(טז) רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לִפְרוֹזְדוֹר בִּפְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין:
(16) Rabbi Yaakov says: This world is like a hallway before the world to come. Fix yourself in the hallway so you may enter the drawing room.
(א) טרקלין הוא ההיכל ופרוזדור הוא בית שער והמשל מבואר והכונה ידועה שבעוה"ז יקנה האדם המעלות שבהן יזכה לעוה"ב כי זה העולם אמנם הוא דרך ומעבר לעוה"ב:
(1) A traklin is a chamber and a prozdor is a gatehouse. And the metaphor is clear and the intention is known. As it is in this world that a man acquires the virtues through which he merits the world to come. As this world is indeed a path and a passageway to the world to come.
In another place Rabbi Jacob was famous for stating that all heavenly punishments and rewards are meted out in the world to come. In other words, in this world there is no correlation between a person’s virtues and his fate.
Rabbi Beroka Ḥoza’a was often found in the market of Bei Lefet, and Elijah the Prophet would often appear to him.
Once Rabbi Beroka said to Elijah: Of all the people who come here, is there anyone in this market worthy of the World-to-Come?
He said to him: No.
In the meantime, Rabbi Beroka saw a man who was wearing black shoes, contrary to Jewish custom, and who did not place the sky-blue, dyed thread of ritual fringes on his garment.
Elijah said to Rabbi Beroka: That man is worthy of the World-to-Come.
Rabbi Beroka ran after the man and said to him: What is your occupation? The man said to him: Go away now, as I have no time, but come back tomorrow and we will talk.
The next day, Rabbi Beroka arrived and again said to him: What is your occupation?
The man said to him: I am a prison guard [zandukana], and I imprison the men separately and the women separately, and I place my bed between them so that they will not come to transgression. When I see a Jewish woman upon whom gentiles have set their eyes, I risk my life to save her. One day, there was a betrothed young woman among us, upon whom the gentiles had set their eyes. I took dregs [durdayya] of red wine and threw them on the lower part of her dress, and I said: She is menstruating [dastana], so that they would leave her alone.
Rabbi Beroka said to him: What is the reason that you do not have threads of ritual fringes, and why do you wear black shoes? The man said to him: Since I come and go among gentiles, I dress this way so that they will not know that I am a Jew. When they issue a decree, I inform the Sages, and they pray for mercy and annul the decree. Rabbi Beroka further inquired: And what is the reason that when I said to you: What is your occupation, you said to me: Go away now but come tomorrow?
The man said to him: At that moment, they had just issued a decree, and I said to myself: First I must go and inform the Sages, so that they will pray for mercy over this matter.
In the meantime, two brothers came to the marketplace.
Elijah said to Rabbi Beroka: These two also have a share in the World-to-Come.
Rabbi Beroka went over to the men and said to them: What is your occupation?
They said to him: We are jesters, and we cheer up the depressed. Alternatively, when we see two people who have a quarrel between them, we strive to make peace. It is said that for this behavior one enjoys the profits of his actions in this world, and yet his reward is not diminished in the World-to-Come
(יז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, מִכָּל חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְיָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת שֶׁל קוֹרַת רוּחַ בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא, מִכָּל חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה:
(17) He would say: One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all the time in the world to come. And one hour of pleasure in the world to come is better than all the time in this world.
רבא בשעה שמכניסין אדם לדין אומרים לו:
נשאת ונתת באמונה?
קבעת עתים לתורה?
עסקת בפריה ורבי? צפית לישועה? פלפלת בחכמה? הבנת דבר מתוך דבר? ואפ"ה אי יראת ה' היא אוצרו, אין! אי לא, לא!
Rava said: After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in this world, they say to him in the order of that verse:
Did you conduct business faithfully?
Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation?
Did you await salvation?
Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom or understand one matter from another?
And, nevertheless, beyond all these, if the fear of the Lord is his treasure, yes,
he is worthy, and if not, no, none of these accomplishments have any value.