Unlocking the Gate to Gan Eden
In the Next World, we are paid back measure for measure.
Moshav Komemiyus is a unique agricultural settlement located in the south of Eretz Yisrael, famously known for its pioneering efforts in keeping Shemittah.
Reb Yaakov Koppel Barminka was one of the pillars of the Komemiyus community, whose exceptional character lent to the unique atmosphere in the moshav. One of the things that was outstanding about him was the regular morning seder he kept for many years, along with two other moshav residents, Reb Simcha Ausch and Reb Yosef Prager. Reb Yaakov would park his bike in the shul yard, Reb Simcha would turn off his new blue tractor, and Reb Yosef would get off his old orange tractor, and for a few hours, the three men would leave their work behind to delve deep into their Torah learning.
Their regular shiur at this hour was quite unusual. There were, of course, many shiurim and chavrushafts in the beis medrash of the moshav, beginning in the earliest hours of the morning, and again late in the day. But during the moshav’s regular working hours, the beis medrash was largely quiet. To be sure, having a set learning seder during this time was by no means easy for Reb Yaakov and his chavrusas. They worked hard for a living and were incredibly busy. Even so, the three friends stuck to it, month after month, year after year.
One evening in Iyar of 1984, tragedy struck. Reb Yosef Prager was killed while cutting down thorns with the lawn mower attached to his tractor. Reb Simcha Ausch, his mechutan and chavrusa, found his body in the field, after hours of frantic searching.
The entire moshav was shocked, and everyone grieved for the kindly Reb Yosef, a survivor of Siberian labor camps, who had met his death in such a tragic way.
During shivah, the family was inundated with visitors, but when they received a knock on the door unusually early one morning, they looked at each other in surprise.
People generally did not come at this hour.
Reb Yosef’s son opened the door and was surprised to see his father’s friend Reb Yosef Berminka standing there, his face white as a sheet. Reb Yaakov was generally composed and not easily excitable. It was most unusual to see him looking so pale and shaken.
After being invited inside, Reb Yaakov sat down and said quietly, “A few minutes ago, I awoke from a chilling dream. Your father appeared to me, and aware, even in my sleep, that he had passed away, I asked him, ‘What are you doing here?’
“Your father began telling me what happened to him when he arrived in the Olam Ha’Emes. He told me that he stood before a door, with his portion in Gan Eden on the other side of it. All he had to do was open the door and enter.
“However, when he tried to open the door, he found that someone on the other side was preventing him from entering. A struggle ensued. He tried with all his might to open the door, while someone on the other side put in serious effort to prevent him from doing so.
“Your father continued, ‘I summoned all my strength, and eventually I managed to open the door and enter my portion in Gan Eden. There, I was told that my persistence in opening the door only met with success, middah k’neged middah, because of my insistence on holding our regular learning sessions under all circumstances.’
“Your father concluded, ‘Reb Yaakov, my friend, I came to tell you this so that the two of you will continue to maintain your set time for Torah learning.’”
And indeed, Reb Yaakov took these words to heart. He continued to hold his morning learning seder until his final day, in Adar of 2016.
This story can be both frightening and heartening. It is frightening to think of what awaits us in the World to Come, yet it is heartening to know that our efforts here, especially those made when there is difficulty involved, will make a difference there.
(Rabbi Tzvi Nakar, 102 Stories that Changed People’s Lives: Vol 3, Tfutza Publications, pages 294-296)
Take This Home
This week, try to take a few minutes once a day to pinpoint an area in which you are pushing yourself to do what’s right despite the challenge involved. Encourage yourself with the knowledge that Hashem is keeping score and knows exactly how difficult this is, and that you will be rewarded for it forever and ever.
In Short
The great yearning for Olam Haba is the desire for the happiness that is going to come. The person who understands the opportunities this life yields falls in love with Olam Hazeh. This world becomes a place of the greatest happiness because it enables him to get what he wants most… When the neshamah begins to understand the glorious opportunities life holds, it begins to enjoy this world so much that it is reluctant to say farewell to it.
(Rav Avigdor Miller on Olam Haba, Judaica Press, pp. 61-62)
It Happened to Me!
My Olam Haba Moment
I stopped in at a wedding to wish the family mazel tov. As I was heading to the exit, I noticed a woman I thought I recognized as the chassan’s aunt, sitting by herself at the table, quietly observing the dancing from afar. I remembered from a previous encounter that she was a bit shy and did not know many people in the community. While I tend to be more reserved myself, I have recently been trying to make Olam Haba awareness a part of my life, and that pushed me to go out of my comfort zone. I went over to the woman, reintroduced myself, and spoke to her for a few minutes about a topic of mutual interest. When I left, she was smiling and so was I.
A.N.
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