QUESTION:
1) I think a lot about what it will be like after Mashiach comes (may he come soon). Will we be sitting and learning all day surrounded by sefarim and we will have all the time to learn? Will we be able to learn every last detail of Torah and get to its root, without any feelings of pressure – not being tied down by time, money, health, wishes and physical desires? Will we just be able to simply sit and learn every part of Torah for all of eternity, and it will all be geshmak (refreshing)? Is the right perspective to have, or is there something more that I am supposed to looking forward to after Mashiach comes?
ANSWER:
Yes (this is all true). But even more than that, it will be the revelations of all the taamei Torah (reasons or tastes of the Torah) and it will be the complete connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
QUESTION
2) Is this something proper to think about and look forward to?
ANSWER
In the proper balance!
QUESTION
3) What will happen to our physical desires after Mashiach comes? Will our body still be able to enjoy things? Will we enjoy food, music, sports, and jokes and laughter? Will we only have spiritual pleasures then or will we be able to enjoy everything?
ANSWER
Only subtle physical pleasures will remain, such as music and beautiful sights. All other physical pleasures are only needed for the “animal soul” (nefesh habehaimis), and at the beginning of the days of Mashiach those pleasures will still exist, but gradually these pleasures will weaken and the world will become transformed into a spiritual place. As Chazal said about the Next World, “There is no eating in it and no drinking in it, only the tzaddikim sitting with their crowns on their heads and enjoying the radiance of the Shechinah.”
QUESTION
4) Will we only have spiritual enjoyment then, or will our physical enjoyment remain and it will be used as a way to get closer to Hashem?
ANSWER
The pleasure will remain [at the beginning of the times of Mashiach] only to the extent that our nefesh habehaimis will need it, as the Mesilas Yesharim says, that a person should make use of physical pleasure only to the extent that it helps him serve Hashem.
QUESTION
5) I enjoy taking pleasure walks and seeing nature. Will I enjoy this on the same level after Mashiach comes, or will this pleasure be experienced differently?
ANSWER
Refer to the previous answer. All physical pleasures will become properly balanced.
QUESTION
2) Is this something proper to think about and look forward to?
ANSWER
In the proper balance!
QUESTION
3) What will happen to our physical desires after Mashiach comes? Will our body still be able to enjoy things? Will we enjoy food, music, sports, and jokes and laughter? Will we only have spiritual pleasures then or will we be able to enjoy everything?
ANSWER
Only subtle physical pleasures will remain, such as music and beautiful sights. All other physical pleasures are only needed for the “animal soul” (nefesh habehaimis), and at the beginning of the days of Mashiach those pleasures will still exist, but gradually these pleasures will weaken and the world will become transformed into a spiritual place. As Chazal said about the Next World, “There is no eating in it and no drinking in it, only the tzaddikim sitting with their crowns on their heads and enjoying the radiance of the Shechinah.”
QUESTION
4) Will we only have spiritual enjoyment then, or will our physical enjoyment remain and it will be used as a way to get closer to Hashem?
ANSWER
The pleasure will remain [at the beginning of the times of Mashiach] only to the extent that our nefesh habehaimis will need it, as the Mesilas Yesharim says, that a person should make use of physical pleasure only to the extent that it helps him serve Hashem.
QUESTION
5) I enjoy taking pleasure walks and seeing nature. Will I enjoy this on the same level after Mashiach comes, or will this pleasure be experienced differently?
ANSWER
Refer to the previous answer. All physical pleasures will become properly balanced.
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