Heaven and Hell

What is "Abraham's bosom"? "Abraham's bosom" is a metaphor for "heaven". The term is used by Josephus (Discourse concerning Hades), and can also be found in the Talmud (Kiddushin 72b).

What is Gehinnom? Gehinnom is the name given to Hell in the Rabbinic literature. The name was borrowed from that of a real valley (see Joshua 15:2,8 and 18:16; 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chron.28:3 and 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31-32 and 19:2,6;…

Did any people go to heaven without dying? The best-known examples are Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings Ch. 2), but the Talmud (Kallah 3:23) lists at least seven other such people: Serach the daughter of Asher, Bisiah the…

What do the Jews believe about the afterlife? Answer: The Jewish beliefs about the afterlife involve two ideas: (1) that people are rewarded or punished as soon as they die (or perhaps a year later; see Shab.152b); (2) that when…

Do near-death experiences give glimpses of the next world? Near-death experiences seem to relate to the transition between this world and the next world, not to the next world itself. The Biblical Sheol too seems to be a transitional place;…

What happens after a person dies? The soul is believed to stay near the body for a few days after death, and then go to the next world to be judged. After death the soul returns to G-d (Koheles 12:7).…

What is hell? Who is punished there? Hell is a place of fire where sinners are punished after they die. Certain classes of people who deny religion receive eternal punishment there (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Teshuvah 3:5-6), but most sinners are…

What is the “Tabernacle of David”? The Tabernacle (Sukkah) of David is referred to in Amos 9:11. The Targum translates it as referring to David’s dynasty, which will be restored when the Messiah comes.

What is “Sheol”? The word “sheol” occurs in Gen. 37,42, and 44, in Num. 30 and 33, in Job, and many other places in the Bible. Many of its uses imply that it is an underworld inhabited by (the spirits…