כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא... (אבות י:א)

We start every week the weekly Perek of Pirkei Avos with this Mishna since learning Pirkei Avos is like a רפואה – healing for the נפש – soul.  Just like a doctor calms a gravely ill person by giving him hope and saying that his illness is not fatal, the patient will not give up hope – since despondence can aggravate the disease.  So too, Chazal incorporated this Mishna in our weekly portion of Pirkei Avos, to give hope to those who are חולי נפש – sickly souls, by telling them: “כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא” – no matter at what level you are, never give up!