ANOTHER DAY IN OLAM HAZEH (THIS WORLD)

BS"D So, why do you think we get another day in Olam HaZeh? Rabbi Yisroel Brog gives a wonderful explanation of this in his three part lecture series on Reincarnation: The Plan and Purpose of One’s Life. Some people think this world is all about HaShem being the Waiter, and we walk into His restaurant and HaShem serves us. We ask for what we want, and it is HaShem’s job to provide it. There is a story in the Talmud about a man who served the meal at his son’s wedding. When his friends questioned the appropriateness of a great rabbi acting as waiter, he reminded them that Moshe the greatest rabbi of them all was a waiter when his father-in-law came to visit. Another rabbi suggested that HaShem is the waiter of the world who provides rain to feed us all.

Certainly HaShem is all kind, and merciful and beneficent. The Ramchal in his famous ethical work, Path of the Righteous, explains that a world that hosts so much suffering, where the most fortunate among us is still mortal and cannot escape death can’t be the epitome of HaShem’s kindness. Perhaps a more accurate perspective is that we are waiters in order to serve Him. This is ultimately a greater kindness of G-d to us because it brings us to a higher level.

Everyone in this world has a specific job/purpose to fulfill during the time we are allotted to be here. If we are fortunate enough to figure out what that job is during the time we are here, we will merit life in the next world, Olam HaBah. Our rabbis prove that all Jews will merit life in the next world. The Rambam says that righteous non-Jews will also merit life in the next world.

Rabbi Brog brings stories from our sages that indicate that when we have failed to figure out our job to serve HaShem, we may have to reincarnate into this world to try again.

Now, you might say, well good, I want to come back. Well, actually, once you get back to Shomayim (the Heavens) we actually don’t really want to come back. Re-entering this world is very painful – just think about going through that birth canal again; being a baby – having to cry all the time because no one understands what you want, getting all of your teeth in again, having to learn what ever language the family you are put into speaks, learning to walk, going to school, the list goes on and on – uh uh – once is quite enough thank you…