The word eschatology is defined in the dictionary as a branch of theology concerned with the final events of the history of the world. The truth is that eschatology is not exclusively the domain of religion. The most striking example of a secular eschatology would be Marxism: the convulsions and agonies of the class war, its evils resolving themselves into the classless society, the withering of the state and the blissful existence ever after.
Jewish eschatology is made up of three basic pieces:
- "The Era of the Messiah."
- "The Afterlife."
- "The World of Resurrection."
The Messiah, according to traditional Jewish sources, will be a human being born of a flesh and blood mother and father,1 unlike the Christian idea that has him as the son of God conceived immaculately. In fact, Maimonides writes that the Messiah will complete his job and then die like everyone else. 2
What's his job? To end the agony of history and usher in a new era of bliss for humanity at large.3 The time period in which he emerges and completes his task is called the Messianic Era. According to one Talmudic opinion it's not an era of overt miracles, where the rules of nature are overturned. Rather the only new element introduced to the world will be peace among the nations, with the Jewish people living in their land under their own sovereignty, unencumbered by persecution and anti-Semitism, free to pursue their spiritual goals like never before.4
The Afterlife proper is called in the traditional sources olam habah, or the World to Come. However, the same term, "olam habah," is also used to refer to the renewed utopic world of the future -- the World of Resurrection, olam hat'chiah (as explained in the next paragraph). 5 The former is the place righteous souls go to after death -- and they have been going there since the first death. That place is also sometimes called the World of Souls. 6 It's a place where souls exist in a disembodied state, enjoying the pleasures of closeness to God. Thus, genuine near death experiences are presumably glimpses into the World of Souls, the place most people think of when the term Afterlife is mentioned.
Resurrection is the ultimate reward, a place where the body is eternal and the soul even more so.
The World of Resurrection, by contrast, "no eye has seen," the Talmud remarks.7 It's a world, according to most authorities, where the body and soul are reunited to live eternally in a truly perfected state. That world will only first come into being after the Messiah and will be initiated by an event known as the "Great Day of Judgment,"(Yom HaDin HaGadol)8 The World of Resurrection is thus the ultimate reward, a place where the body becomes eternal and spiritual, while the soul becomes even more so. 9
In comparison to a concept like the "World To Come," reincarnation is not, technically speaking, a true eschatology. Reincarnation is merely a vehicle toward attaining an eschatological end. It's the reentry of the soul into an entirely new body into the present world. Resurrection, by contrast, is the reunification of the soul with the former body (newly reconstituted) into the "World To Come," a world history has not witnessed yet.
Resurrection is thus a pure eschatological concept. Its purpose is to reward the body with eternity (and the soul with higher perfection). The purpose of reincarnation is generally two-fold: either to make up for a failure in a previous life or to create a new, higher state of personal perfection not previously attained.10 The purpose of resurrection is to reward the body with eternity and the soul with higher perfection. Resurrection is thus a time of reward; reincarnation a time of repairing. Resurrection is a time of reaping; reincarnation a time of sowing.
The fact that reincarnation is part of Jewish tradition comes as a surprise to many people. 11 Nevertheless, it's mentioned in numerous places throughout the classical texts of Jewish mysticism, starting with the preeminent sourcebook of Kabbalah, the Zohar :12
As long as a person is unsuccessful in his purpose in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots him and replants him over and over again. (Zohar I 186b)
All souls are subject to reincarnation; and people do not know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He! They do not know that they are brought before the tribunal both before they enter into this world and after they leave it; they are ignorant of the many reincarnations and secret works which they have to undergo, and of the number of naked souls, and how many naked spirits roam about in the other world without being able to enter within the veil of the King's Palace. Men do not know how the souls revolve like a stone that is thrown from a sling. But the time is at hand when these mysteries will be disclosed. (Zohar II 99b)
The Zohar and related literature 13 are filled with references to reincarnation, 14 addressing such questions as which body is resurrected and what happens to those bodies that did not achieve final perfection, 15 how many chances a soul is given to achieve completion through reincarnation, 16 whether a husband and wife can reincarnate together,17 if a delay in burial can affect reincarnation,18 and if a soul can reincarnate into an animal. 19
The Bahir, attributed to the first century sage, Nechuniah ben Hakanah, used reincarnation to address the classic question of theodicy -- why bad things happen to good people and vice versa:
Why is there a righteous person to whom good things happen, while [another] righteous person has bad things happen to him? This is because the [latter] righteous person did bad in a previous [life], and is now experiencing the consequences? What is this like? A person planted a vineyard and hoped to grow grapes, but instead, sour grapes grew. He saw that his planting and harvest were not successful so he tore it out. He cleaned out the sour grape vines and planted again. When he saw that his planting was not successful, he tore it up and planted it again. (Bahir 195)20
Reincarnation is cited by authoritative classic biblical commentators, including Ramban21 (Nachmanides), Menachem Recanti 22 and Rabbenu Bachya.23 Among the many volumes of the holy Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, known as the "Ari,"24 most of which come down to us from the pen of his primary disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital, are profound insights explaining issues related to reincarnation. Indeed, his Shaar HaGilgulim, "The Gates of Reincarnation," 25 is a book devoted exclusively to the subject, including details regarding the soul-roots of many biblical personalities and who they reincarnated into from the times of the Bible down to the Ari.
The Ari's teachings and systems of viewing the world spread like wildfire after his death throughout the Jewish world in Europe and the Middle East. If reincarnation had been generally accepted by Jewish folk and intelligentsia beforehand, it became part of the fabric of Jewish idiom and scholarship after the Ari, inhabiting the thought and writings of great scholars and leaders from classic commentators on the Talmud (for example, the Maharsha, Rabbi Moshe Eidels ),26 to the founder of the Chassidic Movement, the Baal Shem Tov, as well as the leader of the non-Chassidic world, the Vilna Gaon. 27
The trend continues down to this day. Even some of the greatest authorities who are not necessarily known for their mystical bent assume reincarnation to be an accepted basic tenet.
One of the texts the mystics like to cite as a scriptural allusion to the principle of reincarnation is the following verse in the Book of Job:
Behold, all these things does God do -- twice, even three times with a man -- to bring his soul back from the pit that he may be enlightened with the light of the living. (Job 33:29)
In other words, God will allow a person to come back to the world "of the living" from "the pit" (which is one of the classic biblical terms for Gehinnom or "Purgatory") a second and even third (or multitude of) time(s). Generally speaking, however, this verse and others are understood by mystics as mere allusions to the concept of reincarnation. The true authority for the concept is rooted in the tradition.
Excerpt from Soul Searching, Targum Press, by Yaakov Astor.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Maimonides, Melachim 11:3
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2. Commentary to the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10:1; cf. Sanhedrin 99a.
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3. Maimonides, Melachim 11:3; 12:5
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4. Sanhedrin 91b, 99a; Berachos 34b; Pesachim 68a; Shabbos 63a; cf. Maimonides, Teshuva 9:2, Melachim 12:2.
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5. Tosafos, Rosh HaShannah 16b, s.v. leyom din; Emunos V'deyos 6:4 (end), Raavad, Hilchos Teshuva 8:8; Kesef Mishnah, Teshuva 8:2; Derech Hashem 1:3:11.
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6. Ramban (Nachmanides), Shaar HaGemul. According to the Ramban and other authorities, the "World of Souls" is also often referred to as the Garden of Eden.
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7. Sanhedrin 99a.
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8. Ramban, Shaar HaGemul. Citing Talmudic and Midrashic sources, the Ramban writes that there are three judgment days, i.e. three times the soul is judged:
1) Rosh Hashannah, which reviews the past year and determines material circumstances for the upcoming year;
2) Day of death, which reviews the deceased's life (life review) and determines whether its needs to continue the trying experience of further review or is ready for Paradise.
3) The Great Day of Judgment, which is when all who lived are resurrected, the righteous for everlasting life (in a spiritualized physical world, according to the Ramban) and the wicked for what amounts to termination (according to others there will be a middle category of those who are worthy to continue in a disembodied spirit form but not the more rarified physical form of the resurrected body in a resurrected world). There will also apparently be different degrees of reward (i.e. experiencing the Presence of God) in this Renewed World after the Great Judgment Day, all depending on one's life's actions.
It has been asked: If a person is judged at his death as to his status in the World to Come what is the purpose of the Great Day of Judgment? One answer given is that after a person dies all the children, all the good and bad deeds and influences he had on others are "still in motion." Only at the end of history can the "final tally" be made, then, as to the impact a person had on the world in his or her life.
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9. Derech Hashem 1:3:13.
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10. Shaar HaGilgulim, Chapter 8; Derech Hashem 2:3:10.
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11. Many are equally as surprised to discover that reincarnation was an accepted belief by numerous of the great minds underpinning Western civilization. Although Judaism, obviously, does not necessarily agree with all their thoughts and philosophies, nevertheless Plato, for instance (in Meno, Phaedo, Timaeus, Phaedrus, and the Republic), espouses belief in the doctrine of reincarnation. He seems to have been influenced by earlier classic Greek minds such as Pythagorus and Empedocles. In the eighteenth century, the Age of Enlightenment and Rationalism, thinkers like Voltaire ("After all, it is no more surprising to be born twice than it is to be born once") and Benjamin Franklin expressed an affinity for the notion of reincarnation. In the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer wrote (Parerga and Paralipomena ), "Were an Asiatic to ask me for a definition of Europe, I should be forced to answer him: It is that part of the world which is haunted by the incredible delusion that a person's present birth is first entrance into life..." Dostoevsky (in The Brothers Karamazov) refers to the idea, while Tolstoy seems to have been quite definite that he had lived before. Thoreau, Emerson, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain and many others acknowledged and/or espoused some form of belief in reincarnation. It should be noted, however, that some classic Torah authorities, most notably, 10th century authority Saadia Gaon, denied reincarnation as a Jewish tenet. Emunos V'Deyos 6:3.
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12. The Talmud relates that second century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Elazar fled to a cave to escape Roman persecution. For the next thirteen years they learned all day and night without distraction. According to Kabbalistic tradition (Tikkunei Zohar 1a) it was during those thirteen years that he and his son first composed the main teachings of the Zohar. Concealed for many centuries, the Zohar was published and disseminated by Rabbi Moshe de Leon in the thirteenth century.
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13. Although the Zohar is generally referred to as a single multi-volume work, comprising Zohar, Tikunei Zohar and Zohar Chadash, it is actually a compilation of several smaller treatises or sub-sections.
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14. Zohar I:131a, 186b, 2:94a, 97a, 100a, 105b, 106a, 3:88b, 215a 216a; Tikunnei Zohar 6 (22b, 23b), 21 (56a), 26 (72a), 31 (76b), 32 (76b), 40 (81a), 69 (100b,103a,111a,114b,115a,116b), 70 (124b,126a, 133a, 134a, 137b, 138b); Zohar Chadash 33c, 59a-c, 107a; Ruth 89a.
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15. The Zohar (I 131a): "Rabbi Yosi answered: 'Those bodies which were unworthy and did not achieve their purpose will be regarded as though they had not been?Rabbi Yitzchak [disagreed and] said: For such bodies the Holy One will provide other spirits, and if found worthy they will obtain an abiding in the world, but if not, they will be ashes under the feet of the righteous." Cf. Zohar II 105b.
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16. E.g. Zohar III 216a; Tikkunei Zohar 6 (22b), 32 (76b) suggest three or four chances. Tikkunei Zohar 69 (103a) suggests that if even a little progress is made each time, the soul is given even a thousand opportunities to reincarnation in order to achieve its completion. Zohar III 216a suggests that an essentially righteous person who experiences the travails of wandering from city to city, house to house - even to try to drum up business (Zohar Chadash Tikkunim 107a) -- is as if he undergoes many reincarnations.
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17. The answer is that, yes, it's a possibility, Zohar II, 106a.
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18. "After the soul has left the body and the body remains without breath, it is forbidden to keep it unburied (Moed Katon, 28a; Baba Kama, 82b). For a dead body which is left unburied for twenty-four hours causes a weakness in the limbs of the Chariot and prevents God's design from being fulfilled; for perhaps God decreed that he should undergo reincarnation at once on the day that he died, which would be better for him, but as long as the body is not buried the soul cannot go into the presence of the Holy One nor be transferred into another body. For a soul cannot enter a second body till the first is buried?" Zohar III 88b
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19. Tikunnei Zohar 70 (133a). Later Kabbalists detail the circumstances that can lead to reincarnation in vegetative and even mineral form. Shaar HaGilgulim, Chapter 22 & 29; Sefer Haredim 33, Ohr HaChaim 1:26.
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20. Bahir 122, 155, 184 and 185 also discuss reincarnation.
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21. Genesis 38:8, Job 33:30
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22. E.g. commentary to Genesis 34:1; his Taamei HaMitzvos (16a) says reincarnation is the secret underlying the ten Talmudic sages who were slaughtered by the Romans.
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23. Commentary to Genesis 4:25, Deuteronomy 33:6.
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24. His main works are the Etz Chaim (Tree of Life) and Pri Etz Chaim (Fruit of the Tree of Life), as well as the Shmoneh Shaarim (Eight Gates), which deal with everything from Bible commentary to divine inspiration and reincarnation.
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25. Sefer HaGilgulim, "The Book of Reincarnations," by Chaim Vital is also an entire book devoted to the topic.
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26. Commentary to Niddah 30b.
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27. Commentary to the Book of Jonah, and many other places. For example, R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk in Ohr Somayach, Hilchos Teshuva 5, s.v. v'yodati; R. Israel Meir HaKohen [the Chofetz Chaim] in Mishnah Berurah 23:5 and Shaar HaTzion 622:6; R. Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky [the Steipler Gaon] in Chayei Olam.
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28. Gehinnom refers, generally, to a limited-time (Edyos 2:10) experience in the afterlife where the soul is purged of its blemishes in a process, after all is said and done, described as painful, albeit cathartic. In a deeper sense, the callous person is recompensed measure for measure. Just as he acted callously by sinning, acting as if God was not present, he is paid back by having to experience Gehinnom, a place, in contrast to Heaven, where God?s Presence is in a way hidden, or at least not as open and free-flowing. (The name ?Gehinnom? comes from the valley to the south of Jerusalem, known as the valley [Gei] of the son of Hinnom, where children were at one time sacrificed to Molech (II Kings 23:10; Jer. 2:23; 7:31-32; 19:6). For this reason the valley was deemed accursed, and Gehinnom thus became a synonym for Purgatory.
(34) YehudahLeib, August 2, 2019 9:29 AM
Reincarnation
I believe in Reincarnation so strongly that in my Last Will and Testament I have left everything to.... myself :-)
(33) Anonymous, March 7, 2015 12:32 PM
Enlightening. I seem to know Jewish words and had a dream about a past life.
Excellent information. Thank you!
(32) mike schwed, November 29, 2014 5:48 AM
READ "FINDING LAURIE"
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In 1977 my beautiful five year old daughter died suddenly. There were signs signaling the coming tragedy, signs I failed to recognize. Following her death there were other signs telling me she was not gone forever but would somehow return. This book spans the thirty three years it took for me to find her. Some might call this a book about reincarnation, but, I call it finding Laurie.. Available on the Kindle and Nook.
(31) Anonymous, April 14, 2013 11:54 AM
Reincarnation and Jewish tradition
Reincarnation in Judaism came as a complete surprise.
The world of souls was a very interesting concept , since it was similar to what I believed but did not know this is part of Jewish belief . All I can say is, if it is true, I hope I am not "sent back" again and again, since I'll never get it right !
(30) Anonymous, April 7, 2013 4:25 AM
Amazing how only one source
Give credence to the many other overwhelming sources that brutally attest against the idea of reincarnation:
http://www.mesora.org/RefutingReincarnation.htm
(29) Mychal, February 15, 2012 9:51 PM
An interesting article. But I've never had anyone who could explain to me (so I can understand) which body you get resurrected into when you've been reincarnated multiple times.
Ari, February 16, 2012 7:23 PM
The Body
What do you mean which body? You are reincarnated into a new body, be it animal, vegetable, or even mineral. Read Minhat Yehuda.
Anonymous, December 5, 2015 11:51 PM
multiple bodies
Rabbi Avigdor Miller said that reincarnation doesn't mean totally different bodies and souls, but rather that the reincarnated souls are different aspects of a soul.
(28) lorraine lagesse, February 15, 2012 8:06 AM
reincarnation and ashes
Shalom... Is it because jewish religion believe in reincarnation that the dead bodies cannot be cremated???& more , they cant be buried in a jewish cemetry???Thank you..L Lagesse
(27) Tom Doyle, February 15, 2012 12:59 AM
Great discussion on reincarnaton.Thanks.
I really enjoyed the lenghty discussion and comments on the afterlife. I will pursue the souces cited.
(26) Corey, June 19, 2011 1:34 PM
Perfect Timing
I came to this website looking for something very different, but "felt lucky" and clicked to receive a random article. This is the one I received! Not more than a week ago, a friend and I were discussing the possibility of reincarnation in Judaism. We were both so excited by the story of Brian L. Weiss M.D. and his patient Catherine as recorded in Many Lives, Many Masters, and we thought it would be great it Judaism allowed for such a thing. And here it is! Not only does it allow for it, it's a part of tradition! Thanks for this excellent article! Perfect Timing.
(25) Anonymous, November 18, 2010 5:11 PM
To Marion Poole
Your comment gave me the chills, so detailed and vivid
(24) renata, November 18, 2010 2:08 PM
Thank you aish.com
Thank you so much for this.It gives me so many answers I was craving for. Thank Hashem for aish.com
(23) Hanan Druker, November 17, 2010 1:20 AM
Not really a basic tenant
Thank you for putting in note 11, that Saadia Gaon was against this idea of reincarnation. Jews should note that, yes, Jewish tradition does have a concept of reincarnation, but at the same time, the tradition also testifies a counter-point. In the end, I don't think reincarnation can be catagorized anywhere near as a basic tenant of Jewish belief.
(22) SusanE, November 16, 2010 5:25 PM
Fascinating!
Thank you for the very interesting read. I knew about the concept of reincarnation, but none of the details. I consider it a possibility and hope if I am back' again right now that I am doing something right. G-d knows I have been exploring how to do what he hopes for me, for most of this life. How can I know if I am doing better or worse? I have a question, does the reincarnate have to 'come back' as an infant?
(21) Anonymous, November 16, 2010 12:25 PM
Sounds like a mixture of Islam and Hinduism
I have to say that I agree with Rabbi Saadia Gaon, who denied the reincarnation as being a Jewish tenent. It sounds like attempt to harmonize different religious concepts of afterlife. Every religion has its answer to death. The Tenakh's solution to death is resurrection. Greek philosophy's solution to death is the eternal soul, and finally hinduism's solution to death is reincarnation. We mix all the above together and we get Judaism's concept of afterlife. When we die we don't really die because the soul is eternal. We get our reward after life like going to heaven or Gihennom, but then somehow this process is stopped and we come back and are reincarnated into a new body to make ammendments for past live's mistakes. Then after all that is done we are resurrected one more time into the last body of our reincarnation and get rewarded for the deeds done in the last body. The purpose of the last reserrection is not very clear for the people who during their "last reincarnation" were not able to make the required ammendments (probably the majority of humanity) and since Judaism does not believe in hell, they cannot go to hell, but they cannot die either because the soul is eternal, so there is no other option left than another round of reincarnations? I'm all confused ..... on top of that the Tenakh does not mention this whole scenario.
(20) Folke Holtz, November 16, 2010 10:44 AM
Is the reincarnation to be taken litarly?
Is the reincarnation to be taken litary or as a Metaphore? I can harldy beleive in a reincarnation like the Hindus who are convinced that a soul pass from one body to an another. What will it be with the unicness of the human if we all are more or less a series reincarnations?
(19) Fred, November 16, 2010 6:07 AM
Yes I Believe In Reincarnation
And also Karma. We keep coming back to learn our lessons on Earth. Professional Hypnotherapists regress people all the time and what comes out under hypnosis is amazing.
(18) Donald Mattison, November 16, 2010 2:20 AM
Very helpful and ffirming. Thank you.
This is a very helpful article that really helps me clarify some of my Jewish beliefs and renews my confidence as a Jew. Well written and good references. Thanks you all very much. DM
(17) Nava, November 15, 2010 5:50 AM
People assume all Jews believe in reincarnation
I don't believe in reincarnation in the sense after we die, we come back in another body. I have had people assume I do. What some read into text, I don't. My soul (my mind, will and emotions) goes through being resurrected to new life by cycles. My soul gets rejuvenated by the spirit of God. The saying "it's the pits" is going through a bad time. A depression can separate you from the land of the living, you just want to craw in a hole, and you are in a state of the netherworld, place of darkness. Like in the Psalms, " why are you cast down my soul" correct the reason that is causing the soul to be cast down, and you come out of the pit. Anyway, those who do believe in reincarnation, maybe they will be for the reasons stated in this article. In conversations about it, I say I know after death, I will be in (the First) Heaven, and if others believe they have to return then that is what is right for them to believe for themselves. The final resurrection after death is when our body, soul, and spirit is united as one after being purified from any unrepentant sins, to be able to be in the full presence of Holy God.
(16) Anonymous, November 15, 2010 2:46 AM
fabulous article
So well written and well supported, too. I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Thank you for helping to illuminate a often hidden aspect of our tradition.
(15) gustave Rieu, November 15, 2010 2:02 AM
The Zohar mentioned the Reincarnation.
According with Kabbalah if the person did something wrong his or her NECHAMA (Soul) has to go back to this world in order to purify it. In other words, the righteous souls are the only to enjoy the Garden Eden.
(14) Fabio, November 14, 2010 9:24 PM
Consultant
its it possible for a jew to reincarnate in a non jew body?
(13) Matityahu, November 14, 2010 9:13 PM
verses out of context
The beginning of this article addresses resurrection. This is different than reincarnation. Seems to me that the "light" of reincarnation doctrine is taken only from the Zohar and sources outside Tanach. Let's put Job 33:29 back into context so we can see how the passage used above is used: "In a dream, a vision of the night, when a deep sleep falls over people, during slumbers upon the bed, then He uncovers people's ears and seals their affliction, in order to divert a person from his [planned] action, and to suppress pride from man, thus sparing his soul from the grave, and his life from perishing by the sword. And so he is afflicted with pain upon his bed, …His soul approaches the grave, and his being the killers. If there will be for someone but a single defending angel out of a thousand to declare a man's uprightness on his behalf, then [G-d] will be gracious to him and say, 'Redeem him from going down to the grave. I have found [him] atonement.' His flesh has revived from its trembling,…For [G-d] absolved him from passing into the grave; so that his being might see the light. Behold, G-d does all these things with man two or three times, to bring back his soul from the grave, to bask in the light of the living." Judaism, I understand teaches that when we sleep, we are in a state of "death" if you will. Perhaps the understanding here is sleeping and not dying and thus, not about reincarnation?
(12) Phil, November 14, 2010 7:50 PM
Dissent from some Jewish authorities?
"It should be noted, however, that some classic Torah authorities, most notably, 10th century authority Saadia Gaon, denied reincarnation as a Jewish tenet. Emunos V'Deyos 6:3." I really enjoyed this essay. The above piece of information, however, sounds a bit too important to relegate to a footnote.
(11) Carrol Pugh, November 14, 2010 5:11 PM
Reincarnation
I personally believe in reincarnation, life after physical death, that my spirit will live on in many lives.
(10) MARION, July 30, 2008 4:28 PM
NAZI DEATH DREAM
FOR THIRTY YEARS SINCE THE AGE OF THREE or FOUR I HAD A REPEATED DREAM OF THE NAZI'S COMING TO OUR HOUSE AND MURDERING MY ENTIRE FAMILY. MY DREAM STARTS OFF WITH ME DRESSED ALL IN WHITE FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY. I AM NOT SURE IF THE PARTY IS FOR ME or SOMEONE ELSE. I AM PLAYING IN THE FOYER OF THE HOUSE AND I HEAR THE SOUND OF GRAVEL IN OUT FRONT CIRCLE DRIVEWAY. I RUN TO THE WINDOW TO SEE WHO? THERE IS ONE BLACK VEHICLE AND EXITING THE VEHICLE ARE FOUR MEN ALL UNIFORMLY DRESSED IN LONG, BELTED COATS, VISOR HATS AND BLACK BOOTS. AS THEY RANG THE BELL, MY MOTHER EXITS FROM THE KITCHEN AND MY FATHER EXITS FROM THE STAIRCASE INTO THE FOYER, WHERE I AM. IT IS MY MOTHER WHO ANSWERS THE DOOR. ONE OF THE UNIFORMED MEN ASK WHO IS IN THE HOUSE. MY MOTHER ANSWERS 'MY HUSBAND, CHILD AND FOUR SERVANTS. WE ARE ALL, THEN, GATHERED INTO THE FOYER AND ARE LED TO THE BASEMENT AND TOLD TO STAND IN A CLOSE CIRCLE. THE BASEMENT IS UGLY AND BUNKER-LIKE. A DIRTY AQUA-GREEN AND ONE DIM LIT BULB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CEILING. IN THIS CLOSE CIRCLE I FEEL SHIVERING, SHAKING AND CRYING. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE IS SO FEARFUL, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING? BODIES BEGIN TO FALL WITHIN THE CIRCLE, MY MOTHER HAS THROWN ME DOWN AND LAID ATOP ME. THERE IS NO MORE SHAKING AND CRYING, EVERYONE IS QUIET. I HERE ONE OF THE SOLDIERS SAY GO CHECK THE BODIES. I AM AFRAID NOW, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY... I QUICKLY TRY TO HOLD MY BREATH AND THE TALL BLACK BOOTS KEEP GETTING CLOSER... I FEEL SOMETHING HEAVY AT MY RIGHT TEMPLE... THEN EVERYTHING GOES BLACK... I AWAKE SCREAMING, MY BODY IS SOAKING WET FROM HEAD TO TOE AND I AM SHAKING SO BAD MY PARENTS IN (THIS LIFE)HOLD ME CLOSE TO CALM ME DOWN UNTIL THE 'DREAM' REPEATS ITSELF NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. I WAS ABOUT 35 YEARS AND MARRIED WITH TWO CHILDREN WHEN THE 'DREAM' SUDDENLY STOPPED. IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING AND I WAS PREPARING BREAKFAST FOR MY FAMILY. THERE WAS AN INTERESTING DOCUMENTARY SHOWING HOW THE NAZI'S GATHERED SCHOOL CHILDREN AND TEACHER OUT OF THE CLASSROOMS AND MURDERED THEM, THEY SHOWED THEM EMPTYING OUT CHURCHES AND KILLING THE PRIEST AND THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION AND GOING TO INDIVIDUAL HOMES AND TOTALLY KILLING ALL FAMILY MEMBERS... I SCREAMED FOR MY HUSBAND, YELLING.. IT'S THE DREAM, IT'S THE DREAM... AND HE CAME RUNNING AND I SAID TO HIM THAT'S MY DREAM... THAT'S MY DREAM. I NEVER HAD THE DREAM AGAIN. I AM AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN GRANDMOTHER AND MOTHER, 65 YEARS AND CREATE CROSSWORD PUZZLES FOR A LIVING. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE REGRESSED, I STILL HAVE MANY DETAILS ABOUT THE HOUSE. THANKS FOR LISTENING. MARION POOLE
(9) Leyla, July 29, 2007 11:04 PM
I am very interested in soul seaching and reincarnation,I fell already blessed by finding this page.
(8) Merlock, March 5, 2005 12:00 AM
Very interesting! I've wondered about this, nice to know there's some kind of basis for the belief...
(7) ker, December 15, 2004 12:00 AM
This cite is very interesting and informative about the jewish culture.
(6) Anonymous, May 27, 2004 12:00 AM
Once I heard a young Reform rabbi preach from the pulpit that Judaism doesn't believe in the afterlife and we say the Kaddish to make ourselves feel better. Her words astounded me, but seemed not to affect anyone else present. She was comfortable with that outlook, but how many others feel out of sorts with their existence and ill at ease with death. The older I become,
the more I sense, as if through a curtained window, the presence of others who have passed on before me and still somehow continue to touch my life. The rabbi had lost only one member of her family, someone she didn't know very well. Maybe, as time goes by . . .
I appreciate this rare opportunity to express these thoughts.
Shalom
(5) Nili Nachtigall, September 29, 2003 12:00 AM
Thank you for another fascinating, timely article. Only two weeks ago, I was asked by a friend if Jews believe in reincarnation and my reply was a weak, "Well, according to some of the reading I have done, it seems that at least some Jews believe in reincarnation." Now I will be able to discuss the subject with more clarity. Aish articles are a much appreciated source of personal education for me.
(4) Anonymous, September 1, 2003 12:00 AM
SEEKING SOLACE FOR LOST DAUGHTER
I LOST MY DAUGHTER LAST JULY AND I SEEK SOLACE FOR HER SOUL AND PRAY THAT SHE HAS PEACE.THIS ARTICLE HELPS ME UNDERSTAND THE LOSS
(3) Haley Arzab, August 29, 2003 12:00 AM
Incredible
Reading this article is incredible. It was interesting to learn that reincarnation is part of the Jewish tradition. My grandfather was Jewish, so I am always interested in learning about Judaism or some words in Hebrew.
I always thought it was just part of Buddhism or some other religion. I never would have guessed Judaism. The whole article was amazing.
(2) Steve Stein, June 27, 2003 12:00 AM
Who knew we had an Eastern religion!
The level of depth is amazing.
(1) !, June 23, 2003 12:00 AM
A bit hard to follow, but
Incredible read