Q:
What do you tell someone who says that two people are being buried now — one was a tzadik his whole life and one was a rasha – how do we know that the tzadik is going to a good place and the rasha to a bad place? Is there proof for that?
A:
How do we know that the tzadik is going to Gan Eden and rasha is going to Gehenom?
We know because the Torah tells us that and the Torah is the source of all knowledge. If you want to try to judge on the basis of your limited experience – well, we didn’t live thousands of years and therefore all that we can say is what we know – and we know nothing at all and therefore we listen to the Torah.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu spoke to our nation at Har Sinai and He said that Moshe Rabbeinu is His spokesman. He said: “Moshe will speak for Me,” and the whole Jewish nation heard that.
Now, Moshe Rabbeinu wrote in the Torah: וישכב עם אבותיו – that Avraham Avinu “laid down with his fathers.” Now, where were his fathers? Avraham wasn’t buried with his fathers. Terach was buried in Charan. Avraham was buried in Mearas HaMachpeilah. But it says that he was buried with his fathers. The answer is, he joined his fathers in Olam Habah. That’s what the Sforno said.
By Aharon it also states that he was gathered into his fathers. But Aharon wasn’t buried with his fathers. Aharon’s father was buried in Mitzrayim and Aharon was buried not in Mitzrayim. Moshe Rabbeinu was buried in Har Nevo. But it says by Moshe also, “You’re going to lie down with your fathers.” So the Torah of Moshe says openly that when a person dies he goes to his fathers. That means in Olam Habah.
Also, in the Torah of Moshe it says that Bilaam stated, תמות נפשי מות ישרים – “Let me die the death of these righteous people,” meaning the Am Yisroel. He wants to die like the Am Yisroel. What does that mean – “I want to die like the Am Yisroel”? ותהי אחריתי כמוהו – And my afterward should be like their afterward.” What does he want? To be buried in a Jewish cemetery?! “My afterward, my acharis, my end, should be like their acharis.” An open statement Bila’am said: “If I could only die like they die and have an afterlife like they have an afterlife.”
There are open statements everywhere in the Torah. So when Moshe was told by Hashem, “Go to the people, and you’ll speak for Me,” and everybody heard that at Har Sinai, so we understand that משה אמת ותורתו אמת. There is no other source of truth except the Torah. If you listen to other people, you’re listening to falsehood.
And therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu says: כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא – “All of Yisroel who believe in Me and are loyal to My Torah, they will have a chelek l’olam haba. And the others will get what they deserve to get.”
And therefore, there’s no question at all. You have an open demonstration of the truth of Olam Habah from the mouth of Moshe Rabbeinu. And there are many other proofs from the Torah. And therefore, how do we know? We know from Torah. That’s the answer.
TAPE # E-238 (July 2000)
