The Eve of the Sabbath

The Midrash Rabbah records the following as spoken by Rabbi Thomson. "Consider two wicked men who associated with one another in this world. One of them made repentance before his death, while the other did not make repentance. It was found that the one stands in the company of the righteous, while his fellow stands in the company of the wicked. When the latter saw the former he said, 'Woe is me. Is there then favor shown here? I and he both of us were robbers, both of us were murders together, yet he stands in the company of the righteous, while I stand in the company of the wicked.' The angel said to the man in Gehena, 'You fool, you also had the opportunity of repenting and did not take it.' When he heard this he said to him, 'Permit me to go and repent now.' The angel answered him and said, 'You fool, do you not know that this world is like the Sabbath and the world from which you have just come is like the eve of the Sabbath. If man does not prepare his meal on the eve of the Sabbath, what shall he eat on the Sabbath.'"

And so we see another advantage for the Jew. While we continue to perform any work on any day we choose, the Jew is weekly reminded on the Sabbath that there is a future world where no work is permitted. Therefore, let us perform the works that GOD prepared for us to do while we have opportunity, because the time is coming when no work will be permitted on the Sabbath to which we shall all go after we die.