Spiritual Salaries and Worldly Wages: Perspectives on Divine Compensation

Rav was wont to say: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In the World-to-Come there is no eating, no drinking, no procreation, no business negotiations, no jealousy, no hatred, and no competition. Rather, the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the splendor of the Divine Presence...

The good that is hidden for the righteous is the life of the world to come. This will be life which is not accompanied by death and good which is not accompanied by evil...The reward of the righteous is that they will merit this pleasure and take part in this good...

...man was created solely to delight in G-d and to derive pleasure in the radiance of the Shechina (divine presence). For this is the true delight and the greatest pleasure that can possibly exist. The place of this pleasure is, in truth, in Olam Haba (the World to Come). For it was created expressly for this purpose.

...Why is the reward for keeping Torah and mitzvot all physical things, as written in this covenant, and not soul perfection, and spiritual reward in the afterlife, given that death is the end of all humans, and the true measure of their success and essential goodness? Also, the enemies have gone out of their gates and lied, pointing out to this verse as the proof that there is no spiritual reward for Israel after death because of this...

...Rabbi Ya’akov...says: There is no reward for performance of a mitzva in this world, as one is rewarded for mitzvot only World-to-Come...

[A question arises:] As explained, the reward for the mitzvot...is the world to come...[If so,] what is the meaning of the [statements] made throughout the entire Torah: "If you observe [the Torah's laws], you will acquire...all [of the benefits...]...of this [material] world, for example, plenty and famine, war and peace, sovereignty [over other nations] or a humble [national standing], the settlement of the land or exile, success in one's deeds or loss and all the other points mentioned in the covenant?...we are promised by the Torah that if we fulfill it...[God] will remove all the' obstacles which prevent us from fulfilling it, for example, sickness, war, famine, and the like...in order that we not be involved throughout all our days in matters required by the body, but rather, will sit unburdened and [thus, have the opportunity to] study wisdom and perform mitzvot in order that we will merit the life of the world to come...for when a person is occupied in this world with sickness, war, and hunger, he cannot involve himself with either wisdom or mitzvot which allow him to merit the life of the world to come.

...Rabbi Hai Gaon, of blessed memory, says that Scripture had no need to state clearly that a future world exists because it was known by tradition. I believe that [Scripture does not speak of a future world] because the Torah was given to all. It was not given to an individual alone. The topic of the world to come is not comprehended by even one in a thousand, for it is very abstruse...

We must now endeavor to solve the problem which has caused no end of difficulty to the ancients as well as the moderns, namely, why are spiritual promises not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, as well as material promises?...

If we examine the corporeal promises mentioned in the Torah one by one, we shall find that spiritual promises could not have been made in those cases. For all the promises in the Torah embrace the nation as a whole...Now it is clear that promises referring to the nation as a whole can not be spiritual, for even if the nation as a whole is righteous and deserving of life in the world to come, we can not say that the wicked man in it deserves future life for the sake of the fifty righteous men...It is clear, therefore, that the promises which refer to the nation as a whole must necessarily be material...

...It is not [in nature] that man should be rewarded for performance of a commandment or punished for committing a transgression but by a miracle. If man were left to his nature or his fortune, his deeds would neither add to him nor diminish from him. Rather, reward and punishment in this world, as mentioned in the entire scope of the Torah, are all miracles...It is for this reason that the Torah speaks at great length of the assurances concerning this world, and does not explain the assurances of the soul in “the World of Souls.” These [assurances mentioned in the Torah as recompense for the observance or transgression of the Divine Commandments] are wonders which go contrary to nature, while the existence of the soul [after the death of the body] and its cleaving unto G-d are the proper way inherent in its nature that she returneth unto G-d Who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)...

(110) 104. Al Khazari: The anticipations of other churches are grosser and more sensuous than yours.

(111) 105. The Rabbi: They are none of them realized till after death, whilst during this life nothing points to them.

(112) 106. Al Khazari: May be; I have never seen any one who believed in these promises desire their speedy fulfilment. On the contrary, if he could delay them a thousand years, and remain in the bonds of this life in spite of the hardship of this world, he would prefer it.