There are times in this world when we experience moments where the body and soul are at absolute peace. There's spiritual and physical pleasure in equal measure. I remember saying birchat hachama (blessing on the sun). I recall the pleasure of seeing the sun's physical light and the spiritual elevation of the moment when the sun returned to the way it had been at creation. It was a moment of absolute equality between what the body and soul were experiencing. In the world after the tichya, that is what life will be like. This doesn't mean all people will sense the same thing, because we're all different. We're the self we give birth to through our choices in the world as it is now. This world is called olam avodah, the world of work. It creates the context for the eternal future world of the techiya. According to what one attempts to achieve in one's path towards wholeness and how much one endeavors to get to the goal, to that extent will one be defined. The Rambam, the great rationalist, tells us in his epic halachic compendium the Yad, that every person can be as elevated as Moshe. Everyone can endeavor, as Moshe did, to find the perfection their own life can lead them towards in a way that's realistic and authentic. In the world after the revival, the difference between you and me and the gadol hador next door, will be how much effort one put into one's life. The disintegration of the body is a necessary step for a person to come to grips with their soul and their true identity. The radiance of the soul comes from spiritual exertion and it is that which will purify and elevate both the body and soul so that they can come close to Hashem.

During the time of separation until techiat hameisim, both the soul and body each needs its own place. The body reverts back to its foundation, the earth itself, in order to be purified. It has to fall apart and lose its form. This is what Hashem said to Adam, "You are of dust and to dust you shall return." Each of the four observable elements of life, fire, earth, dust, and air from which everyone's body is composed, has a spiritual counterpart. Dust won't move unless you move it. In its negative state, this is laziness, despair, and depression. In its positive state, this is resilience, stability and humility. The body has to return to its positive state of humbleness and resilience. It has to be suppressed and redirected from where it may have misused its energies. Hashem created the world of souls where the souls who are worthy go after the death of the body. There they experience elevation and oneg, spiritual delight. Everyone has their own great moments. For some people spiritual pleasure will come through nachat or at the moment when they see things right and clear. For others it may come when they summon up the courage to do something difficult. Still for others it may be when they swallow their ego and make peace with their enemy. Olam habah is where you experience all those moments. It's not only a place of oneg but a place of maaleh (ascension). It's not static. Since Hashem is infinite, recognition of his goodness takes you higher in olam habah. This is only a part of what we'll experience later after the revival of the dead. The soul's capacity to sense spiritual pleasure will depend on what it did in this world. Reward will be meted out according to what the soul developed itself into being. You have to be the ultimate vessel using every situation you were personally given to build you. The true and ultimate reward is not only for the soul or body but when they come back together after the revival of the dead.

Nobody reaches ultimate perfection in this world. This should be a source of great consolation when you catch yourself doing things you shouldn't. Of course you should repent. But this could also help you understand and like people better. No one's perfect. This is not the world of sheleimut (perfection) but the world of tikun (rectification). Sheleimut is only possible after death when one is no longer in the world of temptation. As long as the soul is in the body some of the evil and absence of divinity inherent in this world adheres to it. The soul is darkened and confused. But when one does a good deed two things happen, one's life's mission becomes clearer and one becomes more whole. The affect stays in olam habah. The body and the emotions that come forth from physical consciousness make it hard for the soul to sense what it has done. There's a certain kind of spiritual frustration people have because of all the goodness in their spiritual sub consciousness that they can't express it. After the tichya, the body and soul will reunite and will experience the purpose for which they were created.