📖 Why believe it?
The Almighty created life and is just. If the Almighty gave life, raising the dead is not beyond that power. It also means that people who suffered unfairly will one day receive justice.
Jewish Beliefs about Life and Death » Resurrection and the World to Come in Judaism
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.1 (Judaism)
- Why Judaism puts so much weight on this life, and what early Jewish writers said about Sheol
- The belief in resurrection of the dead and its link to the Messiah
- The world to come, Gan Eden, Gehinnom and judgement by the Almighty
- The different views among Jews and why these beliefs matter
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Unlock This CourseA religion that looks at this life first
In Death and the Afterlife: Linear and Cyclical Views you met the linear view of life: one life, with a beginning and an end, like a road. Judaism has a linear view. It also puts most of its attention on how to live well now. The Torah (the first five books of the Jewish Bible) is full of laws and stories about how to treat other people, keep Shabbat (the day of rest) and worship the Almighty. It says very little about what happens after death.
Many Jews say that the best way to prepare for whatever follows death is to keep the mitzvot (commandments) in this world. The rabbis (Jewish teachers) later said more about the afterlife than the Torah does, but life after death never became the centre of Judaism.
Key terms:
- Sheol: in the earliest Jewish writings, the shadowy place under the earth where the dead go.
- Resurrection of the dead: the belief that the dead will one day be raised to life again. In Hebrew this is techiyat hametim.
- Messiah: the person Jews hope the Almighty will send to bring peace and justice to the world.
- Olam Ha-Ba: the world to come, the life that follows this one.
- Gan Eden: the Garden of Eden, used by the rabbis as a name for the place of reward for the righteous.
- Gehinnom: a place of cleansing after death in rabbinic teaching. It is not the same as the idea of an eternal hell.
Early ideas: Sheol
The earliest books of the Jewish Bible talk about Sheol. This is a quiet, dim place where the dead go. It is not described as a place of reward or punishment. In Psalm 6:5 the writer says that in death there is no remembering of God, and asks who can give thanks from Sheol. The message is that the time to praise the Almighty is while you are alive.
This fits the focus on this life. At this stage the main hope is for a long life, a good family and a good name, rather than for a happy afterlife.
Resurrection of the dead
Later, Jewish ideas about death became clearer. Many Jews came to believe that the Almighty would one day raise the dead. This belief is called resurrection. One of the best-known passages is Daniel 12:2. It says that many who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake, some to everlasting life and some to shame. This gives the idea of a judgement and a future for the dead.
The belief became a core part of Jewish teaching. The medieval thinker Maimonides listed Thirteen Principles of Jewish faith. The last one is belief in the resurrection of the dead. The Amidah, the central prayer said each day, includes a blessing that praises the Almighty as the one who brings the dead back to life.
Resurrection is linked to the coming of the Messiah. Traditional teaching says that when the Messiah comes, the Almighty will bring peace and justice to the world and the dead will rise. This is why belief in the Messiah and belief in resurrection often go together.
🌿 What it means for believers
Many Jews find comfort in the thought that death is not the final end. Traditional teaching also links the body to the person who will be raised, which is a reason to treat it with respect.
The world to come: Olam Ha-Ba
The rabbis spoke of Olam Ha-Ba, the world to come. Many rabbis taught that the righteous of every nation have a share in it, so you do not have to be Jewish to be rewarded by the Almighty. The rabbis said little about what it is like, because they did not claim to know.
They used the name Gan Eden for the place where the righteous are rewarded. They taught that each person is judged by the Almighty, who knows everything a person did and why.
Gehinnom is a place of cleansing. In rabbinic teaching, a soul that needs to be made clean goes there for a limited time, traditionally no more than twelve months, before it moves on. For most people it is not endless punishment. This fits the Jewish belief that the Almighty is merciful as well as just, as you saw in The Almighty and the Shema.
Judgement
Judaism teaches that the Almighty is the judge of every human being. Jews believe the judge is fair and also merciful, so judgement is not only something to fear. It also gives a reason to live well, because what we do in this life matters and we are answerable for it.
Different views among Jews
Jews do not all believe the same thing about life after death. As you saw in The Unity of Body and Soul in Judaism, Orthodox and Progressive (Reform and Liberal) Jews often differ.
📚 Orthodox Jews
Hold to the traditional teaching, including bodily resurrection of the dead when the Messiah comes. They see it as a basic principle of the faith.
💡 Progressive Jews
Many speak of the immortality of the soul rather than bodily resurrection. Others leave the question open and say that the Almighty alone knows what happens after death.
Jews have always disagreed about this. In ancient times the Pharisees (a group of teachers who followed the oral tradition) taught resurrection, while the Sadducees (a priestly group who held to the written Torah) did not. Today some Jews prefer to focus on this life and leave the rest to the Almighty. This is a respected Jewish view too.
Why these beliefs matter
- They give hope and comfort when someone dies.
- They support the belief that the Almighty is just: wrongs will be put right.
- They give a reason to keep the mitzvot, because actions have consequences.
- They shape how the body is treated, with respect and care.
- They shape mourning: Jewish mourning customs rest on the belief that the Almighty is just and that death is not the final end (the customs themselves come in Paper 2).
Common mistakes
- Saying mainstream Jewish teaching is reincarnation. It is resurrection and the world to come (a minority mystical tradition does teach reincarnation).
- Saying Gehinnom is the same as an eternal hell. In rabbinic teaching it is mainly a place of cleansing for a limited time.
- Saying all Jews believe the same. Orthodox and Progressive Jews differ on bodily resurrection.
- Forgetting the focus on this life. Judaism stresses how to live now.
Exam-style question
(a) Identify three Jewish beliefs or ideas about life after death. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about life after death in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Explain why there are different attitudes to resurrection among Jews. [6 marks]
(d) 'Belief in the world to come is more important than how people live now.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(a) 1. Resurrection of the dead (1). 2. Olam Ha-Ba, the world to come (1). 3. Judgement by the Almighty (1).
(b) Judaism: One teaching is that the dead will be resurrected (1), which Maimonides included as the last of his Thirteen Principles (1). Another is that the righteous have a share in the world to come (1), which many rabbis taught was open to the righteous of all nations (1).
(c) Orthodox Jews follow traditional teaching, so they believe in bodily resurrection when the Messiah comes. They see it as a basic principle of faith set out by Maimonides, so they accept it as part of the tradition. Many Progressive Jews put more weight on personal reason and on the immortality of the soul, so they may not accept that the body will be raised. Others think the Torah says little about the afterlife and that no one can know, so they leave the question open and focus on how to live now. These differences exist because Jews hold different views on how far the tradition should be followed and how much authority it has.
(d) Plan. For: belief in the world to come gives hope and comfort; it supports the justice of the Almighty because wrongs are put right; judgement gives a reason to behave well. Against: Judaism focuses on this life and the mitzvot; the Torah says little about the afterlife; many Progressive Jews leave the question open; humanists say that how we treat others now is what matters most. Conclusion: in Judaism how people live now is the main focus, and belief in the world to come adds hope and a reason to live well. So it is not more important, though the two are linked.
Exam tip
In a 'different attitudes' question, name the groups (Orthodox and Progressive) and give a reason for each view, not just what they believe.