One asked Rabbi Meir after he went astray, “Why is it written, ‘God has made one opposite the other’? He said to him, ‘Everything that the Creator created, He created its opposite. He created mountains, He created hills; He created seas, He created rivers.’

“He said to him: ‘Your teacher, Rabbi Akiva, did not say so. Rather, ‘He created righteous, He created wicked; He created heaven, He created hell. Each and every one has two parts, one in heaven and one in hell. If he is acquitted, he is righteous and takes his part and the part of his friend in heaven. If he is convicted, he is wicked, and takes his part and the part of his friend in hell.’’

“Rav Mesharsheya said, ‘Why is it written about the righteous, ‘Therefore, in their land they shall inherit twofold’ (Isaiah 61)? Concerning the wicked, it is written, ‘And their destruction is twofold’’” (Hagiga 15a).

The MAHARSHA interprets, why does each one have two parts? It is because He created the Garden of Eden for the righteous, and He created hell for the wicked, each as he sees it.

Accordingly, we should ask: If so, then there is no free choice, since He created these as righteous and those as wicked, so they are compelled to remain on the same degree on which they were created. The MAHARSHA answers about this, that since man was given the choice to be righteous or wicked, since everything is in the hands of heaven but the fear of heaven, and the Creator does not deny the reward or punishment of any creation, for this reason, He created the Garden of Eden for all of them, perhaps all will be worthy.

But also, He created hell for all of them, perhaps all will be unworthy. It is as was said, “If he is rewarded, he takes his part and the part of his friend,” as Rav Mesharsheya said above.