Horav Meir, zl, m’Premishlan, related that his father had once experienced aliyas neshamah, during which his holy soul took leave of its physical container and ascended into the Heavenly sphere. He “noticed” that two “people” were being brought into Heaven; one was quite young, while the other appeared to be very old. Strangely, in Heaven, they referred to the young man as a senior citizen, while, concerning the old man, the converse was true. His father questioned this. After all, this is the Olam Ha’Emes, World of Truth. One’s age should be registered in accordance with his biological journey on earth. If he had spent eighty years in this world, he should be treated accordingly.
The response that he received should frighten all of us, and serve as a wake-up call to the living concerning the meaning of life – as viewed through the Heavenly lens. He was told that veritably, the youth had achieved so much in his life, both in Torah erudition and action. He was young in years, but old in achievement. In Heaven, this is what matters. Living a life of eighty years, during which his achievements are minimal, categorizes the individual as a young man. It is not how long one lives; it is how one spends his life and how full of achievement his life is. The famous World War II General, Douglas MacArthur, once quipped, “There are people who die at the age of thirty, but are not buried until they are seventy years old.”
How true this is. People go through life just watching the grass grow; having no idea that life in this world is for doing, achieving, building, assisting others. Sitting around and either feeling sorry for oneself, or feeling good about oneself but doing nothing to earn his space in this world, is wasting his life.
Rav Meir employed this idea in his interpretation of the pasuk, Va’yehi mikeitz sh’nasayim yamim – “A man reaches his keitz, the end of his days in this world.” His soul now divests itself of its earthly container and returns home, feeling that it has had a long, fruitful life. Alas, when it arrives in the Olam HaEmes, it is dismayed to discover that despite all the years which it has lived, it is considered only sh’nasayim yamim, two years! Heaven has a different view of “time lived.”
