Hello kollel!
In the beginning of perek chelek, there's a discussion of 3 kings and four commoners who don't have a chelek in olam haba.
My question is, isn't there a raya here in the machliket rishon I'm about whether gan Eden is the same or different than olam haba and likewise whether olam haba is the time after death or the time of techiyas hameisim, since we are there is some ongoing life in these people without a chelek, since the Gemara discusses people communicating with their neshama (which seems to prove there's an olam haneshamos which they do exist in, even with no chelek in olam haba).
Is my logic right?
Thank you and good shabbos!
Josh
Shalom R' Danziger,
Great to hear from you!
As you might already know, the Ramban in his Shaar ha'Gemul expresses the opinion that the difference between Olam Haba and Gan Eden is this: The primary reward a person receives ultimately is in Olam Haba, but the reward that a person receives after they die is in Gan Eden. See chapter 5, and the specific section on Gan Eden. In fact, you can read what he writes here: https://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mahshevt/hagmul/6-4.htm
Ramban and others also maintain that Olam Haba is a future form of life, with a body, after Techiyas ha'Meisim. Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva ch. 8), on the other hand, maintains that Olam Haba involves no human bodily form. Also, according to Rambam, the Olam Haba is not some future world yet to be created; rather, it exists already.
You are making a very interesting point in favor of those who argue on the Rambam, i.e. that a person can have a spiritual existence without having the right to a future portion in the Olam Haba, implying that two are quite different.
I see that others also adduce evidence for the view that Olam Haba is after Techiyas ha'Meisim, as follows. If a person does not believe in Techiyas ha'Meisim, then he does not have a portion in the world to come. And this is understood as being measure for measure. Therefore, we see that a portion in the world to come is equated with being resurrected from the dead. So this too would be a challenge to explain according to the Rambam's view. I have to search more to see how the Rambam's opinion is reconciled with these challenges. Yasher Koach!
May you continue to attain greatness in Torah and Yiras Shamayim!
Warmly,
Yishai Rasowsky