221. Olam HaBa - The "Next World"

Teshuvah 8:1

The reward reserved for the righteous is life in the Next World. This is life without death and good without evil. The Torah references this in Deuteronomy 22:7, “So that it will be good for you and your days will be extended.” Our oral tradition explains that “it will be good for you” in the World that is entirely good and “your days will be extended” in the World that is endless. This is the Next World. The righteous earn this pleasure and get to enjoy this goodness; evil people do not. Instead, they are cut off and perish. One who does not earn life in the Next World is dead and will not live forever. Rather, he is cut off and perishes as animals do. This is the meaning of the word kareis (spiritual excision) that appears in the Torah. Our tradition explains the repetition of the word in Numbers 15:31 (hikareis tikareis – “he shall surely be cut off”) to mean that one is cut off both in this world and the Next World. After these souls are separated from their bodies in this world, they do not merit life in the Next World. They are cut off there as well.

Teshuvah 8:2

There is no body or anything physical in the Next World, just the souls of the righteous in spiritual form as the angels are. Since there are no bodies, there is no eating, drinking, sitting, standing, sleeping, death, sorrow, laughter, or any other physical activity. Therefore, the Sages said, “In the Next World, there is no eating, drinking or marital relations. Rather, the righteous sit with crowns on their heads and delight in the brilliance of God’s Presence.” We see that there is no body because there is no eating or drinking. Therefore, “the righteous sit…” must be understood metaphorically, i.e., they exist without having to toil or labor. Similarly, “crowns on their heads” is a metaphor meaning that they possess the knowledge that enabled them to earn life in the Next World. This is their crown as in Shir HaShirim 3:11, “The crown with which his mother crowned him.” Similarly, Isaiah 51:11 tells us that “Eternal joy will be on their heads.” Joy is not a physical thing that one can place upon his head. The Sages also use the word “crown” to refer to knowledge. Finally, to “delight in the brilliance of God’s Presence” means that the righteous will understand the truths about God that cannot be grasped when a soul is inside its mundane body.