare yourself in the corridor, in order to enter properly into the ballroom. Which means that this world is a place to prepare and get ready for the big event - the big party, the main place where all good things will happen! Let's use our time wisely!
Also, I recommend reading Beyond a Reasonable Doubt by Rabbi Shmuel Waldman. You sound like someone who is a thinker and who wants to know and understand more, which is so important! It's great to ask questions and feels so good when you get your answers. This book talks about many fundamentals of yiddishkeit and it will explain and answer many questions you may have. It is an excellent book that will give you the knowledge you want and help you understand things on a deeper level.
Wow, that was really beautiful. I've heard that song many times but I never understood the context.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how the world at large tends to think the same way as that unborn child; when someone passes away, they continually mourn the deceased and have difficulty moving on in life, and understandably so. What they fail to understand is that after this world comes another, and by acting righteously in this world, one merits a portion in the world to come, whose greatness those still living in this world can not begin to comprehend!! And so, while friends and relatives mourn what they see as total death, the one who passed away is actually in the best place possible!
I think the most important words from the song are:
"My dear brother
Where have you gone?
Is this the moment I have known?
I can faintly hear the cry
My dear brother must have died
It's all over now forever I'm alone
It's all over now forever I'm alone
But dear brother
Please don't mourn me when my life has just begun
For what you hear are sounds of joy
"Congratulations it's a boy"
Oh i believe that there is a world to come"
Thank you for reminding me the importance of using every moment to create merits for the world to come.
And one thing I can say beyond doubt: Devorah and Chaya Sara, you guys are loaded with the most amazing merits that exist!
DB-thank you so much for your comment. You are so right.
ReplyDeleteThis song gives me the chills...and yes, that IS the most important part of the song because it highlights the message so clearly!
thanx so much for posting this up! also is there a way we can hear this song? like is it found on the internet somewhere?
ReplyDeletei have a question:
there are somethings in this world that says if you do such a thing you go to gehenum and others say if you do xyz you go strait to olam habah-so what if someone does both? what happens? also for ex. it says that if someone is chutzpa/hits his parent then they go to gehenum,
but it also says that if you make others happy-then you olam haba-so what if someone did both?
Liat-first of all, welcome back to the blog! It's good to see your name in the comments section again :-)
ReplyDeleteYou can listen to part of the song (it's track #8) or download it from mostly music's website by clicking here.
That's a great question! Firstly, we say in the beginning of pirkei avos, kol yisroel yesh lahem chelek l'olam habah - every single person has a portion in the world to come. You can look at it as a piece of land - every person has that plot and it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it. You can plant beautiful fruit trees, flowers, tomatoes, strawberries (mitzvos) or if a person ignores it (wastes their time in this world on things that don't count in the next world), weeds will grow there and their piece of land will be in ruins. There's always teshuva - where a person can work on the field, get rid of the weeds and start all over again but who doesn't want the most beautiful garden to start off with and nurture so it gets to be as stunning as possible?!
There are certain things a person can do in this world that can destroy their garden that they may work hard to prepare while they are in this world. But Hashem, in His ultimate kindness, created a system so that a person can fix their mistakes while they are still alive and get rid of their aveiros. Besides for the ability to repent and come back, Hashem put the concept of yissurim - pain, into this world so that when a person goes through hardships, no matter how small (or big) that difficulty is, they are erasing their aveiros, cleaning their garden, getting rid of the small pebbles and weeds that grew in their piece of land. Then, they can make way for more beautiful flowers, tasty veggies and fruit trees - and then they will get eternal reward when they are in the next world!
I hope this helps answer your question - please let me know!!
This may be asking more than is available, but do you know of a Torah Shebichtav remez, hint, esmachta, reference to there beying an afterlife? Sonmeone close to me, who has real questions for very real reasons, is asking me and I don't know what to respond.
ReplyDelete