Iran’s Attack on Israel
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Discover Jewish beliefs about the afterlife and the role of heaven and hell in Judaism.
Contrary to popular imagination, the Jewish concept of the afterlife isn't a realm of clouds, harp-playing angels, or fiery pits with pitchfork-carrying devils. To grasp the Jewish perspective on the afterlife, we must first comprehend the relationship between the body and soul.
In Jewish thought, the body is formed from the "dirt of the earth," while the soul is a "breath of life" blown into the human form by God. Death occurs when the body and soul separate, and the body returns to the earth, becoming part of the natural cycle.
According to Judaism, neither the body nor the soul defines an individual. You are not a body; you have a body. Similarly, you are not a soul; you have a soul. Judaism posits that the true essence of an individual lies in the internal struggle between the body's temptations and the soul's ambitions.
While alive, these conflicting voices vie for dominance, with the persuasive body often taking the lead. However, in death, when the body is inert, only the choices made during life remain. Your identity, according to Judaism, is encapsulated in the choices you make.
Throughout life, individuals make choices that define and, ultimately, become them. Even indecision is a choice. In death, the consequences of these choices become evident. If one fulfills their potential and follows the ambitions of the soul, the experience is termed "heaven." Conversely, failing to become the person one was capable of being leads to the experience of "hell."
The Jewish perspective introduces a twist - individuals, being a combination of good and bad choices, experience both heaven and hell.
Jewish hell is likened to a hospital, where encountering the person one chose to be versus the person they had the potential to become is a shocking and painful revelation. However, this experience offers an opportunity for improvement and reconciliation. Like a hospital visit, the process is challenging and uncomfortable, but it is temporary.
In Judaism, heaven is referred to as the "Garden of Eden." However, the Torah indicates that Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden during their lifetime. The explanation lies in the concept that, while alive, individuals are continuously creating their afterlife reality through the choices they make. Thus, in a sense, individuals are already in heaven, but the realization is obscured by the busyness of life.
Upon death, with the constraints of the body removed, individuals experience the complete and unencumbered version of themselves. Whether this is an amazing or less favorable experience depends on the choices made during life.
We once had a framed poster by an artist named Mary Engelbreit. It showed a chubby little girl with a piece of broccoli on one side and a cupcake on the other side. The girl’s head was turned toward the broccoli but the eyes were turned toward the cupcake. Underneath the picture was a cute little poem something like “there is a choice that you make in every thing you do. So, of this please keep in mind, the choice you make makes you.”
C’est ça!
Upon death.... ?
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