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Part I. Purpose of SorrowTHE DAY OF TEN CROWNS\u05d5\u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cAnd it was on the eighth day\u201d (Shemini 9:1). In the beginning ofParshas Shemini, we come to that glorious day of thehakamas hamishkan, when the Sanctuary, the Home of Hashem, was finally erected in this world. And theAm Yisroelwould now claim the exclusive glory of having Hashem reside among them. They would be the ones privileged to approach the home of Hashem and worship Him.Now, it\u2019s important to understand that theYom Hasheminiwas a most majestic and joyful day for theAm Yisroel.There were very few days \u2013 we could even say no day ever \u2013 in the history of the world when there was so much rejoicing. And theGemara(Shabbos 87b) tells us that \u05e0\u05d8\u05dc \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d8\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea, it was a day crowned with ten crowns of glory; an exalted day like no other in our history. TheShechina, the Presence of Hashem, was now coming down to rest among them \u2013 and they wentwildwith happiness. \u05d5\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0 \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05dd \u05d5\u05ea\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d0\u05e9 \u05de\u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd\u2026 \u05d5\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05dd \u05d5\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d9\u05e4\u05dc\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAnd the Glory of Hashem appeared to all the people, and a fire came forth from before Hashem\u2026and all the people saw, and they shouted in joy, and they fell down on their faces\u201d (Shemini 9:23-24).Imagine that! A whole nation; millions of men, women and children shouting in great ecstasy at the sight of theShechina. All together they stood and witnessed this momentous event, and they were electrified by what they saw! It was the thing that they desired more than anything else \u2013 to see with their own eyes that Hashem had chosen to reside among them forever. And they were thrilled down to their marrow. It was a remarkable experience \u2013 a happiness and a thrill that was never to be repeated. That was the great day of \u05d5\u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9, one of the most joyous days in the history of our people.THE HAPPIEST WOMAN EVERNow, themedrash(Tanchuma, Shemini: 2) points out that there was one person who was reveling in happiness more than anyone else; there was nobody happier than her \u2013 ever! And that lucky person was Elisheva bas Aminadav, the wife of Aharon HaKohen. For her it was the most special of all days,mamish me\u2019ein Olam Habo. She was privileged to be the wife of theKohen Gadol,and she saw success that no other woman ever saw, before or after. Her husband was the High Priest who put on the glorious gold vestments, garments studded with gems and jewels to serve Hashemlifneiu\u2019lifnim. And not only that, but he was anavias well, a prophet of Hashem.And her sons? Ahh, whatnachasfrom her sons! She had four sons, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Isamar, and all of them were chosen to work in the Mishkan, assisting their father. A mother\u2019s dream! And not only was she glorying in the greatness of her husband and her sons but it was only the beginning; because she knew thatherdescendents forever would enjoy this privilege. The family ofkohanimwould descend from her for eternity. And that was a success that no other woman was ever given the privilege to enjoy.HAPPINESS ON ALL SIDESThe truth is that Elisheva bas Aminadav had even more than that. In addition to the greatness of her husband, her brother-in-law was the king of the Jewish nation. That itself is an honor and a greatness. \u201cMy husband\u2019s brother is Moshe Rabeinu, the leader of our nation. And he speaks to Hashem face to face.\u201d Her brother-in-law was the greatest prophet that ever lived. And in addition to that was her illustrious brother, Nachshon ben Aminadav, the leader of the twelve princes of theAm Yisroel.And on thisYom Hashemini, all of this pride and joy was coming together before her eyes. It was being encapsulated on the day of thehashra\u2019as hashechina; when the Presence of Hashem entered into the Mishkan; and her husband and sons would be the ones officiating in the place that Hashem has designated as His home. And it was all taking place under the direction of her brother-in-law, the King, as well as her brother Nachshon, the leader of thenesi\u2019im. And so while theYom Hasheminiwas a day of great happiness for everyone, this most fortunate woman was reveling in joy more than all others.THE PARTY\u2019S OVER!And yet it wasn\u2019t to last. Her joy \u2013 not only her joy, but the joy of the whole nation \u2013 was about to be marred by the worst of misfortunes a mother could ever suffer through. Because on that day, \u05d5\u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9, when two of her sons went in to officiate in thekodesh, they were struck dead by a fire that came forth from Hashem and consumed them. \u05d5\u05ea\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d0\u05e9 \u05de\u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d5\u05ea\u05d0\u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05dd \u05d5\u05d9\u05de\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAnd a fire went forth from Hashem and devoured them and they perished there before Hashem\u201d (Shemini 10:2).Ay yah yay! What a terrible sadness! A most unfortunate event that will forever spoil the memory of this great day.Now most of us, when we study this terrible event, we regard it as a debacle, an unfortunate mishap that came at a most inopportune moment. We shrug our shoulders and commiserate. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for us to understand thedarchei Hashem; that such a beautiful day, a most glorious day, should be ruined by a tragedy like that.\u201d That\u2019s how we think. But we\u2019re going to learn now that it wasn\u2019t a chance mishap, that it wasn\u2019t an accident at all.To this tragic day ofYom Hashemini, theMidrash Tanchuma(Shemini 9:2) applies the followingpossuk,and we should pay attention very well now because it\u2019s Hashem talking to us,and He\u2019s revealing to us one of the fundamental ways He deals with us in this world: \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc \u05ea\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cI said,\u201d proclaims Hashem, \u201cto those who are revelling, \u2018Do not be too merry\u2019\u201d (Tehillim 75:5). Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives an order here, an order for how this world should run; He says, \u201cI don\u2019t want people to betoohappy.\u201dAnd that means that anybody, even the most virtuous man or woman \u2013 Elisheva and Aharon were virtuous after all \u2013 Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to make sure that a certain element enters into their life, an element that is essential to the success of their career. And that one ingredient that is necessary for success in this world, in addition to all the other components of life, is sadness. Yes, sadness! Sadness is essential in life. And therefore: \u201cI say to the merry, \u2018Don\u2019t be too merry.\u2019\u201dA STIRAH TO WHAT WE LEARN HERE?Now for us that\u2019s a big question, a very big question. Because you know, especially if you come here, you already know that in this place we try to live according to the true principle that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is \u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d7\u05e1\u05d3 \u05d9\u05d1\u05e0\u05d4 (Tehillim 89:3), that Hashem made a world of kindliness. After all, we know that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is atov u\u2019meitiv. That\u2019s number one! It\u2019s fundamental, and we are required to assimilate the idea into our bones that Hashem created everything for the purpose of kindliness.I say \u201cnumber one\u201d because it\u2019s something we learned way back in Bereishis: \u05d5\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05de\u05d0\u05d3 \u2013 \u201cAnd Hashem saw everything that He made, and behold it was very good\u201d (Bereishis 1:31). Not onlytov!Tov me\u2019od. And when Hashem saysme\u2019od, it meansme\u2019ooooooooooooooooooooood! It means an endless good! It\u2019s extremely extremely extremely good. We know it\u2019s a very good world because Hakodosh Boruch Hu doesn\u2019t give His seal of approval \u201cvery good\u201d unless it is very, very, very \u2013 and forever we won\u2019t stop saying very \u2013 good. That\u2019s how good it must be if Hashem says it\u2019s \u201ctov meod.\u201dSo on the one hand we\u2019re saying that Hashem is all kindliness, that He\u2019s good, that He\u2019s very good, and very very good. And yet this great goodness is not always readily apparent to us. Because Elisheva the wife of Aharon did not see thetov me\u2019odshe expected. And most of us don\u2019t see it either because Hashem is always tempering our happiness with some sadness. Our successes in life are almost always sobered by the hand of Hashem one way or another. We don\u2019t have all the wealth we\u2019d like to have. We\u2019re not having the fun in life we\u2019d like to have. We feel that we\u2019re being deprived. There\u2019s always some unhappiness that creeps into our lives. We have grudges against people, we feel we\u2019ve been wronged. People don\u2019t appreciate us, we\u2019re rejected and so on and so forth, all the things that make a person unhappy. And don\u2019t think it\u2019s only you, that it\u2019s only certain people. No; everybody has unhappiness like that. And so, it\u2019s a good question: What happened to thetov me\u2019odof Hashem?OLAM HAZEH IS FAKE NEWSIn order to understand this subject we\u2019ll read a selection from ourrebbi, the Mesillas Yesharim. The Mesillas Yesharim, in the first chapter, wishes to impress upon us the importance of directing our thoughts towards the World to Come. And he begins as follows: \u05d5\u05ea\u05e8\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05de\u05ea \u05e9\u05db\u05d1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d5\u05db\u05dc \u05e9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d1\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05db\u05dc \u05dc\u05d4\u05d0\u05de\u05d9\u05df \u05e9\u05ea\u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05dc\u05de\u05e6\u05d1\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d6\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cNobody who has anyseichelat all could believe that the creation of man was for his situation in this world.\u201d The Mesillas Yesharim is warning us here: Take note, this world is not your purpose. You hear this? This world is so good that the Mesillas Yesharim has to warn you not to get too caught up in it! There is so much happiness in life, there is so much joy in life, there is so much zest and fun in life, that it\u2019s enough to deceive anybody into thinking that this world is it! And so the Mesillas Yesharim makes sure that you know that it\u2019s not real, that it\u2019s illusory and fleeting.And he explains it like this: \u05db\u05d9 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d4\u05dd \u05d7\u05d9\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d6\u05d4, \u05d0\u05d5 \u05de\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e9\u05e9\u05de\u05d7 \u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05de\u05de\u05e9 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d6\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cBecause what is the life of a man in this world? And who is there who is actually completely happy and who really has tranquility and peace in this world? \u05d9\u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d0\u05dd \u05d1\u05d2\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d4\u05d1\u05dd \u05e2\u05de\u05dc \u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05df \u2013 Our days are only seventy years, andb\u2019gvuros,if a man has strength and a healthy constitution, then he can live maybe eighty years. But a great part of these years is filled with difficulties and toil. \u05d1\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e6\u05e2\u05e8 \u05d5\u05d7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05de\u05db\u05d0\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u05d3\u05d5\u05ea, \u05d5\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05db\u05dc \u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u2013 A great part is sadness; various kinds of vicissitudes, pain, illness, troubles and worries. And after everything, comes death.\u201dRAV MILLER KNOWS ALL ABOUT ITFind me someone whose life is not visited with disturbances! There is no such thing! The disappointments; the troubles and turbulence are constant. Every family, every individual, suffers in various ways in this world and I know all about it. I get the phone calls all the time. People are ringing my bell constantly. I know much more than you do. Trouble withparnassah,shalom bayis, shidduchim, sicknesses, fighting with neighbors and mothers-in-law, debts and everything you could imagine \u2013 and more. Life is full of difficulties for everyone \u2013 even the \u201cfortunate\u201d ones suffer in this world.And even if one would live a long life, peacefully, without any disturbances, the end is almost always filled withtzaros.Before death there is infirmity and sickness. Almost everybody eventually ends up in a home for the aged. Many of those who imagine and hope that they will forever make their way merrily through life, will most likely find themselves one day lying in a bed wearing diapers. Some of them will be laying for years in a bed unable to move and unable to perform their functions without the help of a nurse. You imagined yourself to be a happy success in this world and now you find yourself in a nursing home and an apathetic woman is changing your diapers five times a day. \u201cMade in your pants again? So soon?! I just changed you two hours ago!\u201d It\u2019s no longer fun, I imagine, when you get up to there. Could that be thetovme\u2019odthat you pursued all the days of your life?NO NEED TO SIGN UP!And after all of those \u201cpleasures\u201d, what is waiting for him? The cold clammy clay of the grave.Ay yah yay, the grave! The thought that we push away and hope to ignore forever. Because, of course, onlyotherpeople die. There\u2019s a \u201cchevrah shtarbers,\u201d a club for people who die, and people imagine they\u2019ll be able to say, \u201cI never signed up for that!\u201d That\u2019s how we think.And the truth is that even if you would live a thousand years, and it would be a life of no disturbances at all, OK, so now you\u2019re a thousand years old and it\u2019s coming to an end. So what good is it all now? Those thousand years are not enough when the last day comes. A thousand years is not terribly long. It might be long when you\u2019re starting it, but when you come to the end it doesn\u2019t seem long at all. Now begins sadness. And to a certain extent this sadness pervades the entire life. No matter how jolly a group of revelers seem to be; they\u2019re jumping around, blowing horns, and drinking. It looks like they\u2019re living it up, but they\u2019re not living it up, they\u2019re covering it up. Because all of them have at the bottom of their heart \u2013 no matter how much they try to cover it up with good times \u2013 laying there is the awareness that eventually there will be death.WHAT HAPPENED TOTOV ME\u2019OOOOOOOOD?!And so the Mesillas Yesharim tells us that this proves that Hakodosh Boruch Hu must have intended for a different existence where that promise oftov me\u2019odwill be fully fulfilled. Because this world may betov, and it may betov me\u2019od,and it may betovme\u2019od me\u2019od,and with another thousandme\u2019ods \u2013but that\u2019s where it stops. It will always come to an end. And the ultimate promise oftovme\u2019odwill only be fulfilled in the Next World. It\u2019s only the happiness ofOlam Habothatwill never end, and that\u2019s where yourneshamahwill finally be satisfied.Now we must know that the Mesillas Yesharim is not talking to people who have to be convinced aboutOlam Haba. His words are directed tobnei Torah,toma\u2019aminimwho already believe in the Next World. He\u2019s talking to people who are born into an environment \u2013 this was two hundred years ago or more \u2013 an environment where the entire world, even gentiles, all subscribed to the principle of the Afterlife, the Hereafter.But belief is not enough! You don\u2019t just sign on the dotted line \u05d4\u05e8\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05de\u05d0\u05de\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d0\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d1\u05d0 and finished. No! That\u2019s only the first step. And so the Mesillas Yesharim wasn\u2019t writing this to convince us about theexistenceofOlam Habaper se, but to emphasize thatOlam Habais thesole purposeof our stay in this world. Because even ama\u2019aminwho believes implicitly inOlam Habacould think that maybe this world isalsoan end in itself.THE SECRET TO ALL DISSATISFACTIONAnd that\u2019s one of the most important explanations for all the disappointment and unhappiness we see in this world; because this world is not the final goal and we have to be reminded of that. We need to be reminded that there\u2019s another place where the enjoyment will continue forever. And there, the enjoyment will take place in such a manner that we will never tire from it; we\u2019ll always be happy with that pleasure and it will continue forever.And so what happened on thatYom Hasheminiwas part of the eternal plan of Hashem in this world, to interject sadness into the midst of great joy. And the purpose of that was to teach them, during their great joy, that you must always remain focused on the principle that true unadulterated joy will only come inthe Afterlife. Whatever sin the two sons of Aharon may have committed, the severity of their fate and the sadness it brought upon the people was decreed beforehand, to teach theAm Yisroelforever and ever the lesson of supreme importance, the great fundamental lesson ofOlam Haba.It was no accident; it wasn\u2019t something that justhappenedto have taken place during a moment of great happiness. It was the plan of Hashem that especially on this great day of joy, theAm Yisroelshould be reminded of the true joy that they live for, their true purpose in life. And it isdavkasadness that comes about during moments of great joy that accentuates most effectively this great teaching ofOlam Haba.Hakodosh Boruch Hu is talking to thehollilim \u2013that\u2019s us \u2013 He\u2019s talking to us all the time, and He\u2019s saying \u05d0\u05dc \u05ea\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cDo not lose yourself in the addictive happiness of this world. Remember that you are here only to prepare for the World to Come.\u201dTOO MUCH GOOD IS NO GOODAnd that\u2019s what ourMedrash Tanchumameans when it describes the happy day that turned tragic with these four important words: \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e9\u05de\u05d7\u05d4 \u05de\u05de\u05ea\u05e0\u05ea \u05dc\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u2013 \u201cHappiness does not last in permanence for anybody.\u201d Joy in this world will not continue forever and the one who rejoices today is not necessarily rejoicing tomorrow. Like thepossukin Koheles says (2:2): \u05dc\u05e9\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05de\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05dc \u2013 \u201cAbout laughter I said \u2018It is wild, it is too much\u2019\u201d. \u05de\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05dc means gaiety, happiness. And Hashem says, \u201cIf someone is reveling in this world, if he\u2019s making his way merrily throughOlam Hazeh, getting entangled and absorbed in the success of this world, then I say to him: \u2018That\u2019s too much, it\u2019s not good for you. I can\u2019t let a person get lost in his happiness, in his desire to achieve satisfaction in this world, because that\u2019s how a person squanders his life away.\u2019\u201dYou\u2019re here for seventy, eighty years after all; it seems so permanent, and you begin to feel that it\u2019s an end in itself, and that\u2019s how a person misses out on the opportunity of life. And so Hakodosh Boruch Hu sends reminders. He gives His order of \u05d0\u05dc \u05ea\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 and He introduces into your life an element of sadness.And so when we study ourparshaand read about the great tragedy that took place on this happy day we understand that it was Hashem\u2019s plan to inject sadness into the happiest day in the history of the world. Hakodosh Boruch Hualwaysbrings into people\u2019s lives experiences that are meant to sober them. And He has in mind this general principle of tempering the happiness and success of life so that a person will be encouraged to keep his focus on the Next World.Part II. The Great ConsolationWHAT\u2019S WRONG WITH A LUXURIOUS HOTEL?If life was merely one thing after another, one joy following the next one, people would get lost in this world. Like a man we once had in our congregation. A true story! In our shul! He and his wife lived in a beautiful home on a tree-lined street with gardens. It was a beautiful street and an expensive home. But they had to go for vacation to the country. I don\u2019t know if the country was any better than their home, but they went to an expensive hotel in the country for the summer.The truth is that I didn\u2019t understand the necessity at all. She didn\u2019t overwork herself here in the city, and they didn\u2019t lack anything in their spacious and luxurious home. But they went to the country to spend the summer in an expensive hotel. A luxurious hotel where they could find \u201chappiness\u201d. Butthen, they left the hotel for a vacation to Switzerland for two weeks. Imagine people who lived that way constantly. They thought that maybe in Switzerland they\u2019d find the satisfaction they were yearning for. But the truth is that they would never find true happiness in this world. Because they were looking in all the wrong places \u2013because they were looking in this world.So what happened eventually? Unfortunately she suddenly contracted cancer. She was quite young and after a long and painful illness she finally had to leave this world. And she didn\u2019t leave as a satisfied and happy woman. Now we understand that Hakodosh Boruch Hu has many purposes; and I\u2019m not the one to interpret any purpose. I\u2019m just saying an illustration. Because even if people have everything in this world, they will keep on looking for other things. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to remind them: \u201cKinderlach!\u201d He says. \u201cChildren! Don\u2019t get lost in this world. Because your appetite forOlam Habais going to be dulled. And I want you to prepare a big lusty appetite for things of the spirit.\u201dHASHEM TAKES AWAY YOUR LOLLIPOPYou know, one of the surprises that little children get is when they discover how \u201cmean\u201d their mothers are. Here\u2019s a little boy who was given, let\u2019s say, a quarter. A whole quarter! He\u2019s on top of the world now! So he goes to the store and buys two lollipops. He comes home so happy, and as soon as he comes home, his mother snatches them out of his hand. And he can\u2019t understand why his mother who is always so considerate and so kind is now so mean to him. His mother can\u2019t explain to him that it\u2019s just before mealtime and she doesn\u2019t want him to spoil his appetite for nourishing food, and therefore she deprived him of hisnosherai.And so too, Hakodosh Boruch Hu sometimes takes away happiness from people in order that they should not lose their appetite for what\u2019s coming later; to keep them focused on the great happiness they should always be anticipating, and that\u2019s the World to Come.THE BOOK RAV MILLER NEVER WROTEToo much success is unhealthy. It\u2019s like too much sweets in your diet. You can\u2019t live on sugar; you need proteins and other nutrients and vitamins too. And you need a little bit of bitterness in life too. And that\u2019s what themedrashis teaching us \u2013 it\u2019s an illustration of the lesson that nobody should expect that this life will be nothing but pleasure and good times.You know, many times I was thinking about writing a book. I wanted to write a book called The Pursuit of Happiness. I have a lot of material on the subject and I knew that it would be a successful book because this world is a very happy place. But I didn\u2019t write it because I didn\u2019t want to mislead people. Because this world isnotfor the pursuit of happiness. Although this world is full of happiness, but people would read that title and think that happiness is a purpose in itself. No, it\u2019s the pursuit of achievement, the pursuit of perfection, that\u2019s what we\u2019re here for in this world.THERE\u2019S A LOT OF FUN IN THIS WORLD BUT\u2026And therefore,Hashem has in store a lot of these treatments for everybody; it can\u2019t be helped. Because the treatment oftzarosis the biggesttovahpossible when it causes a person to think ofOlam Habah.When people see that there is no complete happiness in this world, and they understand why that is so, that\u2019s already a perfection of character. And therefore it\u2019s important that Hashem remind people that this world is not for enjoyment and pleasure; although there\u2019s a lot of fun in this world, but there\u2019s a special world that was made for enjoyment. The Next World is especially set up for pleasure \u2013 it\u2019s a world of happiness. And this world is not the place for that; this world is set up especially for achievement. And that\u2019s the great consolation of this world \u2013that this world is not it!Like Dovid Hamelech said when he saw that difficulties were coming upon him: \u05d0\u05dd \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05de\u05d8\u05d4 \u05e8\u05d2\u05dc\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cWhen I thought that my foot was slipping,\u201d \u05d7\u05e1\u05d3\u05da \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d9\u05e1\u05e2\u05d3\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 Hashem, it was Your kindliness that supported me\u201d (Tehillim 94:18-19). That means that I cried out to You that Your kindliness should help me. And many times it did. And then Dovid continues: \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05e9\u05e8\u05e2\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e7\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cIn the multitude of my thoughts in my midst.\u201d Dovid had thoughts, worries, of what was going to happen. He was confronted with peril at every footstep. Shaul was seeking Dovid with armed men; he was ambushing him and Dovid was hiding like an animal in caves and thickets. He was constantly beset with worries. And what did he say? \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05e9\u05e8\u05e2\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e7\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cBecause of the many worries within me, \u05ea\u05e0\u05d7\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05da \u05d9\u05e9\u05e2\u05e9\u05e2\u05d5 \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9\u05d9 \u2013 Your consolations were the delight of my soul.\u201d Which consolations? What consolations?THE ONLY TRUENECHAMADovid was thinking aboutOlam Haba! Because he knew how to utilize his troubles in this world. He knew that one of the most important functions of sadness is to loosen your grasp on this world a little bit. So he made use of his troubles to create for himself a mind that was anOlam Haba\u2019dikehmind. And it\u2019s only the man with anOlam Haba\u2019dikehmind who can weather the storms of this world.Somebody called me up now; he lost his son. A couple lost a son and they wanted to talk to me. Now, if they want to come sit with me, I could speak to them various words of consolation, I could do that. But the only true consolation is the words that we\u2019re speaking here tonight. This world is a place where everybody loses something. But your world shouldn\u2019t collapse for you because of what happened. When you concentrate your life onthisworld, even if you believe superficially inOlam Haba, but you live here with a feeling of permanence, that\u2019s when the world turns out to be not what you wanted. Everything turns dark and it all collapses into nothing.THE BEREAVED FATHERHere\u2019s another man who lost his son; this man was amispallelhere in our shul. And his son was atachshit; a sweet and brilliant man. He was married with a big family and he was eminently successful; successful in the Torah world and in the scholastic world as well. I still remember how the parents were having from this son a tremendousnachas. He really was an example of success and everything was the best that could be. And then suddenly in the midst ofYomtivrejoicing he died. An unexpected tragedy!And the father took it to heart; it broke him and he never really recovered. He didn\u2019t live long after that. He was a healthy man but he left this world soon after that. And that\u2019s because this father made a fundamental error. He was a good father, afrumman, but he made a mistake. The father had concentrated too much of his hopes on this world. And when this world collapsed, he collapsed with it.WEATHERING THE STORMS OF LIFEBut Aharon Hakohen and Elisheva, when their two beloved sons perished on theYom Hashmini, they didn\u2019t collapse. And that\u2019s because they understood the nature of this world; they understood that it\u2019s a world of disappointments. And they concentrated on the thought that they would see their sons again. They would continue making their way successfully through the hallway of this world \u2013 what is it after all except for a hallway of seventy, eighty years \u2013 and then they would meet their sons again in the world of eternity.And that\u2019s what everyone has to know. You can\u2019t expect to be able to weather the difficulties of life, the small disappointments or the tragedieschas v\u2019shalom, if you\u2019renot prepared beforehand with the proper Torah attitudes. It\u2019s the person who lives withOlam Habaon his mind who is able to make his way successfully through everything that life brings his way. Because he knows that he will see his family again and rejoice with them in the Next World. And he knows that he will receive his just and everlasting reward there, no matter what type oftzaros \u2013big or small \u2013 he undergoes here.THE SNEAK ATTACKAnd that\u2019s why the Chovos Halevavos tells us that of all the principles theyetzer haratries to weaken in a man, it is this one, the belief in the next world, that he attacks first and foremost. Because he knows thatOlam Habais theyesodof our lives. It\u2019s our purpose here. So all the other things theyetzer haracan ignore \u2013 believe in Hashem, good; believe inMattanTorah, good; believe inYetziasMitzrayim, good; believe inTorah she\u2019bal peh,good; believe in the wholegemara, believe in everything! You can even believe in arebbeh,atzadik! But be weak in just one thing; just be weak when it comes toOlam Haba.\u201cBe weak in that,\u201d says theyetzer hara. \u201cDon\u2019t talk about it; soft-peddle it. Be embarrassed to mention it.\u201d BecauseOlam Habais everything! If theyetzer haracan weaken your awareness ofOlam Habathen everything else falls away. If yourOlamHabais weak, then your Torah is weak, yourmitzvosare weak. Everything else is weakened ifOlam Habais not constantly at the forefront of your thoughts.THE THOUSAND YEAR PHONE CONVERSATIONAnd let me tell you something \u2013 theyetzer harais doing a good job on us. There are plenty of frum people who are very weak in this principle. Now you may argue with me but I\u2019m telling you that very many of us have succumbed almost entirely to theyetzer hara.And I can prove it to you immediately by a simple experiment. Let\u2019s listen in to the conversations in an Orthodox home.All they talk about is this world. And they talk about it a lot! With details; all theolamhazehdikehdetails. The little girl listens to her mother on the telephone. What does she hear already?! Sheitels! This kind ofsheitel, that kind ofsheitel. And dresses! The mother is complaining about how hard it was to buy a dress. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get a dress anywhere. I went all over town to find a dress.\u201d Finally she found it in a \u201cspecial\u201d place \u2013 around the corner. This is an Orthodox mother?! And that\u2019s all the child hears. Sometimes recipes, and maybe makeup. All things fromthisworld. She can sit next to her mother fora thousand yearswhile her mother talks on the telephone, and she won\u2019t hearOlam Habamentioned even once.And I\u2019m afraid next to the father is no better. I\u2019m not talking now about the father who is a connoisseur of wines, of bourbons. He has a cabinet filled with all different types of wineand he knows their names! That man I\u2019m not speaking about now. He\u2019s already sold out toOlam Hazehcompletely. He\u2019s already sinking in quicksand; he\u2019s in grave danger and he has to take emergency precautions to save himself.WHERE IS ZEIDY?I\u2019m talking now to thefrummeh, the best. Here\u2019s a father, and his children, all with black hats, sitting around the table talkingdivrei Torah.Maybe the father will say overpilpulimif he\u2019s atalmid chochom; if not he\u2019ll say over someguttaverter, some comments on thesedrah. ButOlam Habah? It\u2019s a rare bird. You can sit sometimes for twenty years at a table and not hear even onceOlam Habahmentioned! Little children growing up don\u2019t even know there\u2019s such a thing. Unless someone dies and so they tell the child that \u201cZeidehis inOlam Habahnow.\u201d But even then, the child is thinking, \u201cWhat? Where?\u201d Because nobody is talking about it. And there\u2019s a good reason for that. Because theyetzer harahis most interested that it shouldn\u2019t be mentioned.And so we have to do whatever we can that we shouldn\u2019t fall into the trap of theyetzer hara! We should make it a point to speak aboutOlam Habaat the table. You have to plan ahead, with wisdom, with cunning. \u201cHow am I going to sneak in the subject ofOlam Habatoday?\u201d And when you succeed, so you start making plans for the next meal. And even more than that \u2013 how long will we have to wait to hear them talk aboutgehenimat the Jewish table? Now that would be a Jewish table! The father and his family discussGan Edenandgehenim. And the father is always pointing out that \u05dc\u05de\u05d7\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e7\u05d1\u05dc \u05e9\u05db\u05e8\u05dd, in the Next World, that\u2019s where we\u2019ll be rewarded for our life\u2019s work. \u201cChaim\u2019ll, in the Next World Hashem is going to give you everything! Only Hashem can make you truly happy. And you should know, Chaim\u2019ll, it\u2019s notstama reward. A person won\u2019t be able to handle thesimcha! Hashem is going to have to revive you again and again in order to continue bestowing His goodness upon you.\u201d Now that\u2019s table-talk for the Jewish home!YOUNG ISRAEL OF SLABODKAThe truth is that even in the shuls there\u2019s nobody talking about it! How long will we have to sit in the shul and listen to the rabbi\u2019s speeches before we hear a dissertation on the great subject ofOlam Haba? I remember when the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva once came to America and they invited him to a Young Israel convention \u2013 it used to be held here in a hotel in New York City. He didn\u2019t know what Young Israel means; he didn\u2019t know, otherwise he would have surely not gone. So he went and they asked him to speak. Speak?! What is the Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva going to say to them already? Which subject should he speak about? He thought, \u201cI should speak about what the Jews of America need to hear most.\u201d And so he spoke on the subject ofgehenim.But you won\u2019t always have the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva to tell you those things. And there aren\u2019t too many rabbis who are willing to tell you the truth. First of all, many of them are themselves weak in theemunahofOlam Habah. And even if not, he can\u2019t tell you the truth. You\u2019ll run to the other shul down the block, and your rabbi will lose all of his congregants. I told you once that in my shul we make a \u201cmembership drive\u201d once in a while. I tell the shul members the truth, and I drive them out to all the other shuls in the neighborhood. That\u2019s why the otherrabbonimin my neighborhood love me.IT\u2019S NOT JUST THE OLD PEOPLENow I know that many people don\u2019t like to hear about this subject and I don\u2019t blame them. You might think, \u201cThat\u2019s all Rabbi Miller is going to tell me?! That this world is not a happy place?!\u201d I know some people don\u2019t want to hear about the Next World; it makes them sad when I talk about it. They want to imagine that they\u2019ll live forever and ever.But what can I do, my friends? It\u2019s so important to internalize that this world is not forever; that everybody will die sooner or later. So a man comes back to the house after thelevayah; the mother of the house is now gone and he\u2019s going to her home now to sitshivah. He sees a nice quiet home; it\u2019s very neat because last week she was still cleaning up. And now she\u2019s gone. What a pity! What a pity! Thealtermotheror thealterfather is gone. They always said such good words to us; it\u2019s such a pity they\u2019re gone now. But he has to know however that someday he\u2019ll be gone too. Everybody mustknowthat he won\u2019t live forever. And therefore we\u2019re in this world only for the purpose of preparing.And the truth is that it shouldn\u2019t make you sad; because when you know you\u2019re living for a purpose, so every moment in this world becomes more precious to you. You enjoy this world even more because of the opportunities it provides for achieving the eternaltov me\u2019od. And so the wise man, thechochomwho isro\u2019eh es ha\u2019nolad,doesn\u2019t invest his hopes in this world. Because he knows that if he puts his hopes intoOlam Hazehso he\u2019s going to be terribly disappointed. And that\u2019s why you find a lot of old people are very soured onOlam Hazeh; because that\u2019s all they were concerned about and now they see that it turned into nothing.THE HAPPY OLD MANI once visited a home for the aged and I was looking around at the old people. It was filled with American style old Jews,burim,amei ha\u2019aretz, and it was a pity to see them. They were sitting around, staring. Life had turned out to be a disappointment. \u201cThis hurts me,\u201d \u201cI have none of my own teeth left,\u201d \u201cI can\u2019t go here, I can\u2019t do this or that.\u201d It was nothing but disappointment. Only complaints, that\u2019s all you could hear.And in the corner I saw an old man with a white beard, sitting at a table with agemaraopen. And he was busy getting ready for the next world. He was reviewing everything he had learned in his lifetime. And he was the happiest man in the place! He was busy, he was accomplishing, because he knew that he had a purpose. You know why he was happy. Because none of the disappointments in life had disappointed him! Everything was turning out exactly as expected and now he was getting ready now to cash in. He was busy counting all of his bonds before going to the bank, making sure he wouldn\u2019t leave anything over. He was a happy man!WE DON\u2019T LIKE TRAGEDIESAnd it wasn\u2019t because he searched for happiness his whole life \u2013 it was because he recognized all the bumps of life for what Hashem intended them, as reminders from Hashem to remain focused on the true goal. Because he understood the important lessonal taholu,he knew not to get lost in the happiness of this world,and he therefore was the happiest man in this world.How can you be preparing forOlam Habaif you never even think about it, no less mention it? Isn\u2019t that a tragedy? So we\u2019re not going to let that happen to us because we don\u2019t like tragedies. And so, we\u2019re going to have to muster our resources, all of our energy, to fight this battle: Like the Rambam (Teshuva 8:7) says, \u201cA person should always yearn forOlam Haba; he should always think aboutOlam Haba. Like Dovid Hamelech did. \u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3 \u05dc\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d1\u05d0, How greatly did Dovid yearn for Olam Habah, \u05db\u05d0\u05d9\u05dc \u05ea\u05e2\u05e8\u05d5\u05d2 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d9 \u05de\u05d9\u05dd, like a deer thirsting for drink.\u201d (Tehillim 42:2)THE OLAM HABA PROGRAM \u2013 ONLY THIRTY SECONDS A DAYSoinstead of just talking about becoming great, we\u2019ll actually do something about it. Instead of being like the people who just talk about doing things, we\u2019re going to get busy immediately thinking about the World to Come. Together we\u2019ll start anOlam Habaprogram. We\u2019re going to spend at least thirty seconds every day thinking aboutOlam Haba,reminding ourselves that we\u2019re in this world only as a preparation for the World to Come. For one half a minute, remind yourself that this world is just a vestibule, a place to put your things in order, before the World to Come.Every day at least thirty seconds on the clock, we\u2019re going to think aboutOlamHaba. Whether you\u2019re hanging on a strap on the subway, or driving to work; maybe you\u2019re waiting to see the doctor, or even if you\u2019re standing on the corner waiting for the light to change \u2013 whatever it is \u2013 look at your watch and let it tick off thirty seconds while you are now in the World to Come, thinking about the purpose of life.THE SWEETEST SHALOM ALEICHEM YOU\u2019LL EVER HEARAnd then, when we come into the Next World so they\u2019ll ask you, \u201cWhat do you want here?\u201d And you\u2019ll say, \u201cI prepared; I thought aboutOlam Habahin the world where I\u2019m coming from. I worked on it!\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d they\u2019ll say, \u201cShalom Aleichem! Welcome!\u201d Because you\u2019re superior to everybody else. You\u2019re adagul mei\u2019rivavah,you\u2019re one in ten thousand. You\u2019re a head taller than everybody else because you understood the lessons of what happened onYom Hashminiand you\u2019re thinking every day about the World to Come. Now, whether they\u2019ll give you a front seat, or a middle seat or a back seat, that will depend on how much effort you put into the things we speak about here. But they are going to welcome you; that\u2019s guaranteed.And so, if anyone asks you what you are doing in the world \u2013 whether you can tell him or not \u2013 you at least have to know for yourself that we\u2019re here to prepare for the great career of everlasting happiness in the Next World. That is the foundation upon which we build everything in this world. It\u2019s theyesod hachasidusv\u2019shoresh ha\u2019avodah,and if you have this before your eyes then you can build. But if not, or even if you do but it\u2019s weak, then you\u2019re building without a foundation. The whole foundation of being a Jew is the clear conviction that our purpose isOlam Habah,the Afterlife. Not that the Afterlife is an annex, something that isalsogoing to be given to us. No \u2013the Afterlife is it!It\u2019s onlyOlam Habahthat counts! That\u2019s your great joy! And do you know what\u2019s going to happen when you train yourself to think this way? It\u2019s going to illuminate your life. It will put asimcha, a deep and profound happiness, into your life. Because no matter what happens, from the smallest bumps of daily life, tochas v\u2019shalomthe most terrible of tragedies, you know that you are being reminded by Hashem of your purpose in this world, and you know that you\u2019re headed for success. And once you assimilate this idea ofOlam Habahinto your bones, then you\u2019ll be capable of weathering all of the turbulence that life brings. And you\u2019ll grow even greater from the constant lessons of \u05d0\u05dc \u05ea\u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 that Hashem brings upon you as He prepares you for the great day when you will finally leave thisprozdor, the hallway that this world is, and you\u2019ll enter into the \u05d8\u05e8\u05e7\u05dc\u05d9\u05df, the great palace of the World to Come. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.