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03/03/2020 04:59:05 PM

Mar3

What is the Jewish View of The Hereafter?

I once had an elderly rabbinic professor who would say that each night he would ponder the hereafter. He would wake up around 2 am, go downstairs, open the refrigerator, and ask himself, “Now what was I here after?”

In Jewish tradition the hereafter had little mention in the Bible. Belief in an afterlife was very limited to a few opaque references, such as Ezekiel’s vision of “dry bones” coming back to life which probably was a metaphor for political resurrection. In the later rabbinic period, the hereafter becomes quite prominent as our future home but there remains some confusion over whether this means the immortality of the soul or the resurrection of the body, or both. There is also some debate whether we find the hereafter immediately after death or only when the Messiah arrives.

Orthodox Judaism still teaches that immortality of the soul and bodily resurrection are what await us but Reform Judaism teaches it is only the soul that outlasts us. In either case it is important to note that Judaism in the rabbinic era never taught that this world is only important as a stepping-stone for the world to come. We should enjoy our life on earth and not overly focus on the next world.

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784