The reward and punishment in the World-to-Come was received by the common people from the prophets in the form of oral tradition and was grasped by the wise through their intellectual faculties.. They therefore did not mention it in Scripture, just as they did not mention much of the exposition of the commandments and duties, because they relied on the traditions. Another reason is that the people were in a state of ignorance and deficiency of understanding, which is not hidden in the Scriptural account. The Creator acted toward them as a sensitive father would act toward his little child when he wants to train him gently, step by step pg 437
Once, on a Motzoei Shabbos, the chasidim were sitting in the bais medrash of the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a for Melave Malka. Suddenly, the Rebbe opened the door of his room next to the bais medrash, stood at the entrance, and said, “The Baal Shem Tov was not a deity, and the zaida, the Magid, was not just an ordinary wagon driver. And once, when the holy Baal Shem Tov prayed, his talis fringe fell out of his gartel and dragged on the floor. The Magid approached, picked it up, and put it back in the gartel, but he was trembled with such tremendous fear that he fainted and his life was in danger. They were compelled to rouse the Baal Shem Tov from his deep dveikus in order to calm him.” He then added, “I told you that the Baal Shem Tov was not a deity and my zaida, the Magid, was no wagon driver. Still and all, when he touched the Besht’s garment, he fainted from fear. The entire world is Hashem’s garment. How much fear must we feel to touch this world!” May the memory of the...