The Afterlife (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

Orthodox Jewish beliefs about the afterlife

What does Judaism teach about the afterlife?

• Judaism has ideas about an afterlife, but does not have a single, agreed-upon teaching about life after death

• Life on earth is viewed as preparation, and there is a focus on what happens in this life rather than the next

  • The Mishnah teaches Jews that life on Earth is preparation for Olam Ha-Ba, “the world to come”, which many Jews look forward to

• The term Olam Ha-Ba can be used to refer to the afterlife as well as the Messianic Age on Earth

• Jewish people believe in life after death because it is written in the Torah and because it gives life meaning and purpose

• Rosh Hashanah is sometimes called the Day of Judgment, as Jews think about their deeds over the previous year

  • God is a God of justice and mercy and a judge of how the duties of the Torah are followed

  • At the festival of Rosh Hashanah, God judges every person

• Many Jews believe that God judges how good or bad people have been to decide their destiny in the afterlife

• Jewish people who believe in God’s judgment believe that he decides to reward or punish them based on how well they have followed the mitzvot

What does Orthodox Judaism teach about the afterlife?

• There are different views among Jews as to what happens on the Day of Judgment

• Many Orthodox Jews believe that the Day of Judgment, or Yawm ad-Din, will occur after the coming of the Messiah

  • Orthodox Jews believe that each person’s physical body will be resurrected after they die

• Therefore, cremation and any action that changes the body after death, such as autopsy, are forbidden 

• Orthodox Jews refer to resurrection daily in their prayers and also at funerals

Judaism, Sheol, Gehinnom and Gan Eden

• Most Orthodox Jews believe that people who follow the laws given by God will be sent to Heaven after their body dies

  • There is no exact description of heaven in Jewish scripture

• The Talmud speaks of Olam Ha-Ba in connection to the afterlife and sometimes uses the term Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden), referring to a heavenly realm where souls reside after physical death

  • The term Gan Eden to describe heaven suggests a return to the blissful existence of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the “fall”

  • Others see it as a place of sunshine, where people of all nations will sit and eat together when the peaceful Messianic Age comes

  • Many Jews believe that people may experience pain and suffering in this world but that the afterlife will be free of misery

  • 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

  • It is believed that the virtuous will be reunited with loved ones and that their souls will live on

• Jews who have lived a sinless life will be sent straight to Gan Eden. However, it is possible that souls could be sent to Sheol or Gehinnom (or Gehenna)

  • Sheol is a place of waiting where souls are cleansed and purified and is similar to the Catholic view of purgatory

  • Gehinnom is a place of torment where souls go to be punished

• Those who believe in life after death may hold differing views about whether or not there exists a place for eternal punishment

• Some believe that the souls of those who have committed serious acts of evil — for example, murder — will never move on from this place of torment, as they cannot be changed for the better

Reform Jewish beliefs about the afterlife

What does Reform Judaism teach about the afterlife?

• Reform Jews focus more on living a good life now than on what happens after death

• They often interpret the afterlife symbolically, as the soul living on through good deeds or memory

• Some believe in a spiritual afterlife but not physical resurrection

• There is less emphasis on judgment and reward and more on ethical living and repairing the world (tikkun olam)

• Many see Olam Ha-Ba as a future age of peace and justice for humanity rather than a literal heaven

• Reform Jews do not accept the idea of a Messiah but instead believe that they will be judged as soon as they die

  • Reform Jews believe that only the soul will be resurrected

    • The body is not needed because in life, it was simply a container for the soul

  • The references to resurrection have been taken out of the prayer books (siddur) for Reform Judaism

• Others believe they will be judged twice: by God when they die and by the Messiah on the Day of Judgment

• Some Jews believe that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will be resurrected so that they can be judged

  • They find evidence for this in the Book of Daniel

• Others believe that only those who are morally good will be resurrected and that hell exists as punishment for those who have not lived righteous lives

Interpretations of biblical writings

What are the different interpretations of the Bible relating to the afterlife?

• There is little mention of life after death in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) 

  • Jewish thinkers and traditions have developed different interpretations of what biblical writings mean about the afterlife

• Many biblical references are linked to the afterlife

  • Genesis 2–3 states that humans are created from dust and return to dust after death

    • This suggests death is part of God’s design for life

    • Jews may interpret this to mean they should focus on living in obedience to God during this life

  • Ecclesiastes 12:7 states, “The dust returns to the ground, and the spirit returns to God who gave it”

    • This is interpreted as showing that the soul continues after death

    • It supports the belief that the spirit belongs to God and may return to him

  • Daniel 12:2 says, “Many who sleep in the dust will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame”

    • Orthodox Jews view this as evidence of bodily resurrection and judgment

    • It suggests that God will reward or punish after death

    • Reform Jews often view this as symbolic of moral renewal or justice rather than physical resurrection

  • Isaiah 26:19 states: “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise”

    • This is often linked to the resurrection of the dead when the Messiah comes

    • It is seen to express hope that God has power over life and death

  • Psalms 49:15 states that “God will redeem my soul from the realm of the dead”

    • This suggests belief in deliverance and life with God beyond death

    • It also shows confidence that God continues to care for the soul after physical death

  • In 1 Samuel 28, the spirit of the prophet Samuel appears after death when Saul consults a medium

    • Some people view this as suggesting the soul continues to exist after the body has died

    • It raises questions about communication with the dead, which Judaism generally discourages

• The Torah and Hebrew Bible give hints, not detailed descriptions, of life after death

  • Orthodox Jews take resurrection verses (Daniel and Isaiah) more literally

  • Reform Jews interpret them symbolically or spiritually