What is the modern Jewish thinking about afterlife?
Afterlife is a subject that deserves a tremendous amount of time to delve into and understand. I will try to convey some of the basics of Jewish belief on this matter, but I can only urge you to research some sources I will give you and to develop this topic fully.
One of the thirteen basics principles of Judaism that Maimonidies records is that there is a world to come, and that the greatest reward is in that world. Our sages tell us that even one second in the next world is a greater pleasure than all the pleasures of this world together.
On the other hand, there is also a place where punishment is given to the soul after one passes away. It is called in Hebrew “Gehinom.” The pain of one second in that place, we are taught, is greater than all the pain of this world combined.
In Mesillas Yeshorim, (Path of the Just), the author describes in most beautiful terms how it is inconceivable that G-d would create the human being, and force our soul, which doesn’t even want to be in this low world, to come here, unless there was some great goal that would come from this. After all, there are so many trial and tribulations that a human being goes through. Almost no one leaves the world feeling that they have everything that they wanted. Even when someone has an ‘easy’ life, it is such a short experience. The truth is, as our sages explain, we are really created and put in this temporary world just so that we can earn reward and have pleasure in the next world. This makes our existence in this world meaningful. Every second of life now becomes important. The commandments of the Torah are no longer ‘burdens’ but are special opportunities to earn eternal reward and pleasure.
This is a small piece of thought regarding our view on afterlife. I would recommend The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, Mesorah Publications and Gateways to Judaism by Rabbi Mordechai Becher.
Moshe Travitsky
Bensalem Outreach Center