Life After Death

Q: What does Judaism say about heaven and hell?

A: Judaism assumes believe in an afterlife. In each Amidah in every service there are no less than five references to the resurrection of the dead. Furthermore, the words, Olam HaBa, the “World to Come” are not strangers to the vocabulary of the most Jews. Olam Haba refers to the immortality of the soul.  We have a definite doctrine of something that lies beyond the mortal’s existence.

Surprisingly however, there is a dearth of material describing what the afterlife looks like. Unlike Christianity, Judaism has never depicted the afterlife in vivid terms. Our faith seeks to deemphasize the idea of using heaven and hell as a carrot as a spur for good behavior.   A heaven replete with floating angels carrying harps and hell with burning embers are unknown to our faith.

Heavenly rewards are gained in a lifetime. Similarly, pain and anguish form a part of our life long travail. A rabbinic parable aptly expresses this idea:  A visitor approached paradise and found a group of old man hunched over ancient texts, immersed in study. Anxiously, he asked his guide what they were doing in heaven. The guide answered, “You have the mistaken idea that the men are in heaven. In truth, Heaven is in the men.  People create their own heaven or hell here.

Judaism is a this-worldly-religion. As Rabbi Yaacov, a second century teacher stated, “Better is one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world in the whole life in the World to Come.” Yet, should we forget that the doctrine of resurrection exists, Rabbi Yaacov continued, Better is one hour of bliss of spirit in the World to Come, than the whole of this world.”