Question: Where in the bible do you get indications that resurrection and reincarnation are possible?

Answer: Thank you for your excellent question.

Resurrection is one of the basic dogmas of Judaism. The concept is that, at the end of the end time, there will be a physical resurrection of the dead as a reward for the righteous. This is clearly found in the Hebrew Bible:

• Isaiah 26:19: “Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise—awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust—for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades.??


• Daniel 12:2: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence??

In addition to these clear references to resurrection, hints can also be found in the Pentateuch. Exodus 15:1 literally reads, “And then Moses and the children of Israel sing this song to the Lord?? (emphasis mine). The Sages of the Talmud teach that the future tense of this verse indicates that, when the resurrection will come, Moses will again sing this song, as was by the Red Sea.

With regard to reincarnation (i.e. a person’s soul being housed in more than one body), we find Biblical verses that only make sense literally with the acceptance of the concept of reincarnation. Examples include:

• Job 1:21: “Naked I left my mother’s womb and naked I shall return there.?? People’s bodies do not return to the womb after they die, so it must refer to the soul, that returns to another womb.


• Ecclesiastes 1:4: “A generation departs and a generation comes.?? The physical order is different: A new generation is born physically before the previous one departs, or else where does it come from. But with reincarnation, this verse can be taken literally.

The kabbalistic tradition finds ample evidence of reincarnation in the Bible, but this is not the forum to discuss those details.

I hope this was helpful.

J. Kolakowski