223. Kareis

Teshuvah 8:5

The worst punishment of all is for the soul to be “cut off” and not merit life in the Next World as per Numbers 15:31, “This soul will be utterly cut off; his sin will be upon him.” In such a case, the soul is destroyed. The prophets referred to this with metaphors like “the pit of destruction” (Psalms 55:24), “eradication” (Psalms 88:12), “the pyre” (Isaiah 30:33) and “the leech” (Proverbs 30:15). All of these terms refer to the total destruction of the soul after which there is no revival.

Teshuvah 8:6                                                                              

Don’t underestimate the value of life in the Next World. Imagine that the reward for following the true path was food and drink, physical pleasure, beautiful clothes, elaborate palaces, and other such things, as foolish people like to believe. Our Sages know that all of these things are empty and vain. They are only of value in this world because here we have bodies. Our souls only desire such things because of our bodies. When we have no bodies, all of these things will be useless to us.

In this world, we have no way to understand the ultimate goodness that awaits our souls in the Next World. Here, we only know about things that we desire physically. The good that awaits us in the Next World is so much greater and beyond compare. We see this from Psalms 31:20, “How great is the goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You.”