Q:
What’s the story with Gan Eden and Gehenom, that some people go to Gehenom and then Gan Eden, and some stay in Gehenom forever?
A:
כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא. Goyim are not promised that. So goyim are going to go to Gehenom. Some of them are there a short time and then they’re destroyed. Some of them are there forever.
The Am Yisroel, if they were shomrei mitzvos but they had certain faults so Gehenom purifies them of their faults – it’s a very painful process – but finally they’re cleansed of their faults and they go to Gan Eden.
Sometimes a person has committed a sin that’s so severe, that he lost his chelek l’Olam Haba. המתכבד בקלון חבירו – If people make themselves respected by contrasting themselves to other Jews and showing, “This Jew, look what he did – I wouldn’t do such a thing as he did.”
“Ooh,” Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “You’re gaining kovod by putting him to shame so אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, you lost your portion in the World to Come.”
Or sometimes if you massur a fellow Jew – you tell the government facts about him and cause him trouble. So ולמלשינים אל תהי תקווה – there’s no hope for people who denounce a fellow Jew to the government.
There are other ways of people losing the chelek l’Olam Haba. Yes, there are ways, unfortunately, yes. Korach lost his Olam Haba. Others too. And we weep for them. We’re sorry. It’s a great loss for us. Nevertheless, nothing will help; if you do certain serious things, no matter how great people are otherwise.
And therefore the answer is teshuva. Teshuva always will help. He can save himself from Gehenom forever and ever. It’s very important to keep in mind that as long as a man is alive, he can still change himself. And that’s why he should be always in contact with teshuva; always in contact with teshuva.
When you’re saying every day סלח לנו, you’re doing teshuva. Think about your sins. Don’t be yotzei just by saying words. Think of your past sins. Were you ever insulting to your father or your mother? Remember that. Try to remember! סלח לנו אבינו – Father, Hashem, forgive us.
Were you a bully to your little brother? Sometimes you were a bully. Sometimes you were very mean to your relatives. Think about that.
And even now, are you honoring your father and mother sufficiently? It’s a very important subject! A very important subject! You should always think about what possibilities there are that you sinned. סלח לנו אבינו – it’s a golden opportunity to purify yourself by doing teshuva; by being sorry and regretting, you’re cleansing your neshama.
So you can’t just gallop through this as if you’re saying a mizmor. You have to utilize the rare opportunity. It’s only while you’re alive that you can say סלח לנו אבינו כי חטאנו. And think of certain specific things that you did. We did very serious sins in our lives. Sometimes, you’re amazed at how serious the sin was that you did.
And therefore, when a man thinks during this time, he’s accomplishing a tremendous achievement by saying סלח לנו.
TAPE # E-146 (July 1998)
