224. Olam HaBa Exists Now

Teshuvah 8:7

We see how much King David wanted to earn life in the Next World from such statements as “If I had not believed I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13).

Our Sages have taught us that we do not have the ability to truly understand or appreciate the reward of the Next World. All the good things that the prophets promised the Jewish people are physical things that we will enjoy in the messianic era. Life in the Next World, however, cannot be compared to anything within our experience, so the prophets didn’t describe it. Doing so would only lead to underselling it. The prophet Isaiah addressed this when he said, “No eye has ever seen - except for You, God - what You will do for those who wait for You” (Isaiah 64:3). Even the prophets could not conceive of this great reward. The Sages reiterated that the prophets only described rewards in the messianic era; when it comes to the Next World, however, “No eye has ever seen, except for You, God….”

Teshuvah 8:8

When the Sages used the term Olam HaBa (“the world to come” or “the Next World”), they did not mean to suggest that this it does not currently exist or that the current world will end and be replaced. Rather, Olam HaBa already exists and is present as per Psalms 31:20, “How great is the goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You.” It is only called the Next World because that life comes to a person after his life in this world.