Q&A: A Share in the World to Come
A Share in the World to Come
Question
Is there really such a thing as sharing merits and the World to Come, as is told about great rabbis of our generation and of earlier generations?
Answer
I am not bringing sources, because in my opinion others do not know any better than I do on this matter. If the Holy One, blessed be He, sees that someone has a share in my good deeds, He will presumably give him what he deserves. There is no reason to divide up something that is due to me, and it also does not seem that I have any influence over the matter.
Discussion on Answer
There are those who hold that justice requires dividing the means of production among all the inhabitants of the world (the communists). Does that mean they actually are divided, or that it is possible to do so?
There is some justice to the idea, but even so that still does not mean I can divide up my share in the World to Come. At most, the Holy One, blessed be He, will do that, as I wrote. And even about that I am not sure, for one lamp can serve one person or a hundred. I will only add that this whole matter of a “share in the World to Come” is itself unclear to me—I do not really understand what exactly it means.
With God's help, The eve of Rosh Chodesh Shevat 5777
To Rabbi Michael Abraham — greetings,
Does not justice require that one who assisted his fellow and enabled him, through his support, to increase his merits, be considered a partner in those merits?
Best regards, S. Z. Lewinger