Today we are in a world where people always chase for the
reward at the end of any action. Why am I going to college? “Because you need it today to get a
higher-paying job.” Why am I praying? “Because
then I will be more successful.” Why do I learn Torah? “Because I want to be able to answer the Rabbi’s questions at Shul in
front of the entire congregation.” Baruch Hashem we are in great thriving
communities that support the Torah and everything around it, but sometimes we
fail to do certain things for the correct reasons.
Hazal teach us that the best way to do Mitzvot is to give nahat to our G-d, to actually make
Hashem happy because He is commanding us to do these Mitzvot. That’s it. With
no cherry on top or any whipped cream. The best reason to do something is lishma, for the sake of Heaven. However,
there is a loophole where we can have the real reason to do something is just
to be wise in Torah, as it says in Masechet Sanhedrin 105 Mitoch Shelo Lishma Ba Lishma, for
out of not for the Sake of Heaven comes the Sake of Heaven. Meaning when an
individual has the wrong intentions of doing Mitzvot, in the end of the matter
they will end up having the correct intentions.
Therefore, since we are such a spiritually low generation,
let’s focus on an intention that is great. Olam Haba, the world to come. Hazal
explain that there is a judge to this world, Hashem, and He will put the
Tzadikkim in Olam Haba and the Resha’im (the wicked) in Gehinam (hell) to put them in spiritual laundry so they can enter
Olam Haba ‘clean’ of sin.
However, we are too stuck in this world to understand what
Olam Haba is all about. So what do we need to do in order to get us pumped and
motivated to do Mitzvot so us too will have the zechut (privilege) to get some
of this Olam Haba after 120? The Orhot Tzadikkim answers this question in Sha’ar
HaSimha. He explains that there are certain bithonot
(trusts) that we need to have in Hashem. One of them is trusting Hashem that He
will put the Tzadikkim in this world. What can we take from our world here to
understand what the world there feels like?! The Orhot Tzadikkim says that the
world of neshamot (souls) is a world
with no eating or drinking. However, we can begin to feel a drop of what Olam
Haba’s great amazing feeling is like from the following examples: 1) the
feeling of an individual who receive revenge against their enemies, 2) when an
individual is respected, 3) when an individual sees a beautiful thing, such as
a gorgeous scenery or the beauty of nature, 4) when an individual meets a
friend/loved one who they haven’t seen for a long time, or 5) when someone
hears news to celebrate for.
The Orhot Tzadikkim says: if this is the feeling of bodily pleasure from this world, how much
more so in the world to come when there is NO LIMIT for the enjoyment and
feeling to be around the Divine Presence!
When
we do Mitzvot maybe we should begin thinking of this great pleasure Be’ezrat
Hashem waiting to surround us after 120!
Judaism=Think.
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