serious answers only please
2006-12-31 09:52:29 · 7 answers · asked by Foxtrot 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Some practicing Jews that I've spoken to don't believe in either concept.
2006-12-31 09:55:36 · answer #1 · answered by Ebony Goddess 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to classical Jewish sources, after death the soul A) remembers every it ever did in it's entire life, and B) knows what was right and what was wrong.
A soul remembers any good it did with intense pleasure, like the way you'd feel after a major acomplishment, but times a thousand. This is called Gan Eden, or heaven.
The soul also remembers anything bad it did, and realizes how many opportunities it wasted. Think regret and low self-esteem times a thousand. This is called Gehinnom, or hell. Gehinnom only lasts a maximum of twelve months.
There are other after-life options, too, such as reincarnation.
2006-12-31 20:21:38 · answer #2 · answered by Melanie Mue 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Tellie is the closest.
We believe in Pardes, which is like Heaven. People go to different levels depending on how good they were. Most people languish in spiritual bodies that look like our bodies now, and enjoy comforts that bodies would enjoy, in accordance with the amount of reward G-d deems fitting for them.
Certain extremely righteous individuals will bask in the radiance of G-d without any sort of attachment to a body or anything like a body.
Our idea of Hell is called Gehinnom. It is made up of half fire and half ice, and is filled with avenging angels who beat people up in various cruel ways. One example in the Classical sources is that if a person slanders others, he will have his tongue nailed into a red hot beam from which he will hang. It also has levels. Most people get out and go on to Paradise withn a year. SOme people don't. Those have to be very bad people.
Judaism also has many more types of punishment available. It's a very complicated view of the afterlife. There's reincarnation, there's a punishment of being spun around the world real fast, one where your soul feels the body decompose, one where angels whip you with fiery chains in the grave, and some people just get whiped out of existence. I think that's pretty much it.
2006-12-31 18:39:11 · answer #3 · answered by 0 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's not an important concept in the religion. Jews believe in life before death, not after. There is a concept of afterlife, but there are no 'fear' based teachings in Judiasm.
i.e. Jews live by a moral code, not because they fear going to hell, but because they believe that these are the laws given to them by god and tradition.
2006-12-31 17:57:37 · answer #4 · answered by Morey000 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Different branches of Judaism have different views on this, but generally speaking we don't put much empathize on heaven & hell, (it could exist or not) we believe that G-d gave us laws to obey, & when we disobey G-d will punish us, as is needed.
As for me though, I'm just an atheist ethnic Jew! = )
2006-12-31 18:01:33 · answer #5 · answered by *~SoL~ * Pashaa del Ñuñcaa. 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
in jewish religioun heaven is place where good honest people go , and Hell is were we go for a cleansing proccess , from which we can have another change to repend .Also we believe in recarnation .
2006-12-31 17:59:18 · answer #6 · answered by Tellie 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
according to the History channel they do not believe in a life after death, at least most of them don't. My guess most of the pharisees became Christians
2006-12-31 17:57:28 · answer #7 · answered by icheeknows 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋