Introduction This mishnah is a continuation of Rabbi Jacob’s statement from the previous mishnah.
He used to say: more precious is one hour in repentance and good deeds in this world, than all the life of the world to come; In this world one has a chance to perform good deeds and to repent and thereby earn a greater reward in the world to come, which as we learned yesterday is where, according to Rabbi Jacob, all rewards are meted out. In the world to come, it is too late to repent. Actions are not truly categorically possible in the world to come. Note that the meaning of this statement is that one must take every opportunity to use wisely his time in this world. In the past I have heard people say that Judaism is “this-world religion”. This is true and not true. As we have seen time and time again, the rabbis firmly believed in the world to come; disbelief in it was probably one of the causes of the split between the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, a person cannot know anything about the world to come, and what counts is our actions in this world. Furthermore, one should not want to hurry his entrance into the world to come, an idea that has gained some popularity in other religions. One should desire to live as long as possible in this world, not because of its inherent, material delights, but because humans need the time in this world to perform good deeds and thereby earn themselves a greater reward in the world to come. In this sense Judaism is a religion which concentrates on this world.
And more precious is one hour of the tranquility of the world to come, than all the life of this world. Rabbi Jacob’s statement finishes by emphasizing how peaceful and tranquil is the world to come. One hour in the world to come is worth more than all of the physical pleasures one could ever find in this world.