Olam Ha-Ba: The World to Come
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of the article Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife written by Tracey Rich. It is true the Jewish people do believe the death of the physical body or human existence is not the end, but there is little dogma written on it. This leaves room for various interpretations of what happens after physical death. The Orthodox Jew may believe in a Heaven similar to the Christian belief. Other Jews may believe they may be resurrected when the Messiah returns. And then, there are some who believe the souls of the wicked may be tormented by demons. Finally keeping in mind there is no dogma, there are some who say the soul will die at death.
While there are some variances in what happens in the afterlife, there is agreement that the Jewish afterlife is called …show more content…
While it does not have dogma, a set of principles considered true by all, it does have many beliefs on the afterlife, what it is, how long it lasts, and how and where, even if an afterlife is possible. As opposed to the simple belief of Heaven for the righteous and Hell for the wicked, the Olam Ha-Ba consists of both Gan Eden and Gehinnom. Judaism does not ascribe to Purgatory, but a wicked soul can be purified over twelve months and then ascend to Olam Ha-Ba.
Having read the article, I still have questions. It says Judaism does not have dogma, but I think the many references to the afterlife and definitions could be considered dogma. It is clear that Jews must perform Mitzvoh or Mitzvah as a moral and spiritual obligation. And, the righteous ascend to Olam Ba-Ha. If the purpose of the article was to provide definitions of spiritual terms, it succeeded. If the purpose was to provide a clear explanation of Jewish afterlife, I think it failed to answer questions but created more questions. I found myself seeking other references to find
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of the article Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife written by Tracey Rich. It is true the Jewish people do believe the death of the physical body or human existence is not the end, but there is little dogma written on it. This leaves room for various interpretations of what happens after physical death. The Orthodox Jew may believe in a Heaven similar to the Christian belief. Other Jews may believe they may be resurrected when the Messiah returns. And then, there are some who believe the souls of the wicked may be tormented by demons. Finally keeping in mind there is no dogma, there are some who say the soul will die at death.
While there are some variances in what happens in the afterlife, there is agreement that the Jewish afterlife is called …show more content…
While it does not have dogma, a set of principles considered true by all, it does have many beliefs on the afterlife, what it is, how long it lasts, and how and where, even if an afterlife is possible. As opposed to the simple belief of Heaven for the righteous and Hell for the wicked, the Olam Ha-Ba consists of both Gan Eden and Gehinnom. Judaism does not ascribe to Purgatory, but a wicked soul can be purified over twelve months and then ascend to Olam Ha-Ba.
Having read the article, I still have questions. It says Judaism does not have dogma, but I think the many references to the afterlife and definitions could be considered dogma. It is clear that Jews must perform Mitzvoh or Mitzvah as a moral and spiritual obligation. And, the righteous ascend to Olam Ba-Ha. If the purpose of the article was to provide definitions of spiritual terms, it succeeded. If the purpose was to provide a clear explanation of Jewish afterlife, I think it failed to answer questions but created more questions. I found myself seeking other references to find