IN THE BEIS HAMIKDASH: "min haolam ad haolam habah"

 min haolam ad haolam

From R’ Avigdor Miller ZT”L, Parshas Korach, "You Take It With You”.

Even though there are many attitudes that will cause you tremendous happiness in the Next World, one of the most important is the attitude of being happy. If you want to be happy in the Next World being נֶהֱנֶה מִזיִּו השְַּׁכיִנהָ, enjoying the splendor of seeing the Shechina – the greatest pleasure possible – you have to get busy creating a mind that enjoys Hakodosh Boruch Hu while you’re still in this world.

First we'll see what Rashi says in Mesichta Brachos; it’s in daf samech gimmel amud alef …. The Gemara says there that in the Beis Hamikdash when they used to conclude a bracha, it was different from the way we finish up a bracha.

They used to say min haolam ad haolam – from this world 

to the Next World – at the end of every bracha. 

For instance, we say baruch atah Hashem Goel Yisrael but in the Beis Hamikdash they said baruch atah Hashem ‘min haolam ad haolam’ Goel Yisrael – We thank You from this world to the Next World.

Now why did they do that? So Rashi says an interesting and important statement. Rashi explains that every bracha begins here in this world and it finishes there in the next world. And here's his language; pay good attention because these words are the clue to our function in this world: הַנהְִיגו ברְִּכותָֹיו בעָּולֹםָ הַזהֶּ, accustom yourself to saying His blessings, the blessings of Hashem, in this world, כדְּ ישֶׁתהִּיְו רְגיִלִים בּו לְעולָֹם הַבָּא, in order that you should be practiced in them for the World-to-Come. 

Become accustomed to thanking Him in this world in order you should bewell rehearsed for Olam Habo.

To explain it a little more, we'll learn a Gemara in Mesichta Sanhedrin (91b):

אָמַר רַבִּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי כָּל הָעוֹסֵק בְּשִׁירָה בָּעוֹלם הַזֶּה – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levy says that if a man is osek, he’s occupied, with saying song in this world, so something special is going to happen to him. I’ll get to that special thing momentarily but first, what does it mean osek? It means he is busy with it; it’s not just once in a while. And what’s he busy with? Beshirah. 

Beshira doesn’t mean saying prose; it means saying song. You will speak in lyric words! You might even dance too! And that's the way we have to talk about this world.

[…] That's why I say that in this place we always remind ourselves that our motto is שִׂמְחו צַדִּיקִים בַּהַשֵּׁם. That's our motto: all you righteous people, let's be happy in Hashem. רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּהַשֵּׁם, let’s get busy singing to Hashem. Because that's the great rehearsal for when we come into the big banquet hall where we're going to have something really important to say thank You for. That's the preparation for the great happiness that will be served in the World-to-Come.

And therefore along with all the other Torah attitudes we have to get busy gaining, one of the most important is to gain the attitude of happiness. The more you learn to be happy with Hakodosh Boruch Hu in this world, that’s how you

create a mind that’s prepared for happiness. And then move into the Next World with the same mind you created here and you’ll be happy forever.

From R’ Avigdor Miller ZT”L, Parshas Korach, "You Take It With You”.

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