JULY 16, ‘25 // הבא לעולם חלק להם יש ישראל כל All of Yisroel has a portion in the World to come Are we all tzaddikim who are deserving of olam haba? It sounds as if we are entitled to a free ride. The Chofetz Chaim explains with a moshol. Imagine three brothers who have inherited land from their father. They divide it amongst themselves, and are free to do with their portion as they choose. The first son devotes himself to the land, ploughing, planting, watering and tending to it. He becomes an expert on each level of farming, using the best equipment and invests his time to cultivate it. He does not waste his minutes in other pursuits, but is intent on producing a rich harvest, enough to eat and a surplus to sell and put aside his profits for his old age. The second son has a different strategy. He spends time planning on how to make it the most profitable, and turns it into real estate and builds properties. It takes time, but he too eventually makes substantial profits which will carry him on into the future. He turns his land into a respectable neighbourhood. The third son is in no hurry to tie himself down. He enjoys a carefree life. He is healthy and vibrant, and has enough to live from for the time being. It satisfies him to know that he has something he can fall back on. “I have the land waiting for me,” he convinces himself. “I can always do something with it when I am ready.” But there comes a time when he no longer has the means, energy, or desire to continue his ‘good life.’ He returns to the land, but it has been neglected for so long that it is overcome by trees and weeds, and the soil is ruined. If he extends himself, using his limited energy to do as much as he can, he may or may not be able to salvage it, or perhaps even make a portion of it fertile. Each one inherits, but it is what they made of their lives which will determine if and how much they will benefit. For people like the third brother who 138
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