Chabad of North and South Brunswick
 
Friday, November 22, 2024 - 21 Cheshvan 5785
 
About us | Donate | Contact us
The Rebbe
News & Events
Parsha
Magazine
Holidays
Torah Study
Ask The Rabbi
Jewish Calendar
Upcoming Events
Yartzeit
Find a Chabad Center
Audio
Videos
Photo Gallery
Donate
Chabad in the News
Contact Us
About Us
 
Email EMAIL UPDATES
Join our e-mail list
& get all the latest news & updates
 
Email CANDLE LIGHTING
4:18 PM in South Brunswick, NJ
Shabbat Ends 5:19 PM
Friday, 22 Nov 2024
Parashat 
»   Get Shabbat Times for your area
 
 
Email DONATE
Help support southbrunswickchabad.com by making a donation. Donate today!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share |
Resurrection vs Gan Eden

Why is everyone assured of a place in the Resurrection and World to Come, but not everyone will necessarily enter Gan Eden?

Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) is the destination for souls after death, while the World to Come is the ultimate reward for the body and soul together.  Gan Eden is the reward for Torah study, which is done primarily through the intellectual power of the soul, not by the physical body. Therefore, only souls without bodies will enter Gan Eden. A soul that studies Torah in this world will merit to enter Gan Eden and ascend to higher and higher levels, understanding the Torah in an ever-deepening manner.

Torah can be studied on many different levels. People differ in their intellectual ability; some can only learn on a simple level while others are world-class scholars.  Someone who has never had the opportunity to study Torah—through no fault of his own—nevertheless has no “passport” to enter Gan Eden.

The Resurrection, on the other hand, is a reward for the fulfillment of Mitzvot. Mitzvot are performed primarily by the physical body, and thus there is less of a difference between one person’s fulfillment of Mitzvot and another’s.  True, Mitzvot require intention, and some fulfill Mitzvot with a deeper understanding or greater zeal. However, the main thing is the action, in which we are all equal. For example, a simple person who dons Tefillin has the same Mitzvah as Moses himself.  Therefore, our sages say that “All Jews have a share in the World to Come.”  All Jews, over the course of their lives, have performed many Mitzvot and thus will surely be rewarded with a share in the World to Come.  Therefore, no one will be excluded from the Resurrection.

(Sanhedrin, Perek Chelek. Mesechet Chagiga, end. Sefer Maamarim Melukat, vol. 4, p. 177. See also Likutei Sichos vol. 17, p. 343. Igros Kodesh vol. 1, p. 143 and vol. 2, p. 73)

 

 


About us | Donate | Contact us | The Rebbe | News | Parsha | Magazine | Holidays | Questions & Answers | Audio | Video

 
 

A Project of Chabad of North and South Brunswick
4100 Route 27, South Brunswick, NJ 08540
Email: rabbi@southbrunswickchabad.com • Tel: (732) 522-5505

Powered by ChabadNJ.org © 2007 All rights reserved.