Does Judaism believe in Heaven and Hell?
by Mrs. Sarah Levi addthis_pub = ‘rabbisimcha’; –> function gomprint(Hierarchy, ixObject){ var vwidth = 680; var vheight = 520; var url = ‘/en/article_print.html?h=’ + Hierarchy + ‘&o=’ + ixObject; window.open(url,’print’,’toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,menubar=no,status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=no,width=’+vwidth+’,height=’+vheight+’,top=’+((window.screen.height/2)-(vheight/2))+’,left=’+((window.screen.width/2)-(vwidth/2))); } Library » Philosophy » Afterlife | Subscribe | What is RSS? PRINT EMAIL COMMENT Judaism does have a concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife. However, since words we use bring to mind certain images, particularly “Heaven” and “Hell,” it is better to use the Jewish terminology which comes without the baggage. When someone dies, the disembodied soul leaves this sensory world and enters “Gan Eden,” the spiritual Garden of Eden (a.k.a. “Heaven”). In the Garden of Eden, the soul enjoys the “rays of the Divine Presence,” a purely spiritual enjoyment