Life after death - the afterlife
Jewish scripture has very little to say on matters of life after death. This is because Judaism puts far greater focus on people’s actions and purpose in their earthly lives which the call olam ha-ze, than on speculating about what might happen after people die. For many Jews, thinking about whether there is reward, punishment or even any sort of afterlife at all, is unimportant.
Of course, there are views on the afterlife in Judaism, but unlike some other religions, no one view on life after death has ever been officially agreed upon in the Jewish faith.
Many Jewish people also believe in olam ha-ba (meaning ‘the world to come’). This is a perfect version of the world that will exist at the end of days, after the Messiah has come and God has judged the living and the dead.
Many Jews believe that people may experience pain and suffering in this world but that it is merely an for the world to come, which will be free of misery. It is believed that the will be reunited with loved ones and that their souls will live on.
In order to have a good afterlife, Jews believe that all efforts should be made to repair the world around us. Some Jews believe that is happening all the time and that souls are reborn to continue .
Heaven and Hell
Most Orthodox Jews believe that people who follow the laws given by God will be sent to Heaven after their body dies. However, there is no exact description of Heaven in Jewish .
Many think of Heaven as Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden), which is a place of sunshine where people of all nations will sit and eat together when the peaceful comes. Others believe that Gan Eden is not necessarily a physical place but instead is a state of consciousness, or a place where the soul feels close to God.
Jews who have lived a sinless life will be sent straight to Gan Eden. However, it is possible that souls could be sent to or (or Gehenna):
- Sheol is a place of waiting where souls are cleansed and purified.
- Gehinnom is a place to be punished and a place of torment.
Just as there are different views about whether or not there is an afterlife, those who believe in life after death may hold differing views about whether or not there exists a place of eternal punishment. Some believe that the souls of those who have committed serious acts of evil - for example, people who have committed murder - will never move on from this place of torment as they cannot be changed for the better.
Resurrection
Most Orthodox Jews believe that the physical body will be in the Messianic Age, when the good will rise from the dead. For this reason, Orthodox Jews forbid many procedures that they consider to cause damage or destruction of the body after death, and will bury their dead rather than them for this reason.
