Afterlife in Judaism

[Inquiring Mind]

Do Jews believe in a Afterlife? In Hell and Heaven?

[muman613]

Do Jews believe in a Afterlife? In Hell and Heaven?

Very interesting question. I just watched a shuir on this topic last week.

We believe in the concept of Reward and Punishment. Those who keep the commandments are judged according to how well they kept them. We all make mistakes and in Jewish laws of offering there were special sacrifices for unintentional sins. Those whose mitzvahs (following commands) outweighs the sins he committed (aveirahs) then his judgment will be good. Now where the soul goes when it is judged for the good is called the World of Souls. If the judgment is for the bad then there is a place which Christians consider hell, but in Jewish belief we call it Gehinnom or Purgatory.

There are various levels of purgatory where the less severe the transgression the higher the purgatory, the worse the transgression the lower the purgatory. Purgatory is not eternal as other religions teach. In Jewish belief the soul could only spend up to 11 months in purgatory before entering the world of souls.

If the departed soul has children or people who remember him at his yartzeit (anniversary of death) and say Kiddush (a special prayer for mourners) then the amount of time in purgatory can be reduced and we can raise their souls into higher realms of the world of souls.

Everyone is judged according to their level but everyone is expected to perfect their level. We are judged on the assumption we could have been great and if our achievement doesn't correlate to our accomplishments then we have a very dull afterlife. Some Rabbis compare it to watching your life going down the drain over and over again, like a bad rerun or that movie 'Groundhogs Day'.

Now we also must understand that a time will come soon called the age of Moshiach. The redeemer of Israel will come and cause the entire world to know that the Jewish people are the chosen ones of G-d and they will want to convert. All the Jews will know that he is here and ingather in Israel... When this age of Moshiach comes another 1000 years will pass where the entire world is full of peace and knowledge of G-d.

At this point the righteous dead will rise from their graves and we enter the period of Techias Hamatim {Ressurection of the Dead}. The reason Judaism forbids cremation is that the body needs to have parts which will re-assemble and ashes will not work. There is a special bone, the luz bone, which is needed in order to resurrect.

My roommates father just died yesterday and I talked to him for several minutes. He is not Jewish but he admires the Jewish ideas and I discussed with him just these ideas. I hope I have explained this idea sufficiently but to be sure I will provide some links.

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/death.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/282496/jewish/Introduction.htm

But also for the body, death is not the end. A fundamental principle of the Jewish faith is the belief in techiat ha-meitim, ("resurrection of the dead")--that in the future, divinely-perfect "World to Come," the soul will be restored to a rebuilt and revitalized body, so The soul of the person we knew and loved... continues to be aware of all that transpires in our lives, and continues to be the recipient of our love and the positive actions we do on his or her behalf... that body and soul, once again fused together as a living being,should enjoy the fruits of what they accomplished together in toils and tribulations of our present-day existence.

So while the soul is the higher, more spiritual incarnation of the self, the body, too, must be accorded the ultimate respect and sanctity, as befits the vessel of the soul.

This understanding of death underlies the Jewish approach to death and mourning. All the laws, customs, beliefs and mystical motifs related to death--its prequel and sequel, the treatment of the deceased, the approach to mourning, and the ways in which the departed is memorialized--are driven by a series of dichotomies. To wit:

    *

      We do everything in our power to sustain life and avoid death; for each and every moment of life is sacred, as it houses the soul's presence in our world, and constitutes an integral part of its divinely-ordained mission in life. On the other hand, the moment of death is accepted as the will of the True Judge, who alone knows when the soul's mission in the physical world has been fulfilled.
    *

      We mourn the tragic eclipse of the deceased from the realm of our lives --while continuing to affirm the continuing trajectory of his/her own life.
    *

      We show profound respect for the body, the necessary and indispensable vehicle that enables all the souls' accomplishments during life --while never allowing ourselves to imagine that the body we take leave of is actually the person we mourn.
    *

      We seek to create long-lasting memorials to the deceased --yet engage in practices that express the belief that the deceased is truly among us.

PS: If you are Jewish I would recommend talking to a Rabbi about these issues. I have only been studying for the last six or seven years and I do not know it all.

[GoIsraelGo!]

Muman, do you believe that the Soul can return to live another life on Earth?

Thank you.

                                              Shalom - Dox

[muman613]

Muman, do you believe that the Soul can return to live another life on Earth?

Thank you.

                                              Shalom - Dox

Well that is a very interesting question. As a matter of fact there is a facet of Jewish belief called Gilgul or the return of the soul. It is not universally accepted as a tenet of the faith being believed more by the Chassidish and Kabbalistically inclined Jewish strains.

From torah.org:
http://www.torah.org/learning/Parasha-insights/5758/mishpatim.html?print=1

It is clear that these mishpatim were placed in the midst of the Sinai events because they are 'the meat' of 'the meeting'. The 'Anochi Hashem Elokecha' (I am Hashem your G-d - the opening words of the aseres hadivros) is an intrinsic part of the mishpatim and our observance of the mishpatim must reflect that 'Anochi Hashem Elokecha'. Both in the way that Hashem involves Himself down in our day-to-day events and in the way that we strive to elevate ourselves up to the heights of spirituality there is and must be this synthesis.

Let's deal with each of these links. The Talmud states that when three judges convene for judgment, the Shechina (Hashem's presence) is with them. Why is this necessary? The Nesivos Sholom quotes the Zohar which states: "Aileh ha'mishpatim - da hee raza d'gilgulta". Meaning, these are the judgments - in here is contained the secret of 'gilgul'. 'Gilgul' is the Hebrew term for reincarnation. The idea that after death, a persons neshama (soul) might return to this world in a new human body in order to accomplish something that had been neglected or to correct an error that had been done. How does this apply to the mishpatim - the laws?!

http://hasidicstories.com/Articles/Themes_In_Hasidic_Stories/nigal_2transf.html

Transmigration of Souls, Part 2
by Gedalyah Nigal

An Excerpt from Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism
[Continued from Part One]

The hasidic story devotes special attention to gilgul [rebirth of a soul in another form] in a dog, both because of the influence of the kabbalistic sources - both the theoretical ones and the stories - and because of the fear and revulsion many Eastern European Jews of that period felt for the dog of the non-Jew, especially that of the paritz (landowner).(63)

Tikkunei Zohar already states, "There is a soul which is placed in a dog."(64) Gilgul within a dog is meant, according to Rabbi Hayim Vital, for one who engaged in adultery with a non-Jewish woman,(65) and even the Safed story speaks at length about the gilgul into a dog of a man who had committed adultery with his Jewish neighbor.(66)

A story that presumably took place during the time of Rabbi Isaac Luria states that gilgul into a dog is likely to be a punishment for weak faith and the nonfulfillment of the commandment of a holy man and a prophet. It is related that once Rabbi Isaac Luria was late to a wedding. He explained his tardiness by saying that on the way he encountered a dog that barked at him. Luria asked him who he was, and the dog replied that he was the gilgul of Gehazi. When Elisha ordered the reviving of the son of the Shunammite with his staff, Gehazi did not believe in the miracle that was about to take place. On his way he saw a dead dog that had been cast at the side of the road, and he tried out the prophet's staff on it. The dog did indeed come back to life, but the staff could no longer have an effect on the body of the youth. Gehazi's punishment was to transmigrate in a dog.(67)

In the wake of an opinion prevalent in Safed,(68) the hasidic story regards gilgul in a dog as the punishment of the informer, as well as of those who speak ill of tzaddikim and hasidim. Rabbi Arye Leib, the Mokhiah of Polonnoye, once acted disrespectfully toward the corpse of someone who had been an informer in his lifetime, thereby saving him from gilgul in a dog.(69) A drowning dog containing the gilgul of an informer saved as it drowned the life of Rabbi Yudel of Chudnov, thereby effecting the correction of the soul.(70) It is related about an informer who bothered Meir [II] of Peremyshlyany that he was transmigrated in a dog that collected bones from under the table of the tzaddik's son-in-law.(71) Rabbi Isaac Eizik of Komarno related, in the name of Rabbi Naphtali of Ropshits (Ropczyce), that one who speaks ill of tzaddikim is transmigrated in a dog.(72) It is related that once a group of hasidim traveled together to Rabbi Naphtali. On the way they saw a large dog that barked and chased them. They thought that it must have been the gilgul of a mitnaged in a dog, and when they were traveling to the tzaddik, it barked at them. A wagon that passed by them ran over the dog, and it died. When they came to the tzaddik, Rabbi Naphtali told them, "Know, young men, that what the world says is true, that the gilgul of a mitnaged was in the dog!"(73)

http://www.kabbalaonline.org/safedteachings/gor/Reincarnation_and_Ibur_(51).asp

      

Types of Reincarnation &  Ibur

Gate of Reincarnations: Chapter Five, Section 1

Translation by Yitzchok bar Chaim; explanation by Shabtai Teicher

There are two types of gilgulim and two types of ibur.

The first type of gilgul occurs when a single  Nefesh enters the body of a person at the time of birth.

The second type is also possible. Two Nefashot may reincarnate together, and this is also at the time of birth. This is called "Double  Gilgul" (Gilgul Kaful). It was explained in the previous chapter, and in other places.

Both these Nefashot (in Double Gilgul) reincarnate and come into the world together when the person's body is born. They do not separate until death. They are called one Nefesh. As one they suffer the pain and punishments that are inflicted on the body throughout its lifetime, as well as the pain of death.

Ibur, however, does not occur at birth, as we explained earlier, and there are two types. The first occurs for the benefit of the righteous tzadik himself who enters a person to complete himself with something that was missing to him (the tzadik). The second type is for the sake of the (host) person, to assist him with  Torah and  mitzvot.

[GoIsraelGo!]

Thank you Muman, I should have been more specific in my last question. Can a soul return to live another life as a person?
I heard from another Orthodox Jew that the neshoma does not come back as an animal if they were human in their previous life.
Thanks, sorry to bug you for answers.

[muman613]

Thank you Muman, I should have been more specific in my last question. Can a soul return to live another life as a person?
I heard from another Orthodox Jew that the neshoma does not come back as an animal if they were human in their previous life.
Thanks, sorry to bug you for answers.

Yes, the second article I linked to explains about Single and Double gilgul in a persons body...

I am looking at something which indicates four souls in a body:

http://www.kabbalaonline.org/SSI/articleToPrint.asp?PageURL=/Safedteachings/gor/Four_Souls3_One_Person_(52).xml&torahportion=notparshapage

"
Four Souls, One Person

Gate of Reincarnations: Chapter Five, Section 2

Translation by Yitzchok bar Chaim; explanation by Shabtai Teicher

The Rav will now continue with a discussion of the phenomenon of more than one Nefesh in one body.

We will now further clarify the subject that we began previously. The verse says, "...Visit the sins of the fathers on the children for three and four (generations)" (Ex. 20:5). This means that up to three reincarnating Nefashot can reincarnate with a new Nefesh together in one body at birth. This makes for a total of four Nefashot at one time. This is the secret of "four."

The verse reads, "...Visit the sins of the fathers on the children for three and four (generations)." The esoteric meaning of the word "four" is that it sets the maximum limit on the number of souls that can inhabit a single body at one time. Of these four, three have reincarnated from previous reincarnations, and one is a new Nefesh that has not been in a body beforehand.

It is also the secret of the verse "...two or three times with a man" (Job 33:29). Three Nefashot are able to reincarnate with one "man", who is this new Nefesh. However, it is not possible for more than this to reincarnate at one time. However, less than this amount is possible.

It is possible that one Nefesh can reincarnate alone in a body; or one reincarnated Nefesh with a new Nefesh. Or, two reincarnated Nefashot by themselves can go into one body; or two reincarnated Nefashot with a new one; or three reincarnated Nefashot by themselves; or three reincarnated souls with a new one. However, more than this is not possible within one body.

Know that those that are reincarnating together in a single body must all be of a single "root". This is the esoteric meaning of the verse "...he shall redeem the property of his brother" (Lev. 25:25).

In other words, for one soul to redeem or help another, it must be his brother, so to speak; they must be related to each other through their roots. As we have learned already (Chapter Three, Section 2), souls come from different parts of Adam's spiritual body, and each particular location is a specific "root" from which a particular group of souls originates. This results in a resonance or connection between some souls which does not exist between souls from different roots.

As a result, even though the first time gilgul has not committed any of the sins of the previous gilgulim, he will still have to cleanse the blemish and stench that resulted from their earlier sins. This will be the case if he is from a more internal [primary] level than the others, such as the sinews of Adam HaRishon, as opposed to the Flesh [which is more "external"].

The physical and spiritual body consists of four aspects. They are listed here in order from the internal to the external, from the higher to the lower, from the primary to the secondary.

    * The bones with the brain marrow that is within them
    * The sinews
    * The flesh
    * The skin

Concerning this is the verse "You have dressed me with skin and flesh, and with bones and sinews you have covered me." (Job 10:11)

The Rav is using as an example the two middle aspects of the body: the sinews and the flesh. The sinews are more internal and primary than the flesh.

In the example, the new soul comes from the aspect of the sinews, whereas the others that have reincarnated with him come from the exterior aspect of flesh. The new soul, although it has not shared in any of the sins of the others, will be responsible for the well being of the entire group soul that has reincarnated together with him. He is responsible because he is from a more primary aspect than they are, and he has the ability to rejuvenate them.

This is in order to draw life to the entire root.

One of the consequences of sin and repeated blemish is that one of the limbs of the spiritual body that has been affected by the sin may become atrophied. The holiness and life force may be removed from the limb in order that the other limbs do not become blemished as a result of the sin. Rectification of the sin, therefore, allows life and energy to return to the limb and rejuvenates it. In the case discussed here, this benefits the entire group of souls of the particular root that has reincarnated together.
"

[GoIsraelGo!]

Thank you for explaining that. It is quite complex to me because there are so many details in the process. I knew about reincarnation and my Grandfather certainly believed in that too, I have no doubts if he was alive he would certainly understand everything you said or be able to explain it in the same way. I know one of the first things that happens after we die is our soul mourns for it's body...it sort of hangs around the body feeling a great loss. Anyways, thank you again for the help in understanding more about the souls.


                                                                Shalom - Dox   

[SW]

Interesting topic! Thank you!