God's Three Great Gifts

Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai says: three great presents were given by God to Israel, and each was given only through suffering, and these are the three: Torah, the Land of Israel and the World to Come.                                                        Babylonian Talmud,  Berachot 5

On the simplest level, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai teaches that those things which are truly worth having are worth suffering for to achieve.

Rabbi Kook, in his brilliant commentary, reveals a much deeper understanding of bar Yoḥai’s comment.

Rabbi Kook explains that those things which are natural can be achieved without suffering.  However, whatever is above nature cannot be achieved without suffering, because the human body is limited by its natural aspects. Thus, Maimonides describes a prophet’s body as almost being torn apart during prophecy, because prophecy is a super-natural event.

            Man is composed of intellect, body and soul. The three presents correspond to these three spheres of man’s existence.

            To truly achieve Torah is to link with the divine intellect. Since this is super-natural, Torah can be fully achieved only through suffering.

            The Land of Israel is a physical land, but also has a super-natural aspect. As our Sages teach, (western) Eretz Yisrael is the only land worthy of the Shechina. Thus, the Land of Israel can be achieved only through suffering.

            The World to Come is the ultimate super-natural reward for the soul, and it too can be achieved only through suffering.