Reincarnation

Question

In his books, Dr. Brian Weiss, a Jewish Psychiatrist, determines that his patients have experienced past as well as future lives. And they can recall them under hypnosis. What is the Jewish view on reincarnation? Do our spirits continue to survive and transcend the human body.

Answer

Hi,
Thanks for asking this important question. The short answer is that yes, Judaism very much believes in the concept of reincarnation, as a matter of fact we talk about it three times a day in our prayer service. In terms of Brian Weiss’s view of the world I cannot speak. Our souls definitely continue on to another place (a spiritual place) after we die and the Jewish belief is that we work in this world for the sake of the next. Really, this world is only an avenue to establish ourselves because when we pass on to the next world all we can take with us is who we became in this world. I hope that this helps. I can also suggest to get a book called “The Way of G-d” by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato. You can order it from www.eichlers.com or any major Jewish bookstore.

Be Well,
Rabbi Litt

Follow-up question

Question

Is the reincarnation of which you speak true reincarnation in which the person returns to this world repeatedly until ‘perfection’ has been attained and then blends in to the cosmic universe? Or is it simply moving from this life into the afterlife G-d has promised us?

Answer

When Judaism speaks of reincarnation we are speaking about a spiritual revisiting of this world. Meaning that a soul need to come back to this world to reach a level, complete themselves, etc. and will keep coming back until the job is complete. This is a very complicated subject, but that is the basic idea. We also have the concept of the afterlife, which is when a soul does not need to come back, but rather goes through a period of time purifying their soul and then takes his place in the next world. Both are true and part of Jewish philosophy.

Be Well,
Rabbi Litt