Do we as Jews definitively believe in Heaven, as in we will see our loved ones when we pass away? Also, will we see our cherished dogs we were honored to live with throughout our lifetime? (my dog was my father’s (may he rest in peace) best grandchild!). thank you
The Jewish concept of Heaven is the reuniting of the soul to it’s Source. The bliss of Heaven is the enjoyment of achieving unity – sort of like finding the thing its been looking for forever. The catch is, that upon this reuniting, the soul by necessity needs to take on the perspective of its Source. If its perspective during life was similar to what God considers proper, it enjoys the Unity. If its perspective was different than God’s expectations, the Unity is actually painful. This is the Jewish concept of hell. These experiences can only happen to souls who had the opportunities to choose between right and wrong behavior. Of course, other souls- in fact everything – is also a part of that Unity. The dogs existence is also part of that Unity. However, as the dog was merely a passive participant it can not have the same bliss as the human.
There is a lot more to this topic, but this is the basic concept.