"In the beginning G-d created heaven and earth." (Bereishis 1:1)
The word for "in the beginning" is "bereishis." The Midrash says that this word can also be interpreted to mean, "For the sake of Reishis." Thus, for the sake of Bikurim (first fruits), which are called "reishis" (the first), G-d created the world.
This is a puzzling statement. Why is Bikurim such an important mitzvah that the world was created for its sake?
When one brings Bikurim to the Temple, one says to the kohein, "Today I have told Hashem your G-d that I came into the land which He swore to our forefathers to give us" (Devarim 26:3). Rashi comments that with this statement, the bringer of the Bikurim is saying, "I am not ungrateful." He recognizes that it was G-d who gave him the land and all that he possesses. Showing gratefulness is of such importance that without it, a person is not entitled to live in the Holy Land or the Garden of Eden, as we shall explain in a moment. And the entire world was only worth creating if people show gratefulness to G-d.
Even before G-d created the world, He created repentance. So the question arises: when Adam and Eve committed the first sin and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, why weren't they given a chance to repent and have their punishment cancelled? The answer is that they were. G-d said to Adam, "Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" G-d was giving Adam a chance to repent. He could have said, "Yes, I did. I have sinned and I am sorry." But instead, he said, "The woman You placed with me gave me from the tree, and I ate." This was the classic expression of ingratitude. For this alone, Adam deserved to be expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Further proof of the importance of good character comes from the story of Abraham sending his servant in search of a wife for Isaac. He made him swear to begin his search in Haran, where Abraham's extended family lived. The question arises: Abraham's extended family still worshipped idols, whereas in the Holy Land Abraham had students and followers who did not worship idols. Why wouldn't it have been preferable for Isaac to marry the daughter of one his father's students? The answer is that character traits are very important and hard to change.
The next time we find ingratitude is in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Jacob made Joseph a beautiful garment and his brothers were jealous. But they should have realized that if not for Joseph's mother, they would not have been in existence! Rachel was supposed to have been Jacob's only wife. On the wedding night, her father Laban switched her with her older sister Leah. Jacob had suspected that Laban might do this, and he had worked out with Rachel a secret password by which he would be able to tell it was really her even in the dark. But Rachel felt bad for her sister, and didn't want her to be embarrassed on her wedding night, so she told her the password. Afterwards Jacob married Rachel as well, but Leah became the mother of the largest share of the Tribes of Israel. These tribes - Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Yissachar and Zevulun - should have been grateful to Joseph. Because of their ingratitude, G-d decreed that they be expelled from the Holy Land. Thus through their sale of Joseph as a slave to Egypt, it came about that the entire family moved to Egypt.
Therefore, when bringing Bikurim we express our gratitude, and then we say, "An Aramite wanted to destroy my father..." The Aramite is Laban, and the destruction is the bad trait of ingratitude that his grandchildren, the children of Leah, inherited from him. This trait caused them to leave the Holy Land, as the verse continues, "And he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a small number..."
Delving deeper into the story, we can explain why Jacob wanted to marry only Rachel and not Leah. It was not her physical beauty, but her beautiful character. She let her sister marry Jacob, and even helped her by telling her the password. Furthermore, when Leah's son Reuven found the dudaim in the field, and Rachel asked Leah, "Please give me of the dudaim of your son," Leah responded angrily, "Is it a small think that you have taken away my husband? And you want to take away my son's dudaim as well?" By all rights, Rachel could have responded, "On the contrary, Jacob worked all these years only to marry me. It is you who took away my husband - all thanks to me, because I told you the password." But instead she responded, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's dudaim." She gave up her chance to have children that night to Leah, and Leah proceeded to bear two more tribes in addition to her original four.
The Midrash (on Shir Hashirim 7:13) says that because of this exchange, Leah forfeited her right to the firstborn. Yosef, Rachel's firstborn, became the firstborn of the family instead of Reuven, Leah's firstborn. This was in reward for the superb character Rachel displayed in answering Leah.
According to another opinion in the Midrash, Rachel lost her right to be buried with Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah. Was this simply because she gave up a night with the righteous Jacob, as Rashi says in his commentary on the Torah? Yes, but there was more than that. We have shown above that entering Eretz Yisroel and Gan Eden are dependent on having good character traits: gratitude, generosity and not being greedy. The future redemption of the Jewish people and their return to Eretz Yisroel will depend on these things as well. That is why our ancestress Rachel has to be the one to beseech G-d to redeem us. "A voice is heard in Ramah, a cry, a bitter weeping: Rachel crying for her children" (Jeremiah 31:14). There is a double meaning here. Rachel cries for the exiled Jews, but she also cries "in Ramah" - over the fact that she gave up being buried in the Cave of Machpelah, and instead was buried in Ramah - and over the two sons that she could have born, but gave up to Leah. In the merit of her generosity and overlooking her rights, the redemption will come, "and the children will return to their border."
Olam Haba - the World to Come - is also dependent on good character traits. The Mishnah (Avos 5:19) says, Whoever possesses the following three traits is of the disciples of our father Abraham; and whoever possesses the opposite three traits is of the disciples of the wicked Balaam. The disciples of our father Abraham have a good eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul. The disciples of the wicked Balaam have an evil eye, a haughty spirit and a greedy soul. What is the difference between the disciples of our father Abraham and the disciples of the wicked Balaam? The disciples of our father Abraham benefit in this world and inherit the World To Come, and as is stated, "To bequeath to those who love Me there is, and their treasures I shall fill" (Proverbs 8:21). The disciples of the wicked Balaam inherit purgatory and descent into the pit of destruction, as is stated, "And You, G-d, shall cast them into the pit of destruction; bloody and deceitful men, they shall not attain half their days. And I shall trust in you" (Tehillim 55:24).
Someone who has an evil eye - is jealous of others, a haughty spirit and a greedy soul may never have transgressed any of the Torah's commandments. Yet he does not get a portion in the World to Come. How can this be? The Rambam in his comment on Cheilek (the 11th chapter of Sanhedrin) explains: "Although the World to Come is the goal, it is not proper for one who wishes to serve G-d out of love to serve Him in order to attain the World to Come, as we have explained above. But one should serve G-d with the following intent: Once he believes that the Torah is G-d's wisdom as revealed to the prophets, giving us the knowledge of what is good - the mitzvos - and what is bad - the sins, it is only fitting for him, as an upright man, to do the good and avoid the evil. When he does this, he will be perfected as a human, separate and above the animals. Once he is a perfect human, it is only natural that nothing should prevent his soul from continuing to live in the World to Come." Accordingly, it is understandable that one might be refused entry to the World to Come not because of any sin that he committed, but simply because he does not have the proper character traits that the Torah deems fitting for a human.
Accordingly, writes the Rambam, we can understand why Chazal (Bava Metzia 58b) say that one who embarrasses his fellow in public, calls him a pejorative nickname or gets himself honor through another person’s shame has no share in the World to Come. People do not view these as the most serious sins, but only a low soul would do one of these things, and such a low soul does not belong in the World to Come – just as an animal, a tree or a rock does not belong there.
There is proof to this in the Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18a, where we read that Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon risked his life by teaching Torah openly in violation of Roman law. When he visited Rabbi Yossi ben Kisma, Rabbi Chanina asked, "Will I get into Olam Haba?" Rabbi Yossi asked, "Did you ever do anything extraordinary?" Rabbi Chanina replied that one time, he had set aside money for the Purim feast and accidently thought that they it was charity money. He gave it out to the poor. When he realized his mistake, he did not recollect his money from the charity box. Rabbi Yossi said, "If so, my I share your portion and your lot." The obvious question is that Rabbi Yossi knew that Rabbi Chanina risked his life to teach Torah. They had just discussed it. So why did he ask him if he done anything extraordinary? Wasn't teaching Torah in defiance of the law extraordinary enough? And why did Rabbi Chanina answer with the incident with the charity money? The answer is unmistakable: getting into the World to Come depends on one's character traits. One must be generous and giving.
Of course, one’s status in the Afterlife is also dependent on keeping mitzvos or committing sins. But there are two stages in the Afterlife, as stated by Tosafos on Rosh Hashanah 16b. The Gemara says there, “There are three groups on the Day of Judgement: The completely righteous, the completely wicked, and those in the middle. The completely righteous are immediately written for eternal life. The completely wicked are written and sealed immediately for Gehinom, as it says, “And many of those who sleep in the ground of dust will wake up, some for eternal life and some for humiliation and eternal shame.” (Daniel 12) Those in the middle go down to Gehinom, cry out in pain for a short time, and then come up, as it says, “And I will bring the third into fire, and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. He will call in My name and I will answer him.” (Zechariah 13). And regarding them Chanah said, “Hashem kills and gives life; He brings people down to Sheol and then brings them up.” Tosafos comments that this entire day of judgement will take place when the dead are resurrected, as is evident from the verses quoted by the Gemara. Tosafos asks: Aren’t people judged immediately when they die, after which they go immediately to Gan Eden or to Gehinom? Why do we need a separate day of judgement when the dead are resurrected? Tosafos answers that we still need a judgement regarding the World to Come, which lasts forever and is not the same as Gan Eden. Some people who were sentenced to Gehinom when they died may be purified by this time, and can enter the World to Come.
Similarly, the Gemara says that when Saul used a necromancer to bring up Samuel from the dead, Samuel was worried that the great day of judgement had arrived. Samuel certainly was righteous and had no sins to worry about, but he was worried about his character traits.
According to the above, we can say that the first stage of the Afterlife depends on mitzvos and sins, and the second stage depends on one’s character traits.
May we all perfect our character traits and be deserving of the World to Come.