Would Time Travel Be A Good Thing Or A Bad Thing?

Hi, this is Dov Laski with the question and answer series. >> [music] >> And somebody writes in, "If time travel were invented tomorrow, would that be a good thing or a bad thing?" That's an easy one. Somebody asked me, "What happens if you die and you get up to heaven and you see Jesus is waiting for you?" I said, "Then I know I went the wrong way. That's all. You have to turn around." >> [laughter] >> He said, "But how are you sure?" I'm sure. Trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think that I was right. I was once challenged by a reformed student on campus. He goes, "So, you think you're the only one who's right?" I said, "Of course, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I was right." Jews did not give up their life for centuries thinking that maybe they were wrong. That would work out really awkward. And so, even though the Christians believe that all of us non-believers are going to be tossed into the pit of hell and burnt in eternal damnation fire, I'm not really worried. I'm I'm I'm pretty secure I'm going the right way. Yeah. So, I I there's nothing for me to discuss. You know? What if your dreams were reality and your reality were dreams? I would have to check myself into a mental institution. That's what I would do. Yeah. Time [snorts] travel is impossible. It's impossible. Nobody's going to do it. You can't go. There's no such a thing as going back in time. And so, when you say would try and time travel be good or be bad, it there's There is one instance of time travel. There is only one instance of time travel and that is the Chofetz Chaim says, the Rambam says, you end the year 50/50, half zechus and half chovos. And if you do teshuvah, then uh you'll move yourself over. So, the Kessef Mishneh asks, what do you have to do teshuvah? Just do one more mitzvah. And that will tip the balance. So, Reb Itzela Blazer says, because if you don't do teshuvah on the aseres yemei teshuvah, it's so terrible, it doesn't matter what else you do. You'll never make up for it. Reb Chaim Zev Levitt says, because it doesn't help you. If you have one more mitzvah now, that just gets added to next year's account, but you ended last year 50/50 and you can't change it. But when you do teshuvah, you go into the past and that maaseh is now filled with regret and now you can remove the aveira retroactively. That's the only instance of time travel I can possibly think of. But if you want to go back into the to the past and one Moshe Rabbeinu, don't hit the rock. You want to go back into the past, you know, and kill baby Hitler or whatever the different ideas are, it's not going to work. So, uh don't even go there. This is Dov Laski with the question and answer series.