Afterlife
Question
What are the various Jewish views on the afterlife and who qualifies for what eternal state, if any? This question came up in my Christian bible study, and I did not have a good answer. If you want to point me to some authoritative views, I would appreciate it. BTW, my password is Isaiah 53. I thought you may find that intriguing. Shalom! JOHN
Answers
The very foundation of the Jewish Religion is rooted in the concept of the World to Come and the Resurrection of the Dead. We believe that without these concepts it would have been virtually impossible for the Jewish People to have remained attached to God and His Torah. Judaism is a religion that uses this world as a means to enter into the World to Come. Because of this fundamental belief, existence in this this world allows us many expectations, and it gives us a purpose in life: to build on our inherent spirituality and to try and draw closer to G0d in order to enhance G0d’s presence in this world.
The Jewish concept of hell, called Gehinom or purgatory, shares no resemblance to Christian hell. Jewish Traditional Sources teach that Gehinom is a place where Souls are sent only if the Soul is in need of some form of spiritual correction. A Soul, depending on the need for correction, can spend up to a year in Gehinom. However, the maximum time is “only” twelve months, and there is no concept of being in Gehinom for an indefinite period of time (i.e. eternal damnation). Once a Soul has been through the necessary process of correction, the Soul is welcomed into the World to Come to join all the other Souls in the World of Truth.
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