Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism

"Rabbi Yaakov said: 'This world is like a vestibule before the world to come; prepare yourself in the vestibule, so that you may enter the banquet hall'".

The Talmud tells a story of how G-d goes to all the nations and asks them if they are interested in keeping the Torah. Each one asks what is written in it and each nation after hearing the answer reject the Torah. G-d comes to the Jewish people and asks them if they want the Torah and they say yes, na'aseh v'nishma (we will do and then we will hear) and they are given the Torah.

There is then a discussion that continues and concludes that one who does not prepare themselves for shabbos, don't get to eat on shabbos, which is the same idea this Mishna presents: if you don't prepare yourself in this world, then you won't be able to enjoy the next world. What exactly does this mean, since we know that every Jew, the Mishna at the beginning of every chapter of Ethics of our Fathers tells us has a portion in the world to come?

This means that whatever actions we do in this world to connect to G-d will reflect in what we merit in the next world. If we work hard in this world keeping the Torah and mitzvos then we will be rewarded accordingly; if not, then we may not even enter the banquet hall.

Even for someone that wasted their time in this world, the Talmud tells us that there is no Jew that hasn't performed mitzvos that should provide them with a place in the next world. The problem is how G-d looks at what they have done and takes into account the many transgressions that they have done. How does all this get weighed out?

Every action a person does creates an angel who will give testimony before the heavenly tribunal after they die. At that point, G-d calls all the angels to testify for what this person did in this world and then after hearing all the evidence G-d decides what should happen to this soul and where it will go.

If it needs to to be rectified because of the many transgressions it has done, it will go through a cleansing process which will allow it to be purified and take its proper position in the next world. Sometimes, that may not be enough and that soul will have to come back to this world, reincarnated to fix up what it messed up previously.

With that being said, we make the bed that we sleep in. When we get upstairs after 120 years, we will see all of our actions, thoughts...just like what someone experiences after having an out of body experience. Many say they are attracted to a great light and see their entire lives flash before them...

Some will have some merit to return to this world, others won't. At that point, we can't argue that we didn't do this or that, it has all been recorded!! Shouldn't that scare us into wanting to be better people?

It's like being at a big sporting event with bad seats. What's better, being there with a bad seat and not being able to see much or sitting at home and watching it on tv? If you are in the comfort of your own home, keep in mind that you are not at the big game, you are a bystander watching from afar. If you are sitting in bad seats, even if you can't see that much at least you are at the game!

This parable is exactly what the Mishna here means. If we want to get to the big game, we have to be players, not spectators from afar. We have to be in the game itself, if not, why should we get all the benefits if we aren't there?

We need to maximize our short time in this world and use it for holiness which will prepare us for greater things in the next world. If we don't prepare, we may get nothing which will just be wasted time in this world without any purpose whatsoever.