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ONE HOUR OF REPENTANCE AND GOOD DEEDS IN THIS WORLD IS BETTER THAN A WHOLE LIFETIME IN THE WORLD TO COME. The first part of the mishna does not contradict the second, because this world is for action and the World to Come is for reward and contentment¹⁷⁸So while this world is “better” in regard to the ability to improve and do more, which cannot be done in th next, the World to Come is better in regard to the actual pleasure that one experiences there.—Midrash Shmuel in the name of Rabbenu Yonah.

He would say: One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all the time in the world to come: As in a short time in this world, a person can earn the world to come - as we find (in the Order of Kedoshim) [The editor said, I have not found it in the Order of Kedoshim, but this story does appear in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 65:22] that story about Yosi ben Yoezer who was going out to be killed and he was met by the wicked Yokim, the man of Tsrorot, riding on a horse: [The latter] said to [the former], "Look at the horse that your Master made you ride and look at the horse that our master made us ride." He said [back] to him, "If it is thus for those that transgress His will, is it not all the more so for those that do His will?" And he [responded in turn], "Is there any one that is more of one who does His will than you?" He said [back], "If it is like this for those who do His will, even more so will it be for those who transgress His will." [This] went into his heart like fire into chaff - the explanation is that he understood from his words when he said, "If [things are] so good for the wicked who transgress His will in the this world, all the more so will it be so for the righteous in the world to come," that it will be doubly and exponentially better than the good of the wicked in this world. And [that] there, there is no peace for the wicked, as it will be twice as bad for them than for the righteous in this world. And when he heard this, he went and accepted upon himself the four death penalties of the court, etc., as it is found over there. Rabbi Yosi ben Yoezer said, "In a short time, he preceded me (passed me by) to the Garden of Eden." And about this, it is said, "Better is one hour, etc." And only about this did he praise this world. Also King Shlomo who scared [who considered vain] the world in his book Kohelet, yet in a few places he praises the living over the dead - also that praise is only about repentance and good deeds. As they raise a person up in this world, but not in the world to come - since a person is only (finally) judged at the time of his death.

We have already elucidated in the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin that there is no completion or addition after death. Instead, a person increases and completes his virtue in this world. And about this Shlomo hinted when he stated (Ecclesiastes 9:10), "for there is no action, no reasoning, no knowledge, no wisdom in the grave to where you are going." But this matter is that [the situation] to which a person goes will remain [the same] forever. And because of this a man should make efforts during this short time and not waste his time, but only [spend it] on the acquisition of virtues - as his loss would [otherwise] be great, since he has no replacement [for it] and he cannot acquire [it later]. And since the pious ones knew this, they only saw [fit] to finish their time with wisdom and the increase of virtues; and they benefited from all of their time in the true way. And they only frittered very little time on physical matters and on a thing that it is necessary and impossible without it. But others spent all of their time only in physicality and they left [the world] like they came [to it] - 'all corresponding to how it came, so will it go' - and they lost an eternal loss. And the masses all switched the truth about this question and said that the first group lost the world and that the last group profited [from] the world. And the matter is the opposite, as we have recounted. And they make darkness into light and light into darkness. And woe is it to those that destroy the truth. And Shlomo, peace be upon him, made this matter a fundamental in Ecclesiastes, in his praising the profit of the world and his disgracing its loss. And its elucidation is that there is neither gain nor [any] other acquisition of that which he refrained from here, after death. And this is all true. And when you examine that book from this perspective, the truth will be clear.

"The world to come": The beginning is not a [contradiction] to the end, as this world is for action and the world to come is for payment and enjoyment - Midrash Shmuel. And [regarding] the world to come, some explain [it] as the world of souls and some explain [it] as the world of the revival [of the dead]. And see the beginning of the chapter [entitled] Chelek.

"Better is one hour of repentance": [meaning] for the sake of repentance and good deeds.

Introduction This mishnah is a continuation of Rabbi Jacob’s statement from the previous mishnah.

REPENTANCE AND GOOD DEEDS. Cf. my comment on mishna 11.

And one hour of pleasure in the world to come is better than all the time in this world: As the rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 63a), "All of the prophets only prophesied with regard to the messianic era; however, with regard to the world to come it was stated. 'No eye sees, God, except You, that which He will do for he that waits for Him' (Isaiah 64:3)" - as the good of the world to come has neither measure not comparison. And this is what David, peace be upon him, said (Psalms 31:20), "How abundant is the good that You have in store for those who fear You, that You do in front of men for those who take refuge in You." May the Omnipresent let us merit it.

"pleasure (korat ruach, literally, cooling of spirit)": It is an expression [related to the usage], his mind cooled off (nitkarara daato), as his mind cools off and becomes composed due to happiness - Rashi.

"than all the time in the world to come": Because at that time, repentance and good deeds do not benefit a person, as the world to come is only for the receiving of reward for that which he observed in this world.

He used to say: more precious is one hour in repentance and good deeds in this world, than all the life of the world to come; In this world one has a chance to perform good deeds and to repent and thereby earn a greater reward in the world to come, which as we learned yesterday is where, according to Rabbi Jacob, all rewards are meted out. In the world to come, it is too late to repent. Actions are not truly categorically possible in the world to come. Note that the meaning of this statement is that one must take every opportunity to use wisely his time in this world. In the past I have heard people say that Judaism is “this-world religion”. This is true and not true. As we have seen time and time again, the rabbis firmly believed in the world to come; disbelief in it was probably one of the causes of the split between the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, a person cannot know anything about the world to come, and what counts is our actions in this world. Furthermore, one should not want to hurry his entrance into the world to come, an idea that has gained some popularity in other religions. One should desire to live as long as possible in this world, not because of its inherent, material delights, but because humans need the time in this world to perform good deeds and thereby earn themselves a greater reward in the world to come. In this sense Judaism is a religion which concentrates on this world.

THE WORLD TO COME. Abarbanel writes that this could refer to either the World of Souls or the World of Resurrection. As for the “World to Come” mentioned in Sanhedrin 10:1, Rav explains it as referring to the World of Resurrection, see his comments there. So also Maharal in Derech Chaim, see his comments on mishna 16.

And more precious is one hour of the tranquility of the world to come, than all the life of this world. Rabbi Jacob’s statement finishes by emphasizing how peaceful and tranquil is the world to come. One hour in the world to come is worth more than all of the physical pleasures one could ever find in this world.

CONTENTMENT [Heb. korat ruach]. Rashi: as in the expression “his mind was cooled” [Heb. nitkarerah da`ato], for his mind is cooled and settled because he is happy.