Creator of Heaven and Hell?

Hi,

"In truth, Olam HaBa [The reward in the Next World] is the work of one's own hands, in that a person broadened, added or repaired a part for himself, with his deeds... And Gehennom [Hell] is likewise, for the sin is its own punishment."

(Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, Nefesh haChaim 1:12)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The Deep and the Hidden, Part 1 of 3

Hi,

Daniel 2:22 says Gd "reveals deep and hidden things". What does this mean?

"R' Yehudah bar Simon began: "He reveals deep and hidden things" –

""He reveals deep" is Gehennom, as in Proverbs 9:18, "[The fool] does not know that spirits are there [in the depths]; those she called are in the depths of the grave," and Isaiah 30:33, "For tifteh was arranged from yesterday; it is even prepared for the king, deep and broad, its pile is fire and a great amount of wood, the breath of Gd is like a stream of sulphur burning there."

""And hidden" is the Garden of Eden, as in Isaiah 4:6, "And [on Mount Zion] there will be shelter for shade by day from dryness, for protection, a hidden place, from storms and rain," and Psalms 31:21, "You hide them in the hidden area of Your presence.""

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:6)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Life after death

Hi,

"Spiritual entities do not have physical pleasure and do not comprehend it, for they lack our senses, with which to experience what we experience. One of us who would be purified and would reach that status posthumously would also cease to experience physical pleasure and would not desire it; this would be like a great emperor wishing to lose his throne and return to playing with a ball in the street. At some point he certainly did prefer the ballgame over an empire, when he was young and foolish, just as we prefer physical pleasure over the spiritual."

(Rambam,Commentary to Mishnah, Introduction to 10th chapter in Sanhedrin)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Where is the Garden of Eden?

Hi,

"Gan Eden is a rich place on the globe, with abundant water and trees, and Gd will reveal it to humanity in the future, showing them its path, and they will enjoy it. Perhaps they will find amazing plants there, with great benefit and pleasure, aside from those of which we know. None of this is impossible or distant; it is highly possible, even had the Torah not mentioned it, and certainly since it is explained and publicized in the Torah."

(Rambam, Commentary to Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai