Do you believe in an afterlife in the company of God himself? Or is this life all we will ever experience? If that is so, why obey rules and try to avoid sin of there is no reward for our efforts of doing right? Do you obey merely just to obey or are there rewards in this life?
2007-10-08 10:36:01 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
This world is temporary (though we are reincarnated into it to allow our souls further spiritual growth).
Olam Haba, the World to Come is where the ulimate reward is. The fact that we often see the righteous suffering while the wicked prosper in this world is actually seen as proof of this. How so? Nobody is completely evil- everyone does some good things at some point in their life. Similarly, nobody is absolutely perfect, we all do things wrong at some point in time.
Now, this world is just temporary, in the end, what we have, what physical and material possessions and wealth we accumulate, are ultimately meaningless- the same goes for a lack of physical and material wealth. But at the same time, the Torah promises that all good deeds are rewarded and bod deeds punished. So, the wicked get rewarded for their good deeds in this world- they get their reward now, when it is ultimately meaningless and their punishment in the World to come- the converse is true for the righteous. For them, their punishment is in this world, where it is ultimately emaningless, while their reward is in the World to Come where it is meaningful
2007-10-10 23:23:43 · answer #1 · answered by allonyoav 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like much of Judaism, there are many answers to any one question. One of my favorite sayings is you can put ten rabbis in a room, ask a question, leave them for debate, and come back to twenty answers...all based on liturgy.
The answer to your question is: there are many answers, and you simply choose to go with whatever has meaning to YOU (can those of you out there who know tell I'm reform? ;))
One is influenced by the rabbis and other teachers that have affected one, their relationship to people of other religions, and often, by what they've read.
I, personally, believe we are reincarnated, many times, and each life begins more or less, where we left off spiritually in the previous life. I also believe that how we behave today, can directly (if mysteriously) affect our lives tomorrow. For instance, if I unjustly cuss out the driver in front of me in traffic, I may trip an hurt myself tomorrow. Two completely unrelated events, of course, but I feel that if I do something foolish and get hurt, I probably deserved it somehow. Kind of like, if I run a stop sign, and am not stopped and ticketed, once, then when I do get a ticket, the cop probably feels like I really deserved it, even though there were no witnesses to the first event. Not related when I make that illegal U-turn, but still deserved. So we follow the rules, to hedge against disaster.
Sounds awfully superstitious, doesn't it? And maybe at its core, it really is... evil eye and all that hogwash from the 'old country'
Truth is, if it makes us all behave ourselves cooperatively in society, and we live good and productive lives, then it's working, right?
Sorry for rambling. Must be time for me to turn in.
SUE
2007-10-08 17:41:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
“The ultimate purpose of religion is to impart inspiration – to give man not just the vision of a higher purpose, but the wherewithal to make it a reality; not just to be inspired, but to live an inspired life. Life’s most important ingredient is inspiration, without which man is almost indistinguishable from the inanimate rock upon which he treads. Real inspiration comes, not from being exposed to great ideas, but rather from being exposed to great personalities.”
Some people believe that the principal goal of man is personal salvation. To them man’s first concern must always be to climb the mountain of righteousness for himself, to ensure that his every act and thought is just and pure. Judaism rejects this view. From the vantage point of Judaism, it is not personal salvation but world redemption that is man’s first responsibility. Therefore, when man comes before God to express his deepest desires, when he calls forth his most private thoughts, he must do so in the company of the community. For although his words remain private, his prayers must not be only for himself.
Judaism is unique among the world’s religions in that it claims no copyright on, or exclusivity to, truth. It does not denounce other faiths as misguided or heretical. It is adamant that there are many paths to the one God. Judaism is a path, not the path. There is no one way. There is no one great truth, but rather a series of truths possessed by each nation that, when brought together, creates the truth. And this is what makes every nation indispensable. Jews, Christians, and Muslims could learn much from one another if they would only just stop and listen. As long as any religion leads to humility and worship of the one God, to passionate religious rituals and compassion and loving-kindness, then it has created a legitimate path to the source of the universe.
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2007-10-08 12:37:58 · answer #3 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The reward is life eternal with God in Heaven.
2007-10-08 10:43:57 · answer #4 · answered by elaine 30705 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I believe in an afterlife. However, Judaism teaches that *everyone* has a place in the world to come, at least all those who follow the seven Noahide commandments. So the question is, why go beyond this? The reason is that in the world to come, one's nearness to G-d depends on the degree to which one follows the mitzvot (the commandments)--so the more one follows the commandments the closer one is to G-d. In addition, following the commandments in this life--"tikkun olam", the process of repairing the world--also brings the coming of the messiah closer (that's our messiah, not Jesus).
2007-10-08 11:07:35 · answer #5 · answered by Mark S, JPAA 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
You follow the rules because G-d said so, not because you expect rewards. If you expect rewards, that would make it paganism since you made the reward into another god
2007-10-08 20:16:27 · answer #6 · answered by ST 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The promise of "everlasting life" was a promise of continuity in society. If a generation will keep the customs, and teach them and their history to their children, and treat each other fairly, we can have a society that will endure.
Immortality was not promised to Man or any other mortal creature. That is for God and the Angels.
2007-10-08 10:46:11 · answer #7 · answered by open4one 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
These links should tell you all you need to know:
http://www.aish.com/rabbi/ATR_browse.asp?s=gilgul&f=tqak&offset=1
http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=614&o=95
2007-10-10 12:32:38 · answer #8 · answered by Melanie Mue 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋