Kindergarten for the Soul: Why the Torah Says Almost Nothing About Paradise

Many are surprised that the Pentateuch promises rain and harvest for keeping the commandments, but says almost nothing about the eternal bliss of the soul. The sources give a provocative answer: humanity at that point was in a state of "spiritual infancy."

The Creator's Pedagogy

Just as a father promises his young son sweets for diligence in studies, unable to explain the value of academic knowledge, God promised material blessings to a nation whose minds were still too weak to comprehend eternity. If God had immediately spoken about spiritual reward that cannot be seen or touched, people simply would not have been able to appreciate and accept it.

The Hidden Purpose

The material world is merely a training ground. God concealed the details of the World to Come so that our service would not be self-serving, and so that we would learn to see the Divine presence here, in physical reality. The true reward is closeness to the light of the Creator, but to grow into this understanding, a person must first learn to properly manage the "candies" of this world.